Preliminary Design of Hybrid-Electric Propulsion Systems for Emerging Urban Air Mobility Rotorcraft Architectures

The increasing demands for air-taxi operations together with the ambitious targets for reduced environmental impact have driven significant interest in alternative rotorcraft architectures and propulsion systems. The design of hybrid-electric propulsion systems (HEPSs) for rotorcraft is seen as being able to contribute to those goals. This work aims to conduct a comprehensive design and tradeoff analysis of hybrid powerplants for rotorcraft, targeting enhanced payload-range capability and fuel economy. An integrated methodology for the design, performance assessment, and optimal implementation of HEPSs for conceptual rotorcraft has been developed. A multidisciplinary approach is devised comprising models for rotor aerodynamics, flight dynamics, HEPS performance, and weight estimation. All models are validated using experimental or flight test data. The methodology is deployed for the assessment of a hybrid-electric tilt-rotor, modeled after the NASA XV-15. This work targets to provide new insight into the preliminary design and sizing of optimally designed HEPSs for novel tilt-rotor aircraft. The paper demonstrates that at present, current battery energy densities (250 Wh/kg) severely limit the degree of hybridization if a fixed useful payload and range are to be achieved. However, it is also shown that if advancements in battery energy density to 500 Wh/kg are realized, a significant increase in the level of hybridization and hence reduction of fuel burned and carbon output relative to the conventional configuration can be attained. The methodology presented is flexible enough to be applied to alternative rotorcraft configurations and propulsion systems.