Session: 01-17 Modelling, Simulation and Validation IV

Paper Number: 129038

129038 - A Modelica Based Integrated Air Vehicle - Novel Propulsor Architecture for Sustainable Aviation 

In order to achieve the sustainable aviation target, the design of a novel propulsion architecture requires an ability to assess its performance and efficiency at air vehicle level. This is particularly important for those based upon fuel with either low specific energy (energy stored per unit mass) such as batteries or low energy density (energy stored per unit volume) such as Hydrogen based fuel. A hybrid gas turbine propulsion system is a promising strategy to address this issue. Even for powerplant with conventional hydro-carbon fuel with high specific energy and density, the ability to assess the performance and efficiency at air vehicle level has become increasingly beneficial in order to improve the overall efficiency of the air vehicle.

This work presents a consistent modelling tool that enable air vehicle level system performance to be taken into account during the design process of a powerplant and its operational analysis. Here consistency refer to the system definition. A desirable feature is to be able to adjust the fidelity of each sub-system depending on the purpose of the modelling during a design and analysis process. During an initial mission sizing of an aircraft, the power plant can be represented by a scalable map from an existing engine. As the design stage progresses, a refined powerplant component may become available. Here a higher fidelity model for the power plant with refined can be developed from its subsystem inserted into the air vehicle model that otherwise remain unchanged in order to improve the understanding of the air vehicle design space and its dynamic operation. Hybrid propulsion is a critical development in the drive towards net zero carbon aviation. To this end, a hypothetical regional aircraft with a conceptual hybrid propulsion system is presented as a use case.

Presenting Author: Indi Tristanto Rolls-Royce PLC

Presenting Author Biography: Indi Tristanto joined the central engineering technology department of Rolls-Royce in 2006 after gaining his PhD in numerical method development for Large Eddy Simulation of turbulence compressible flow and brief stint as researcher at Loughborough University and lecturer at University of Manchester. His interest lies on multi-species and multi-phase modelling of thermal and fluid behaviour using for high fidelity CFD of components for the power generation devices, particularly turbomachinery, fuel cell and heat exchangers. More recently he has been involved on novel power plant at system modelling and its integration into an air vehicle, which is a natural extension to his work on operability of gas turbine components in realistic environment. His power-plant system level work has been more focused in addressing challenges in the journey towards more sustainable aviation. He is a Chartered Engineer and a member of the Royal Society Industry College after completing his Royal Society industry fellowship in 2016.

Authors:

Indi Tristanto Rolls-Royce PLC
Joseph Thorpe Rolls-Royce PLC
Nunzio Palumbo Rolls-Royce PLC
Andrea Cino Rolls-Royce PLC