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Aerospace
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Multidisciplinary Design Optimization for Climate-Neutral Transport Aviation
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Multidisciplinary Design Optimization for Climate-Neutral Transport Aviation

A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Traffic and Transportation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2024 | Viewed by 7624

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giuseppe Palaia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, Università di Pisa, Lungarno Antonio Pacinotti, 43, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Interests: aircraft design; sustainable aviation; hybrid-electric aircraft; hydrogen-based aircraft; multidisciplinary optimization
Dr. Karim Abu Salem

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Castelfidardo, 39, 10129 Torino, TO, Italy
Interests: aircraft design; green aviation; aerodynamics; flight mechanics; innovation; multidisciplinary optimization; flight dynamics; new aircraft concepts; hybrid-electric aircraft
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mario Rosario Chiarelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, Università di Pisa, Lungarno Antonio Pacinotti, 43, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Interests: aerospace and spacecraft structures; fatigue and fracture mechanics; aeroelasticity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Reduction in emissions is becoming a non-negotiable aspect for all transport sectors due to the harmful effects of greenhouse gases on the climate; specifically, this issue is becoming crucial for transport aviation. The introduction of new technology solutions which substitute the current propulsion systems and/or fuels with more environmentally sustainable ones, as well as the utilization of composite materials or advanced architectural solutions aimed at increasing efficiency, is central to the current research advancements. The integration of multiple technological innovations requires the adoption of multidisciplinary optimization techniques from the early design phases, as well as the development of ad hoc performance analysis tools to evaluate the environmental impact of novel transportation systems. This Special Issue intends to collect the most relevant contributions related to the application of multidisciplinary optimization for the design and operation of air transportation systems aimed at reducing the climate impact of the aviation industry. Furthermore, research related to experimental validation of mathematical models (e.g., test-bench based) which predict the performance characteristics of the aforementioned technological solutions, such as hybrid-electric or hydrogen-based powertrains, insights regarding air pollution and noise reduction, and trajectory optimization techniques to mitigate emissions are contributions that would be appreciated in this Special Issue.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  1. Multidisciplinary design optimization;
  2. Hybrid-electric aircraft;
  3. Hydrogen-based aircraft;
  4. Future perspectives of the air transportation sector;
  5. Conceptualization and design of novel, low-impact air transport solutions;
  6. Experimental validation of innovative technologies;
  7. Climate impact mitigation proposals for air transportation;
  8. Technology- and/or policy-related actions to mitigate the climate impact of air transportation.

Dr. Giuseppe Palaia
Dr. Karim Abu Salem
Dr. Mario Rosario Chiarelli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerospace is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • multidisciplinary optimization
  • climate neutrality
  • hybrid-electric powertrain
  • hydrogen-based powertrain
  • sustainable aviation

