VICTOR MALDONADO; JACK HICKS; GUILHERME FERNANDES

DOI Number: 10.13009/EUCASS2023-009

This paper proposes a novel transitioning e VTOL aircraft concept utilizing distributed underwing ducted fans with a specially designed undercambered airfoil presented as the ‘Maldonado-Hicks’ airfoil. It is hypothesized that this concept where the airfoil is blended intothe fan on the aft portion of the airfoil, referred to as the ‘FanFoil’ concept, is aerodynamicallysuperior to mounting the fans over the wing. This is due to the ability to recess and partially hide the fans underneath the wing, such that the fans are not entirely visible in forward flightwhen looking at the wing from the front. It is expected that this ‘FanFoil’ technique reduces the form drag of the wing with distributed fans. In this initial study, computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations are performed on the Maldonado­Hicks airfoil which represent a two-dimensional section of the e VTOL wing at the cruise conditions; Mach 0.22 (260 km/h) and Reynolds number of 6.5xlOG The lift and drag coefficients are computed in order to get an understanding of the cruise angle of attack and design lift coefficient that maximizes aerodynamic efficiency as quantified by the lift-toldrag ratio, LID. Open vehicle sketch pad (VSP) is also used to perform a low-fidelity CFD analysis of the clean eVTOL configuration. The base drag coefficient, Cn, is estimated’as 0.018. Finally, an idealized steady-state analytical mission analysis is completed for a hypothetical maximum-range mission for a 5-passenger e VTOL concept. Based on power and energy consumption calculations, it is estimated that thisaircraft concept attains a maximum range of 290 km with a 300 kW-h size lithium polymer battery and a usable energy of 270 kW-h.

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In Categories: 1. Aerospace Europe Conference 2023, 1.Events, 15. Sustainable Aviation
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