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Purdue-Wright Senior Design Project Background Presentation

Deliverable I

AAE 45100 Spring 2016

Purdue University

Professor Sullivan

Conor Donahue

David Shultz

Veronica Wiley

Wills Johnston

Aleksandra Dervisevic

Andres Velez-Valencia

Adam Freeburg

Thomas Adamson

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Overview

History of electric aircraft

Constraint and weight analysis, including examples

Electric motor and battery research

Hybrid aircraft examples/past designs

Piper Cherokee analysis

Next steps and schedule for the semester

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History of Electric Aircraft

MIT Monarch

  • 1984
  • Used batteries charged by pedaling to power the aircraft

Militky MB-E1

  • 1973
  • First full size manned aircraft to fly solely on electric power.
  • 12 minute flight time

Hugues Duval MC15E Cri-Cri

  • 2010
  • Fastest electric aircraft (176 mph)

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Modern Electric Aircraft

Pipistrel Taurus G4

  • Winner of the 2011 Green Flight Competition
  • 200 mile range

NASA LEAPTECH

  • Converting a Tecnam P2006T
  • 18 Engines utilizing distributed electric propulsion

e-Genius

  • 250 mile range and in work to double that range
  • 60 Decibel takeoff noise.

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Constraint analysis overview

Constraint Analysis:

  • Used to determine an approximate wing loading (N/m^2) and power loading (W/N) value to be used in the sizing analysis for the electric and gas powered aircraft
  • Optimal values are chosen from a graph of the wing loading vs power loading for the following stages of flight
    • Takeoff
    • Maximum speed
    • Landing
    • Ceiling
    • Rate of Climb
    • Turns

Pilatus PC-12

Piper Cherokee

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Constraint analysis electric vs ICE, Pilatus PC-12

ICE Electric

*

*

Takeoff

Max Speed

Landing

Ceiling Rate of Climb

Turns

Takeoff

Max Speed

Landing

Ceiling Rate of Climb

Turns

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Constraint analysis electric vs ICE, Piper Cherokee

ICE Electric

Takeoff

Max Speed

Landing

Ceiling Rate of Climb

Turns

*

Takeoff

Max Speed

Landing

Ceiling Rate of Climb

Turns

*

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Weight sizing analysis overview

Weight Sizing Analysis:

  • Wing loading (N/m^2) and power loading (W/N) values from constraint analysis are used to find the fuel weight fractions for take-off, climb and best range cruise
    • Portions of flight where electric propulsion could be most beneficial
  • Weight fractions are then used to calculate takeoff weight
  • Gas powered weight sizing gives a baseline - electric weight sizing is compared to find ideal battery density

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Weight Sizing - PC-12 (electric)

  • Battery energy density approximation for full range aircraft:
    • Weight sizing targets
      • Target cruise distance: 2800 km
      • Target total takeoff weight: 7740 lbs
        • Taken from baseline weight sizing of PC-12 ICE
    • Required input to reach targets:
      • K_batt = 1,190,000 J/N (3240 Wh/kg)
      • ~20 times today’s average battery energy density
    • Outputs:
      • Power required: 620 kW

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Weight Sizing - Piper Cherokee (electric)

  • Battery energy density approximation for full range aircraft:
    • Weight sizing targets
      • Target cruise distance: 867 km
      • Target total takeoff weight: 2900 lbs
        • Taken from baseline weight sizing of Cherokee ICE
    • Required input to reach targets:
      • K_batt = 610,000 J/N (1660 Wh/kg)
      • ~10 times today’s average battery energy density
    • Outputs:
      • Power required: 160 kW

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Weight Sizing - Overview

  • Battery technology needs to significantly increase in order to compete with ICE aircraft.
    • Ratio of gas to battery energy density today: ~7
    • Gas still the much more viable option
  • Using today’s average battery density of 165 Wh/kg, both aircraft could only fly for approximately 30 minutes (Assuming it’s possible to provide the required power)
    • The sized PC-12 requires 620 kW of power
    • Sized Piper Cherokee is more reasonable requiring 160 kW
  • Regarding a hybrid approach, electric would be beneficial to use during takeoffs and landings.
    • Cruise distances severely limited for all electric passenger aircraft

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Battery Betterment Projections

K batt (for 137 km cruise) = 164.8 Wh/kg (60,480 J/N)

K batt (for 2800 km cruise) = 3240 Wh/kg (1,190,000 J/N)

*Based off Pilatus PC-12 combustion statistics and weight sizing analysis to create an electric weight sizing analysis for similar aircraft

~8% Li-Ion energy density increase per year over the last 30 years (NASA)

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Research: Batteries

  • Types:
  • Cylindrical
  • Pouch

Chemistry

Specific Energy Densities (Wh/kg)

Notes

Li-Ion/Li-Po

100-265

Among most popular, come in various shapes

LiFePO4

90-130

Longer life than Li-Ion, lower energy density

LiSO2

~350 (up to 500 demonstrated)

Common in aerospace, commercialization in progress, ideal for low-cont. current, primary batteries

LiSOCl2

500-700

Ideal for low-cont. current, safety limits civilian applications, primary batteries

