Aircraft-level sensitivities of electric network component performance for (hybrid-) electric aircraft

Abstract

Research on electric aviation energy networks tends to focus on either detailed studies of individual subsystems, or full-aircraft analyses that use highly simplified network (component) models. This paper aims to bridge that gap by performing sensitivity studies for various network parameters (HVDC cables, power converters, and motors), evaluating their effect on both the system and aircraft level. This is achieved through a combination of higher-fidelity explicit modeling of the network components and conceptual aircraft design software. This analysis is applied to a parallel-electric regional jet and a fully-electric commuter aircraft. The effects of parameter variations within literature-supported ranges are evaluated on component, network and aircraft mass for a given mission profile. Results show that the most influential parameters are the level of DC voltage in power transmission, the cable material, and the achievable mission-average efficiency of the electric motor. Individual component mass variations of over 100% can be observed within the investigated ranges; with variations of up to 10% of the aircraft mass for the parallel-electric jet. Aircraft mass variations for the fully-electric aircraft are up to 5%, with the required battery size due to component efficiency changes as driving factor. Results show that for large aircraft, the network is highly sensitive to power requirements. For small aircraft the network is more sensitive to mission energy requirements.

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