Single-Point and Multipoint Design of Propellers for Electric-Powered General Aviation
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 37, Issue 6
Abstract
With electric-powered aircraft concepts slowly maturing, it becomes feasible to include RPM regulation in propeller operation. Variable-pitch and variable-speed propellers will be designed for efficient operation in a wider performance space compared with traditional constant-speed propellers. In this brief technical note, an efficient design framework based on single-point and multipoint optimizations coupled with a circulation-based propeller analysis code is introduced and used to explore the potential of variable-speed propellers. Four optimization scenarios are considered, defined based on the relative weights associated with performance and acoustic requirements. The results obtained indicate lower power consumption and extended low-noise region for the designs obtained using a multipoint optimization across several rotational speeds.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The author wishes to acknowledge to comments and suggestions made by the anonymous reviewers, which helped improve the quality of this manuscript.
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© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 9, 2024
Accepted: May 30, 2024
Published online: Aug 12, 2024
Published in print: Nov 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Jan 12, 2025
ASCE Technical Topics:
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- Aircraft and spacecraft
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