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 4683 KiB  
Article
Concept Evaluation of Radical Short–Medium-Range Aircraft with Turbo-Electric Propulsion
by W. J. Vankan, W. F. Lammen, E. Scheers, P. J. Dewitte and Sebastien Defoort
Aerospace 2024, 11(6), 477; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11060477 - 17 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1127
Abstract
Ambitious targets for the coming decades have been set for further reductions in aviation greenhouse gas emissions. Hybrid electric propulsion (HEP) concepts offer potential for the mitigation of these aviation emissions. To investigate this potential in an adequate level of detail, the European [...] Read more.
Ambitious targets for the coming decades have been set for further reductions in aviation greenhouse gas emissions. Hybrid electric propulsion (HEP) concepts offer potential for the mitigation of these aviation emissions. To investigate this potential in an adequate level of detail, the European research project IMOTHEP (Investigation and Maturation of Technologies for Hybrid Electric Propulsion) explores key technologies for HEP in close relation with developments of aircraft missions and configuration. This paper presents conceptual-level design investigations on radical HEP aircraft configurations for short–medium-range (SMR) missions. In particular, a blended-wing-body (BWB) configuration with a turbo-electric powertrain and distributed electric propulsion is investigated using NLR’s aircraft evaluation tool MASS. For the aircraft and powertrain design, representative top-level aircraft requirements have been defined in IMOTHEP, and the reference aircraft for the assessment of potential benefits is based on the Airbus A320neo aircraft. The models and data developed in IMOTHEP and presented in this paper show that the turbo-electric BWB configuration has potential for reduced fuel consumption in comparison to the reference aircraft. But in comparison to advanced turbofan-powered BWB configurations, which have the same benefits of the BWB airframe and advanced technology assumptions, this potential is limited. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multidisciplinary Design Optimization for Climate-Neutral Transport Aviation)
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13 pages, 3321 KiB  
Article
Pilot Assistance Systems for Energy-Optimized Approaches: Is It Possible to Reduce Fuel Consumption and Noise at the Same Time?
by Jean Marc Wunderli, Jonas Meister, Johan Boyer, Martin Gerber, Tobias Bauer and Fethi Abdelmoula
Aerospace 2024, 11(6), 450; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11060450 - 1 Jun 2024
Viewed by 764
Abstract
Air traffic has appreciable environmental impacts, especially regarding gaseous emissions and noise. Recent studies have shown that the energy management during approach is a driving factor regarding environmental impact and is especially challenging for pilots. In a previous project, a newly developed pilot [...] Read more.
Air traffic has appreciable environmental impacts, especially regarding gaseous emissions and noise. Recent studies have shown that the energy management during approach is a driving factor regarding environmental impact and is especially challenging for pilots. In a previous project, a newly developed pilot assistance system called LNAS (Low Noise Augmentation System) showed the potential of energy-optimized approaches to reduce fuel consumption and noise. Within the SESAR Exploratory Research project DYNCAT, novel functions based on LNAS have been integrated in the flight management system. In this contribution, results from real-time simulations with the enhanced FMS are presented, and mitigation of the environmental impact is analyzed. It was shown that with DYNCAT, the energy management could be improved, resulting in a later configuration and engines mostly in idle. With DYNCAT, procedures were also flown more uniformly and the variability in noise and fuel outcomes was reduced. However, the results revealed a trade-off for optimizing noise and fuel consumption simultaneously, whereby both parameters can be improved along specific optimum curves. A perfect strategy to minimize noise would be to first reduce speed and only secondly height, as high speeds lead to higher levels of airframe noise and sound exposure increases with decreasing distance. In contrast, saving fuel might be achieved by reducing the flight time, as the engines consume fuel even when being in idle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multidisciplinary Design Optimization for Climate-Neutral Transport Aviation)
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29 pages, 13159 KiB  
Article
Preliminary Performance Analysis of Medium-Range Liquid Hydrogen-Powered Box-Wing Aircraft
by Giuseppe Palaia, Karim Abu Salem and Erasmo Carrera
Aerospace 2024, 11(5), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11050379 - 9 May 2024
Viewed by 2037
Abstract
This paper proposes a performance analysis of a medium-range airliner powered by liquid hydrogen (LH2) propulsion. The focus is on operating performance in terms of achievable payload and range. A non-conventional box-wing architecture was selected to maximize operating performance. An optimization-based [...] Read more.
This paper proposes a performance analysis of a medium-range airliner powered by liquid hydrogen (LH2) propulsion. The focus is on operating performance in terms of achievable payload and range. A non-conventional box-wing architecture was selected to maximize operating performance. An optimization-based multidisciplinary design framework was developed to retrofit a baseline medium-range box-wing aircraft by designing and integrating the fuel tanks needed to store the LH2; several solutions were investigated for tank arrangement and layout by means of sensitivity analyses. As a main outcome, a performance analysis of the proposed LH2-powered box-wing aircraft is provided, highlighting the impact of the introduction of this energy carrier (and the integration of the related tank systems) on aircraft operating performance; a comparative study with respect to a competitor LH2-retrofitted tube-and-wing aircraft is also provided, to highlight the main possible operating differences between the two architectures. The findings reveal that the retrofitted box-wing can achieve long-range flights at the cost of a substantially reduced payload, mainly due to the volume limitations imposed by the installation of LH2 tanks, or it can preserve payload capacity at the expense of a significant reduction in range, as the trade-off implies a reduction in on-board LH2 mass. Specifically, the studied box-wing configuration can achieve a range of 7100 km transporting 150 passengers, or shorter ranges of 2300 km transporting 230 passengers. The competitor LH2-retrofitted tube-and-wing aircraft, operating in the same category and compatible with the same airport apron constraints, could achieve a distance of 1500 km transporting 110 passengers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multidisciplinary Design Optimization for Climate-Neutral Transport Aviation)
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18 pages, 2240 KiB  
Article
Wind Shear Operation-Based Competency Assessment Model for Civil Aviation Pilots
by Fan Li, Xuezhi Xu, Jiayuan Li, Huiyun Hu, Mingda Zhao and Hong Sun
Aerospace 2024, 11(5), 363; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11050363 - 4 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1255
Abstract
Undesirable meteorological conditions are typical aviation flight safety threats. Although most meteorological radar and flight augmentation computers have avionic system wind shear alarms, the preferred approach is that pilots avoid unsafe wind shear events. Therefore, effective pilot competency evaluations are needed to assess [...] Read more.
Undesirable meteorological conditions are typical aviation flight safety threats. Although most meteorological radar and flight augmentation computers have avionic system wind shear alarms, the preferred approach is that pilots avoid unsafe wind shear events. Therefore, effective pilot competency evaluations are needed to assess pilots’ abilities to deal with these events. This study developed a wind shear operation competency model that includes observable behavior indicators, sub-task decomposition, and competency check items. An adapted competency model and a quantitative data-driven competency evaluation criteria optimization method were then developed using three-dimensional competency feature modeling, after which wind shear simulation flight training data were used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The competency assessment grades were significantly correlated with the results from experienced examiners with a 93.33% evaluation accuracy. The proposed quantitative data-driven competency assessment method can provide effective pilot competency assessments for a range of aviation meteorological threats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multidisciplinary Design Optimization for Climate-Neutral Transport Aviation)
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27 pages, 11028 KiB  
Article
A Hybrid Gate-to-Gate Simulation Environment for the Air Traffic System
by Bekir Yildiz, Peter Förster, Jonas Langner, Thomas Feuerle and Peter Hecker
Aerospace 2023, 10(10), 882; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10100882 - 12 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1542
Abstract
This paper presents a concept of a fast-time gate-to-gate simulation environment. The implementation is divided into an air traffic part that uses BADA performance parameters and a simulation of ground processes. The main objective of the flow-based hybrid simulation environment is to cover [...] Read more.
This paper presents a concept of a fast-time gate-to-gate simulation environment. The implementation is divided into an air traffic part that uses BADA performance parameters and a simulation of ground processes. The main objective of the flow-based hybrid simulation environment is to cover commercial European air traffic, in order to investigate network-related effects when exposed to disturbances. Based on historic traffic scenarios, the hybrid simulation platform enables the investigation of the local and global effects of a variety of disruptions. With respect to current flow-based models, it is intended to gain better insights into the underlying interdependencies by modelling higher levels of detail for selected parts, whilst covering the whole European air traffic network. After a validation and first calibration of the approach, Monte Carlo simulations, based on flight plans, are performed as proof of concept. This aims to illustrate the local effects of network-wide disturbances and is applied by means of stochastic influences of ground processes, gained from real operational data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multidisciplinary Design Optimization for Climate-Neutral Transport Aviation)
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