Preliminary Design of Regional Aircraft—Integration of a Fuel Cell-Electric Energy Network in SUAVE
To enable climate-neutral aviation, improving the energy efficiency of aircraft is essential. The research project <i>Synergies of Highly Integrated Transport Aircraft</i> investigates cross-disciplinary synergies in aircraft and propulsion technologies to achieve energy savings. This st...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Aerospace |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/3/249 |
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| author | Jakob Schlittenhardt Yannik Freund Jonas Mangold Richard Hanke-Rauschenbach Andreas Strohmayer |
| author_facet | Jakob Schlittenhardt Yannik Freund Jonas Mangold Richard Hanke-Rauschenbach Andreas Strohmayer |
| author_sort | Jakob Schlittenhardt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To enable climate-neutral aviation, improving the energy efficiency of aircraft is essential. The research project <i>Synergies of Highly Integrated Transport Aircraft</i> investigates cross-disciplinary synergies in aircraft and propulsion technologies to achieve energy savings. This study examines a fuel cell electric powered configuration with distributed electric propulsion. For this, a reverse-engineered ATR 72-500 serves as a reference model for calibrating the methods and ensuring accurate performance modeling. A baseline configuration featuring a state-of-the-art turboprop engine with the same entry-into-service is also introduced for a meaningful performance comparison. The analysis uses an enhanced version of the <i>Stanford University Aerospace Vehicle Environment (SUAVE)</i>, a Python-based aircraft design environment that allows for novel energy network architectures. This paper details the preliminary aircraft design process, including calibration, presents the resulting aircraft configurations, and examines the integration of a fuel cell-electric energy network. The results provide a foundation for higher fidelity studies and performance comparisons, offering insights into the trade-offs associated with hydrogen-based propulsion systems. All fundamental equations and methodologies are explicitly presented, ensuring transparency, clarity, and reproducibility. This comprehensive disclosure allows the broader scientific community to utilize and refine these findings, facilitating further progress in hydrogen-powered aviation technologies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-73f8af3d13074b379df0a353f3cf80cf |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2226-4310 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Aerospace |
| spelling | doaj-art-73f8af3d13074b379df0a353f3cf80cf2025-08-20T02:41:51ZengMDPI AGAerospace2226-43102025-03-0112324910.3390/aerospace12030249Preliminary Design of Regional Aircraft—Integration of a Fuel Cell-Electric Energy Network in SUAVEJakob Schlittenhardt0Yannik Freund1Jonas Mangold2Richard Hanke-Rauschenbach3Andreas Strohmayer4Institute of Aircraft Design, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, GermanyInstitute of Electric Power Systems, Leibniz University Hanover, 30167 Hanover, GermanyInstitute of Aircraft Design, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, GermanyInstitute of Electric Power Systems, Leibniz University Hanover, 30167 Hanover, GermanyInstitute of Aircraft Design, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, GermanyTo enable climate-neutral aviation, improving the energy efficiency of aircraft is essential. The research project <i>Synergies of Highly Integrated Transport Aircraft</i> investigates cross-disciplinary synergies in aircraft and propulsion technologies to achieve energy savings. This study examines a fuel cell electric powered configuration with distributed electric propulsion. For this, a reverse-engineered ATR 72-500 serves as a reference model for calibrating the methods and ensuring accurate performance modeling. A baseline configuration featuring a state-of-the-art turboprop engine with the same entry-into-service is also introduced for a meaningful performance comparison. The analysis uses an enhanced version of the <i>Stanford University Aerospace Vehicle Environment (SUAVE)</i>, a Python-based aircraft design environment that allows for novel energy network architectures. This paper details the preliminary aircraft design process, including calibration, presents the resulting aircraft configurations, and examines the integration of a fuel cell-electric energy network. The results provide a foundation for higher fidelity studies and performance comparisons, offering insights into the trade-offs associated with hydrogen-based propulsion systems. All fundamental equations and methodologies are explicitly presented, ensuring transparency, clarity, and reproducibility. This comprehensive disclosure allows the broader scientific community to utilize and refine these findings, facilitating further progress in hydrogen-powered aviation technologies.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/3/249aircraft designelectricregional aircraftassessmentpreliminary aircraft designhybrid-electric |
| spellingShingle | Jakob Schlittenhardt Yannik Freund Jonas Mangold Richard Hanke-Rauschenbach Andreas Strohmayer Preliminary Design of Regional Aircraft—Integration of a Fuel Cell-Electric Energy Network in SUAVE Aerospace aircraft design electric regional aircraft assessment preliminary aircraft design hybrid-electric |
| title | Preliminary Design of Regional Aircraft—Integration of a Fuel Cell-Electric Energy Network in SUAVE |
| title_full | Preliminary Design of Regional Aircraft—Integration of a Fuel Cell-Electric Energy Network in SUAVE |
| title_fullStr | Preliminary Design of Regional Aircraft—Integration of a Fuel Cell-Electric Energy Network in SUAVE |
| title_full_unstemmed | Preliminary Design of Regional Aircraft—Integration of a Fuel Cell-Electric Energy Network in SUAVE |
| title_short | Preliminary Design of Regional Aircraft—Integration of a Fuel Cell-Electric Energy Network in SUAVE |
| title_sort | preliminary design of regional aircraft integration of a fuel cell electric energy network in suave |
| topic | aircraft design electric regional aircraft assessment preliminary aircraft design hybrid-electric |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/3/249 |
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