scholarly journals Towards higher aerodynamic efficiency of propeller-driven aircraft with distributed propulsion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Keller
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Substantial Improvement ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Propulsive Efficiency ◽  
Thrust Distribution ◽  
Distributed Propulsion ◽  
Wing Tip ◽  
Cruise Flight

AbstractThe scope of the present paper is to assess the potential of distributed propulsion for a regional aircraft regarding aero-propulsive efficiency. Several sensitivities such as the effect of wingtip propellers, thrust distribution, and shape modifications are investigated based on a configuration with 12 propulsors. Furthermore, an initial assessment of the high-lift performance is undertaken in order to estimate potential wing sizing effects. The performance of the main wing and the propellers are thereby equally considered with the required power being the overall performance indicator. The results indicate that distributed propulsion is not necessarily beneficial regarding the aero-propulsive efficiency in cruise flight. However, the use of wing tip propellers, optimization of the thrust distribution, and wing resizing effects lead to a reduction in required propulsive power by $$-2.9$$ - 2.9 to $$-3.3\,\%$$ - 3.3 % compared to a configuration with two propulsors. Adapting the leading edge to the local flow conditions did not show any substantial improvement in cruise configuration to date.

scholarly journals Oscillating foils of high propulsive efficiency

1998 ◽  
Vol 360 ◽  
pp. 41-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. ANDERSON ◽  
K. STREITLIEN ◽  
D. S. BARRETT ◽  
M. S. TRIANTAFYLLOU
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Half Cycle ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Propulsive Efficiency ◽  
Principal Characteristics ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Power Measurements ◽  
Oscillating Foils

Thrust-producing harmonically oscillating foils are studied through force and power measurements, as well as visualization data, to classify the principal characteristics of the flow around and in the wake of the foil. Visualization data are obtained using digital particle image velocimetry at Reynolds number 1100, and force and power data are measured at Reynolds number 40 000. The experimental results are compared with theoretical predictions of linear and nonlinear inviscid theory and it is found that agreement between theory and experiment is good over a certain parametric range, when the wake consists of an array of alternating vortices and either very weak or no leading-edge vortices form. High propulsive efficiency, as high as 87%, is measured experimentally under conditions of optimal wake formation. Visualization results elucidate the basic mechanisms involved and show that conditions of high efficiency are associated with the formation on alternating sides of the foil of a moderately strong leading-edge vortex per half-cycle, which is convected downstream and interacts with trailing-edge vorticity, resulting eventually in the formation of a reverse Kármán street. The phase angle between transverse oscillation and angular motion is the critical parameter affecting the interaction of leading-edge and trailing-edge vorticity, as well as the efficiency of propulsion.

scholarly journals Grid Dependency Study for the NASA Rotor 37 Compressor Blade

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Arnone ◽  
Ennio Carnevale ◽  
Michele Marconcini
Keyword(s):  
Total Pressure ◽  
Turbulence Modeling ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Substantial Improvement ◽  
Compressor Blade ◽  
Computational Domain ◽  
Temperature Ratio ◽  
Turbulent Transition ◽  
Total Temperature ◽  
The Impact

The NASA Rotor 37 has been computed by several authors in the last few years with relative success. The aim of this work is to present a systematic grid dependency study in order to quantify the amount of uncertainty that comes from the grid density. The computational domain is divided onto several regions (i.e. leading edge, trailing edge, shear layer …) and for each of them, the impact of the grid density is investigated. By means of this analysis, substantial improvement has been obtained in the prediction of efficiency and exit angle. On the contrary, the improvement achieved in total pressure and total temperature ratio is less remarkable. It is believed that only after a systematic grid dependency study can the contribution of turbulence modeling, laminar-turbulent transition, and boundary conditions be analyzed with success.

Leading Edge and Wing Tip Flow Control on Low Aspect Ratio Wings

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Vey ◽  
David Greenblatt ◽  
Christian Nayeri ◽  
Christian Paschereit
Keyword(s):  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Flow Control ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Low Aspect Ratio ◽  
Wing Tip ◽  
Low Aspect Ratio Wings

scholarly journals Design of distributed propulsion system for general aviation airplane

2019 ◽  
Vol 304 ◽  
pp. 03009
Author(s):  
Pavel Hospodář ◽  
Jan Klesa ◽  
Nikola Žižkovský
Keyword(s):  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Dynamic Pressure ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
General Aviation ◽  
Local Dynamic ◽  
Wing Area ◽  
Sufficient Power ◽  
Distributed Propulsion ◽  
Electrical Propulsion

In this paper, a small airplane is redesigned by using a distributed electrical propulsion (DEP) system. The design procedure is focused on the reduction of fuel consumption in cruise regime with constrained parameters of take-off/landing. In this case, a one half wing area compared to an original airplane is used. Take-off distance and minimum airspeed for landing is achieved by distributed propellers mounted on the leading edge of the wing. These propellers induce velocity on the wing and thereby increase local dynamic pressure, thus the required lift force can be reached with smaller wing area. Moreover, the distributed propellers are assumed as folded in cruise regime to minimize drag when the main combustion engine provides sufficient power.

