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Numerical simulation of distributed propulsion systems using CFD

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posted on 2024-03-26, 14:39 authored by Geng Qiao, Tao Zhang, George N Barakos
This paper examines a Distributed Propulsion (DP) concept and involves CFD verification, optimisation and evaluation. The first part of the study validates the employed simulation methods using experimental data from the NASA Workshop for Integrated Propeller Prediction (WIPP) and the Folding Conformal High Lift Propeller (HLP) project, for isolated and installed cases under various conditions. Additionally, validation for rotor-rotor interactions was also conducted using the GARTEUR Action Group 26 measurements. The second part of the paper examines installed propeller configurations to identify performance differences based on their position relative to a lifting wing. The results indicate that distributed propellers with small radii interfere more with the wing, than tip-mounted, large propellers. Additionally, propeller and wing performance vary with respect to the propeller installation location. The propeller in tractor configuration showed higher efficiency than the over-the-wing (OTW) configuration by about 7%. However, results from this work showed a 2% improvement in the propeller efficiency when the OTW configuration had a pylon installed. This study also found that optimising the propeller from a tractor to OTW configuration, significantly improved the wing performance. At take-off and landing, the Lift-to-Drag (L/D) ratio of the OTW configuration almost quadrupled, and the overall propulsive efficiency increased by about 5%. The simulations showed that the OTW configuration with different numbers of propellers, outperformed the tractor configurations with the same number of propellers. Furthermore, up to 26% improvement in lift and overall propulsive efficiency was found by introducing the DP system in the OTW configuration.

History

Author affiliation

College of Science & Engineering/Engineering

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Published in

Aerospace Science and Technology

Volume

147

Pagination

109011

Publisher

Elsevier BV

issn

1270-9638

Copyright date

2024

Available date

2024-03-26

Language

en

Deposited by

Ms Lydia Wallman

Deposit date

2024-03-26

Data Access Statement

Data will be made available on request.

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