A sensitivity study on the aerodynamic performance of a wingtip-mounted tractor propeller-wing system

Master thesis (2020)

Authors

R.A.A. Willemsen Aerospace Engineering

Contributors

T. Sinnige Flight Performance and Propulsion - Aerospace Engineering (mentor)
L.L.M. Veldhuis Flight Performance and Propulsion - Aerospace Engineering (graduation committee member)
F. Avallone Wind Energy - Aerospace Engineering (graduation committee member)
Faculty
Aerospace Engineering, Aerospace Engineering
Copyright: © 2020 Roger Willemsen
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Published Date

27-11-2020

Language

English

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Faculty

Aerospace Engineering

Abstract

Wingtip-mounted propellers have the ability to enhance the propeller-wing system performance. For inboard-up rotating tractor propellers, the swirl in the propeller slipstream can be used on the wing to reduce the influence of the wingtip vortex, decreasing drag. Furthermore, lift is enhanced by increasing dynamic pressure and angle of attack locally. In this thesis the performance of a propeller-wing system with wingtip-mounted tractor propellers is investigated using a low-order numerical model. The numerical model is used to investigate the influence of the main design parameters for wingtip-mounted propellers. Response surface analysis is used to predict the propeller performance throughout the design space, while minimizing the number of evaluations needed. This has led to insights in the influence of wing and propeller design on the performance of a propeller-wing system.