Preliminary noise assessment of aircraft with distributed electric propulsion

Synodinos, AP; Self, RH; Torija Martinez, AJ

Abstract

Electric and hybrid-electric propulsion technologies in aviation are becoming more attractive
for aviation stakeholders not only due to the resulting reduction or elimination of the
dependency on oil, whose availability and price are uncertain, but also because they are more
reliable and efficient than traditional internal combustion engines. Moreover, combined with
distributed electric propulsion (DEP), these technologies have shown potential in significantly
reducing civil aircraft community noise impact and contribute towards delivering the strict
mid-to-long-term environmental goals set by organisations worldwide, such as ACARE and
NASA. This paper examines the noise impact of a concept tube and wing aircraft that falls in
the A320 category and features various DEP systems using different power supply units (turboshaft
engines or batteries) and number of electric propulsors. Meanwhile, considerations
required for the transition from conventional to electric propulsion are discussed. Estimated
Noise-Power-Distance (NPD) curves and noise exposure contour maps are also presented. It
is concluded that indeed, the propulsors’ number is a key parameter for optimising the environmental
performance of DEP aircraft and hence maximising the noise benefits. Also, it is
shown that based on the entry into service year (2035) technology, totally electric aircraft tend
to have a larger noise footprint than aircraft using hybrid electric propulsion systems.

Citation

Synodinos, A., Self, R., & Torija Martinez, A. (2018, June). Preliminary noise assessment of aircraft with distributed electric propulsion. Presented at 2018 AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference, Atlanta, Georgia

• Presentation Conference Type: Other
• Conference Name: 2018 AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference
• Conference Location: Atlanta, Georgia
• Start Date: Jun 25, 2018
• End Date: Jun 29, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jun 24, 2018
• Publication Date: Jun 24, 2018
• Deposit Date: Dec 2, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 2, 2019
• Book Title: 2018 AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference
• ISBN: 9781624105609
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2018-2817
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2018-2817
• Related Public URLs: https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/book/10.2514/MAA18
• Additional Information: Event Type : Conference; Funders : Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC);Innovate UK; Projects : AIRPORT CAPACITY CONSEQUENCES LEVERAGING AVIATION INTEGRATED MODELLING (ACCLAIM);ROLLS ROYCE SILOET II PROJECT 13 ENGINE INSTALLATION ANALYTICS FOR FUTURE NOVEL ARCHITECTURES; Grant Number: EP/M026868/1; Grant Number: TSB/113086