Li-Air

>1000

Primary or secondary batteries, still highly developmental

  • Prismatic

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Electric Motors

  • JOBY JM2
    • 20.9KW (28.02736 hp)
    • 4kg
    • Inrunner
    • $3,200
    • 100-600V
    • 55kw (74.8 hp)

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Electric Motors

  • EMRAX 228 by Enstroj
    • 55kw (74.8 hp)
    • 12 kg
    • Outrunner
    • 600V at max power
    • Expensive, call for price

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Electric Motors

  • SIMOTICS prototype by Siemens
    • Not so distant future
    • 260kw (348.7 hp)
    • 50 kg

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Hybrid aircraft examples/past designs

Axter System

  • Designed as an engine retrofit to help in case of engine failure, allowing for 7 minutes of battery driven flight
  • Adds 40 hp (30 kW) to combustion engine
    • Improve takeoff distance
    • Climb speed
    • Allow for shorter landing distances by running in reverse
    • Compensates for engine loss power at high temperature conditions
  • Can retrofit any plane with Rotax 912 or 914 engines with an Emrax electric motor

Electric Motor Gas Engine

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Hybrid aircraft examples/past designs

Watts Up

  • Utilizes a Song UL frame with a Honda engine with an electric motor coupled on the same drive pulley
  • Electric motor used during:
    • Takeoff
    • Climb
    • Other high power required periods while the gas powered engine runs during cruise
  • Uses 30% Less Fuel

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Hybrid aircraft examples/past designs

Pipistral Panthera Hybrid

  • 4 seater, single propeller, hybrid engine aircraft
  • 145 kW hybrid electric engine
  • 100% Electric powered take-offs and landings
    • Noiseless during when using 100% electric power
  • > 1000 nautical mile range

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Hybrid aircraft examples/past designs

Boeing Sugar Volt

  • 154 Commercial Passenger aircraft
  • Makes use of hFan hybrid engine (turbofan)
    • Short range flown mostly on electric power
    • Long range flown mostly on jet fuel
  • Truss-Braced wing allows for high aspect ratio
    • 5-10% improvement in fuel consumption from wings alone.

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Hybrid aircraft

  • As can be seen, most hybrid electric aircraft designs use a form of a parallel hybrid engine.
    • Mission segments may require full use of either gas or electric power, or a combination of both
  • Analysis of mission segments important to optimize when the aircraft uses electric power, gas power, or both.

Hybrid Engine/Aircraft

Takeoff/Landing

Cruise

Axter

Electric + Gas

Gas

Watts Up

Electric + Gas

Gas

Panthera Hybrid

Electric

Electric + Gas

Sugar Volt

Electric + Gas

Electric or Gas (mission dependant)

Piper Cherokee (planned)

Electric + Gas

Gas

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Piper Cherokee example

Plane

PA-28-140 Cruiser

PA-32-300 Six

Crew

1

1

Passengers

3

5 or 6

Range [nm]

455

774

Ceiling [m]

3,340

5,200

Cruise Speed [Km/h]

200

272

Top speed [Km/h]

230

290

Empty Weight [Kg]

554

811

MTOW [Kg]

975

1542

Assumed pilot weight [Kg]

120

120

Useful load (gas not included) [Kg]

301

611

Engine

Lycoming O-320-E2A

Lycoming IO-540-K1A5

Power [kW]

113

225

Power loading [Kg/hp]

6.5

5.1

Wing loading [Kg/m^2]

65.4

95.2

Fuel tanks [L]

136.3

318

Fuel burn rate cruise [L/h]

75% power: 32

65% power: 28

75% power: 62

65% power: 53

PA-28-140 Cruiser

PA-32-300 Six

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Piper Cherokee example

  • PA-32
    • Removable fuel tanks in wings. Extra 50 gallons, or 189 liters.
    • Without reserve tanks: 129 liters of usable fuel.
      • Gives us at least two hours of fuel at the 75% thrust burn rate of 62 liters per hour.
      • Useful load of 611 kg falls to 482 kg.

This is the limit weight we will be using now when determining the best few options for batteries and electric motors.

Best Case

  • EMRAX 228 engine: 12 Kg. and 50KW (PA-32 needs 225 KW)
  • LiSOCl2: 500-700Wh/kg becomes 241-337.4KWh,
    • Assuming no losses two of these engines could run ~ 3hr.
    • Four engines for 1.5 hrs

PA-32 disposition of extra fuel tanks

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Overarching schedule for the semester

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Detailed schedule for the semester

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Questions?

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Backup Slides

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Constraint Analysis Equations

  • Takeoff

  • Maximum Speed

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Constraint Analysis Equations

  • Landing

  • Ceiling

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Constraint Analysis Equations

  • Rate of Climb

  • Turns

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Sizing Analysis Equations

  • Climb

  • Best Range Cruise

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Battery Suggestions

Today’s battery energy density average: 60480 J/N

Battery

Chemistry

Energy Density (J/N)

Cells Needed

Battery Weight

Kokam 460 Series

Li-Ion

68257

175 x

Amicell Li-Po Cells

Li-Po

78609

241 x

Amicell LiSO2 Cells

LiSO2

120612

189 x