Modeling and Simulation of Hybrid eVTOL Powertrain Architectures
G.D. Sluisdom (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
Chiara Falsetti – Mentor (TU Delft - Flight Performance and Propulsion)
WPJ Visser – Mentor (TU Delft - Flight Performance and Propulsion)
Alexander Lautenschläger – Mentor
Piero Colonna – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Flight Performance and Propulsion)
PC Roling – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Operations & Environment)
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Abstract
Urban Air Mobility requires propulsion with high power and low emissions. This thesis presents a modular tool that benchmarks three eVTOL powertrain architectures: Battery-only, fuel-cell–battery, and fuel-cell–turbogenerator, over a representative mission. Component models employ a second‐order Thevenin equivalent circuit for the lithium‐ion battery, the Amphlett static approach for the polymer‐electrolyte‐membrane fuel cell, and precomputed zero‐dimensional maps from the Gas Turbine Simulation Program for the turbogenerator. A non‐causal power‐management algorithm allocates base load to the primary source and peak demands to secondary power source. While Differential Evolution optimizes battery voltage, fuel-cell voltage, and fuel-cell power cap to minimize operational empty weight within a MTOW constraint. Results show the battery-only concept is mass-prohibitive; the fuel-cell–battery hybrid reduces battery mass yet remains overweight; and the fuel-cell–turbogenerator configuration offers the lightest solution but still marginally exceeds MTOW. Sensitivity studies indicate that doubling battery specific energy or adopting liquid-hydrogen tanks could render hybrid or fully electric eVTOLs feasible.