Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 249 |
| Journal | Aerospace |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 17 Mar 2025 |
Abstract
To enable climate-neutral aviation, improving the energy efficiency of aircraft is essential. The research project Synergies of Highly Integrated Transport Aircraft investigates cross-disciplinary synergies in aircraft and propulsion technologies to achieve energy savings. This study examines a fuel cell electric powered configuration with distributed electric propulsion. For this, a reverse-engineered ATR 72-500 serves as a reference model for calibrating the methods and ensuring accurate performance modeling. A baseline configuration featuring a state-of-the-art turboprop engine with the same entry-into-service is also introduced for a meaningful performance comparison. The analysis uses an enhanced version of the Stanford University Aerospace Vehicle Environment (SUAVE), a Python-based aircraft design environment that allows for novel energy network architectures. This paper details the preliminary aircraft design process, including calibration, presents the resulting aircraft configurations, and examines the integration of a fuel cell-electric energy network. The results provide a foundation for higher fidelity studies and performance comparisons, offering insights into the trade-offs associated with hydrogen-based propulsion systems. All fundamental equations and methodologies are explicitly presented, ensuring transparency, clarity, and reproducibility. This comprehensive disclosure allows the broader scientific community to utilize and refine these findings, facilitating further progress in hydrogen-powered aviation technologies.
Keywords
- aircraft design, assessment, electric, hybrid-electric, preliminary aircraft design, propulsion architecture, regional aircraft, sustainable aviation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Engineering(all)
- Aerospace Engineering
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Aerospace, Vol. 12, No. 3, 249, 17.03.2025.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Preliminary Design of Regional Aircraft—Integration of a Fuel Cell-Electric Energy Network in SUAVE
AU - Schlittenhardt, Jakob
AU - Freund, Yannik
AU - Mangold, Jonas
AU - Hanke-Rauschenbach, Richard
AU - Strohmayer, Andreas
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 by the authors.
PY - 2025/3/17
Y1 - 2025/3/17
N2 - To enable climate-neutral aviation, improving the energy efficiency of aircraft is essential. The research project Synergies of Highly Integrated Transport Aircraft investigates cross-disciplinary synergies in aircraft and propulsion technologies to achieve energy savings. This study examines a fuel cell electric powered configuration with distributed electric propulsion. For this, a reverse-engineered ATR 72-500 serves as a reference model for calibrating the methods and ensuring accurate performance modeling. A baseline configuration featuring a state-of-the-art turboprop engine with the same entry-into-service is also introduced for a meaningful performance comparison. The analysis uses an enhanced version of the Stanford University Aerospace Vehicle Environment (SUAVE), a Python-based aircraft design environment that allows for novel energy network architectures. This paper details the preliminary aircraft design process, including calibration, presents the resulting aircraft configurations, and examines the integration of a fuel cell-electric energy network. The results provide a foundation for higher fidelity studies and performance comparisons, offering insights into the trade-offs associated with hydrogen-based propulsion systems. All fundamental equations and methodologies are explicitly presented, ensuring transparency, clarity, and reproducibility. This comprehensive disclosure allows the broader scientific community to utilize and refine these findings, facilitating further progress in hydrogen-powered aviation technologies.
AB - To enable climate-neutral aviation, improving the energy efficiency of aircraft is essential. The research project Synergies of Highly Integrated Transport Aircraft investigates cross-disciplinary synergies in aircraft and propulsion technologies to achieve energy savings. This study examines a fuel cell electric powered configuration with distributed electric propulsion. For this, a reverse-engineered ATR 72-500 serves as a reference model for calibrating the methods and ensuring accurate performance modeling. A baseline configuration featuring a state-of-the-art turboprop engine with the same entry-into-service is also introduced for a meaningful performance comparison. The analysis uses an enhanced version of the Stanford University Aerospace Vehicle Environment (SUAVE), a Python-based aircraft design environment that allows for novel energy network architectures. This paper details the preliminary aircraft design process, including calibration, presents the resulting aircraft configurations, and examines the integration of a fuel cell-electric energy network. The results provide a foundation for higher fidelity studies and performance comparisons, offering insights into the trade-offs associated with hydrogen-based propulsion systems. All fundamental equations and methodologies are explicitly presented, ensuring transparency, clarity, and reproducibility. This comprehensive disclosure allows the broader scientific community to utilize and refine these findings, facilitating further progress in hydrogen-powered aviation technologies.
KW - aircraft design
KW - assessment
KW - electric
KW - hybrid-electric
KW - preliminary aircraft design
KW - propulsion architecture
KW - regional aircraft
KW - sustainable aviation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105001174185&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/aerospace12030249
DO - 10.3390/aerospace12030249
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105001174185
VL - 12
JO - Aerospace
JF - Aerospace
IS - 3
M1 - 249
ER -