Electric Aircraft Propulsion

Propulsion Electric Grid Simulator (PEGS) for Future Turboelectric Distributed Propulsion Aircraft

NASA Glenn Research Center, in collaboration with the aerospace industry and academia, has begun the development of technology for a future hybrid-wing body electric airplane with a turboelectric distributed propulsion (TeDP) system. It is essential to design a subscale system to emulate the TeDP power grid, which would enable rapid analysis and demonstration of the proof-of-concept of the TeDP...

Propulsion of Aircraft

Integrated Thermal / Power / Propulsion / Vehicle Modeling Issues Related to a More Electric Aircraft Architecture

A new subsystem-based approach to solve aerospace vehicle energy management issues is described. The goal of this approach is to create an “Energy Optimized Aircraft” that will maximize energy utilization for broad capabilities while minimizing complexity. To support this goal, an advanced modeling and simulation ICD process is established. This process addresses several of the current challeng...

Modelling Electric Propulsion Plume Interactions

Electric propulsion is currently being planned for use on several future deep space missions. It has long been recognized that the exhaust plume from an electric thruster can induce a complex set of plasma interaction and hence both science and engineering concerns have been raised. This paper first presents an overview of our current understanding of electric propulsion plume interactions and ...

Spacecraft Electric Propulsion—An Overview

A short review of the status of electric propulsion (EP) is presented to serve as an introduction to the more specialized technical papers also appearing in this Special Issue (Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 14, No. 5, Sept. –Oct. 1998). The principles of operation and the several types of thrusters that are either operational or in advanced development are discussed Ž rst, followed by s...