Detailed Performance Studies on a Small Electric-Powered Contra-Rotating Ducted Fan Engine

Abstract

Electrical propulsion has been identified as one of the key fields of future research within the aerospace sector. This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing development of small electric-powered ducted fan engines with a thrust in the range of a few hundred newtons. A special emphasis is placed on introducing contra-rotating fans to such engines. Recently, such an innovative contra-rotating engine has been developed and put into operation on a novel test bench. This study intends to take a closer look at the performance of the engine at design speed ratio by means of experimental and numerical investigations. Global performance parameters are analyzed to validate parallel numerical simulations. Results indicate that both experiment and simulation are in good agreement. Moreover, detailed flow studies of the spanwise distribution of relevant parameters are conducted, and results are discussed. From these results, the stall behavior of the stage is identified. Finally, a comprehensive performance map is established with the help of a number of numerical simulations, which reveal a good off-design performance behavior of the engine.