Effect of pectoral fin kinematics on manta ray propulsion

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (12n13) ◽  
pp. 1840025
Author(s):  
Hao Lu ◽  
Khoon Seng Yeo ◽  
Chee-Meng Chew
Keyword(s):  
Leading Edge ◽  
Wave Model ◽  
Pectoral Fin ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Propulsive Efficiency ◽  
Fish Locomotion ◽  
Pectoral Fins ◽  
Flow Features ◽  
Edge Vortex ◽  
Manta Ray

Recent advancement of bio-inspired underwater vehicles has led to a growing interest in understanding the fluid mechanics of fish locomotion, which involves complex interaction between the deforming structure and its surrounding fluid. Unlike most natural swimmers that undulate their body and caudal fin, manta rays employ an oscillatory mode by flapping their large, flattened pectoral fins to swim forward. Such a lift-based mode can achieve a substantially high propulsive efficiency, which is beneficial to long-distance swimming. In this study, numerical simulations are carried out on a realistic manta ray model to investigate the effect of pectoral fin kinematics on the propulsive performance and flow structure. A traveling wave model, which relates a local deflection angle to radial and azimuthal wavelengths, is applied to generate the motion of the pectoral fins. Hydrodynamic forces and propulsive efficiency are reported for systematically varying kinematic parameters such as wave amplitude and wavelengths. Key flow features, including a leading edge vortex (LEV) that forms close to the tip of each pectoral fin, and a wake consisting of interconnected vortex rings, are identified. In addition, how different fin motions alter the LEV behavior and hence affect the thrust and efficiency is illustrated.

Undulatory median fin propulsion of two teleosts with different modes of life

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (11) ◽  
pp. 2116-2119 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Blake
Keyword(s):  
Electric Fish ◽  
Flow Model ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Propulsive Efficiency ◽  
Dorsal Fin ◽  
Gymnarchus Niloticus ◽  
Mode Of Life ◽  
Modes Of Life

A simple fluid flow model, based on momentum considerations, is employed to calculate the hydromechnanical efficiency of the undulatory dorsal fin propeller of the electric fish (Gymnarchus niloticus) and the seahorse (Hippocampus hudsonius). The undulatory fins of G. niloticus and H. hudsonius are representative of two extreme kinematic styles. The dorsal fin of G. niloticus is characterized by waveforms which are propagated at low frequency and a leading edge which "sweeps out" a large area. In contrast, the leading edge of the dorsal fin of H. hudsonius sweeps out a comparatively small area and waveforms pass down the fin at a high frequency. It is shown that the propulsive efficiency of the dorsal fin of G. niloticus can be up to twice that of H. hudsonius at similar swimming speeds. Possible explanations for the evolution of the two kinematic modes are discussed in relation to the mode of life of the animals.

Numerical Study on Thrust Generation Performance of Plunging Airfoils

2013 ◽  
Vol 312 ◽  
pp. 235-238
Author(s):  
Ji Gao ◽  
Rui Shan Yuan ◽  
Ming Hui Zhang ◽  
Yong Hui Xie
Keyword(s):  
Viscous Flow ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Angle Of Attack ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Thrust Coefficient ◽  
Propulsive Efficiency ◽  
Propulsion Performance ◽  
Incompressible Viscous Flow ◽  
Thrust Generation ◽  
The Difference

In this paper, the effects of angle of attack, camber and camber location on propulsion performance of flapping airfoils undergoing plunging motion were numerically studied at Re=20000 and h=0.175. The unsteady incompressible viscous flow around four different airfoil sections was simulated applying the dynamic mesh. The results show that the time averaged thrust coefficient CTmean and propulsive efficiency η of the symmetric airfoil decrease with the increasing angle of attack, and the variation of CTmean is more obvious than that of CPmean. Both CTmean and η for NACA airfoils studied in this paper decrease with the increasing camber and the difference between the propulsion performances of different airfoils is not obvious, and the thrust generation and power of various NACA airfoils gradually increase during the downstroke and decrease during the upstroke. Under the same conditions, the airfoil with a further distance between the maximum camber location and the chord of the leading edge leads to higher propulsive efficiency.

scholarly journals Influence of Thickness Variation on the Flapping Performance of Symmetric NACA Airfoils in Plunging Motion

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liangyu Zhao ◽  
Shuxing Yang
Keyword(s):  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Parametric Method ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Thickness Variation ◽  
Thrust Coefficient ◽  
Propulsive Efficiency ◽  
Maximum Thickness ◽  
Class Function ◽  
Edge Vortex ◽  
The Impact

