Aerodynamic interactions between distributed propellers and the wing of an electric commuter aircraft at cruise conditions

Abstract

AbstractBeneficial interactions that occur between propellers and the wing can be used to increase the overall efficiency of an aircraft in cruise flight. Different concepts with such interacting propellers are distributed propulsion (DP) and wingtip mounted propellers (WTP). For DP, a full distribution over the entire span can be distinguished from a partial distribution, concentrating the propellers at the wing tip area. The paper focuses on the energy efficiency in cruise flight as a result of the interactions and provides a general comparison of the concepts (WTP, full and partial DP) with a Beechcraft 1900D commuter aircraft as a reference. Parametric CFD studies varying the number and the position of the propellers are performed with a half-wing model. The simulations are performed with the second-order finite-volume flow solver TAU, developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), employing Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations. The propellers are modeled using an Actuator Disk (ACD). An algorithm is used to reach cruise condition by iteratively adjusting the propeller rotational speed and the wing angle of attack. The CFD results are analyzed and evaluated with respect to the overall efficiency including the aerodynamic efficiency of the wing as well as the propulsive efficiency of the propellers. The parameter study shows that in cruise flight partial DP is more efficient than a full DP. The pure WTP configuration was found as the optimum of the propeller distribution along the wing, resulting in a saving of required power of $$5.6\%$$ 5.6 % , relative to the reference configuration.