Optimisation of ducted propellers for hybrid air vehicles using high-fidelity CFD

Biava, M. and Barakos, G.N. (2016) Optimisation of ducted propellers for hybrid air vehicles using high-fidelity CFD. Aeronautical Journal, 120(1232), pp. 1632-1657. (doi: 10.1017/aer.2016.78)

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Abstract

This paper presents performance analysis and design of ducted propellers for lighter-than-air vehicles. High- fidelity CFD simulations were first performed on a detailed model of the propulsor, and the results were in very good agreement with available experimental data. Additional simulations were performed using a simplified geometry, to quantify the effect of the duct and of the blade twist on the propeller performance. It was shown that the duct is particularly effective at low flight speed, and that the blades with relatively high twist have better performance over the flight envelope. Design of the optimal twist distribution and of the duct shape was also attempted, by coupling the flow solver with a quasi-Newton optimisation method. Flow gradients were computed by solving the discrete adjoint of the Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes equations using a FixedPoint Iteration scheme or a nested Krylov method with deflated restarting. The results show that the ducted propeller propulsive efficiency can be increased by 2%.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:The research leading to these results has received funding from the LOCATE project of Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd and Innovate UK, grant agreement no. 101798. Results were obtained using the EPSRC funded ARCHIE-WeSt High Performance Computer (www.archie-west.ac.uk), EPSRC grant no. EP/K000586/1.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Barakos, Professor George and Biava, Dr Massimo
Authors: Biava, M., and Barakos, G.N.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Autonomous Systems and Connectivity
Journal Name:Aeronautical Journal
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
ISSN:0001-9240
ISSN (Online):2059-6464
Published Online:04 July 2016
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2016 Royal Aeronautical Society
First Published:First published in Aeronautical Journal 120(1232): 1632-1657
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

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