In order to investigate the impact of airfoil thickness on flapping performance, the unsteady flow fields of a family of airfoils from an NACA0002 airfoil to an NACA0020 airfoil in a pure plunging motion and a series of altered NACA0012 airfoils in a pure plunging motion were simulated using computational fluid dynamics techniques. The “class function/shape function transformation“ parametric method was employed to decide the coordinates of these altered NACA0012 airfoils. Under specified plunging kinematics, it is observed that the increase of an airfoil thickness can reduce the leading edge vortex (LEV) in strength and delay the LEV shedding. The increase of the maximum thickness can enhance the time-averaged thrust coefficient and the propulsive efficiency without lift reduction. As the maximum thickness location moves towards the leading edge, the airfoil obtains a larger time-averaged thrust coefficient and a higher propulsive efficiency without changing the lift coefficient.

Hydromechanics of lunate-tail swimming propulsion. Part 2

1977 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. Chopra ◽  
T. Kambe
Keyword(s):  
Swimming Performance ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Angular Frequency ◽  
Optimum Shape ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Sweep Angle ◽  
Propulsive Efficiency ◽  
Generalized Force ◽  
Total Thrust ◽  
The Mean

This paper investigates the propulsive performance of the lunate tails of aquatic animals achieving high propulsive efficiency (the hydromechanical efficiency being defined as the ratio of the work done by the mean forward thrust to the mean rate at which work is done by the tail movements on the surrounding fluid). Small amplitude heaving and pitching motions of a finite flat-plate wing of general planform with a rounded leading edge and a sharp trailing edge are considered. This is a generalization of Chopra's (1974) work on model rectangular tails. This motion characterizes vertical oscillations of the horizontal tail flukes of some cetacean mammals. The same oscillations, turned through a right angle to become horizontal motions of side-slip and yaw, characterize the caudal fins of certain fast-swimming fishes; viz. wahoo, tunny, wavyback skipjack, etc., from the Percomorphi and whale shark, porbeagle, etc., from the Selachii. Davies’ (1963, 1976) method of finding the loading distribution on the wing and generalized force coefficients, through approximate solution of an integral equation relating the loading and the upwash (lifting-surface theory), is used to find the total thrust and the rate of working of the tail, which in turn specify the hydromechanical swimming performance of the animals. The physical parameters concerned are the tail aspect ratio ((span)2/planform area), the reduced frequency (angular frequency x typical length/forward speed), the feathering parameter (the ratio of the tail slope to the slope of the path of the pitching axis), the position of the pitching axis, and the curved shapes of the leading and trailing edges. The variation of the thrust and the propulsive efficiency with these parameters has been discussed to indicate the optimum shape of the tail. It is found that, compared with a rectangular tail, a curved leading edge as in lunate tails gives a reduced thrust contribution from the leading-edge suction for the same total thrust; however, a sweep angle of the leading edge exceeding about 30° leads to a marked reduction of efficiency. Another implication of the present analysis is that no negative work is involved in the actual oscillation of the tail.The present results are used to obtain an estimate of the drag coefficient for the motion of the animals, based on observed data and the computed thrust. The results show some evidence of differences between the CD's for cetacean mammals and scombroid fish respectively. Some discussion of this difference is also given.

scholarly journals Optimization for Cavitation Inception Performance of Pump-Turbine in Pump Mode Based on Genetic Algorithm

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ran Tao ◽  
Ruofu Xiao ◽  
Wei Yang ◽  
Fujun Wang ◽  
Weichao Liu
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Algorithm ◽  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Cfd Simulation ◽  
Pressure Coefficient ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Algorithm Optimization ◽  
Pump Mode ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Cavitation Inception ◽  
Blade Thickness

Cavitation is a negative factor of hydraulic machinery because of its undesirable effects on the operation stability and safety. For reversible pump-turbines, the improvement of cavitation inception performance in pump mode is very important due to the strict requirements. The geometry of blade leading edge is crucial for the local flow separation which affects the scale and position of pressure drop. Hence, the optimization of leading edge shape is helpful for the improvement of cavitation inception performance. Based on the genetic algorithm, optimization under multiple flow rate conditions was conducted by modifying the leading edge ellipse ratio and blade thickness on the front 20% meanline. By using CFD simulation, optimization was completed with obvious improvements on the cavitation inception performance. CFD results show that the pressure drop location had moved downstream with the increasement of the minimum pressure coefficient. Experimental verifications also got an obvious enhancement of cavitation inception performance. The stability and safety was improved by moving the cavitation inception curve out of the operating range. This optimization is proved applicable and effective for the engineering applications of reversible pump-turbines.

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