Aerodynamic Interaction Effects in Boundary Layer Ingestion
An Experimental Study of a Propulsive Fuselage Concept Aircraft
B. Della Corte (TU Delft - Flight Performance and Propulsion)
A. Gangoli Rao – Promotor (TU Delft - Flight Performance and Propulsion)
L.L.M. Veldhuis – Promotor (TU Delft - Flight Performance and Propulsion)
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Abstract
Sustainability of civil aviation in the future must be achieved through a drastic reduction of aircraft emissions. To accomplish this, new generation aircraft must be employed that exploit innovative technologies, architectures and energy sources. Unconventional aircraft–propulsion integration promises a leap in aircraft efficiency by leveraging synergistic aerodynamic interactions. In particular, Boundary Layer Ingestion (BLI) has raised interest due to the expected benefits on the aircraft power consumption. Unlike in conventional aircraft, in BLI the propulsive system (consisting of one or more distributed propulsors) is tightly coupled and integrated with the aircraft. In particular, the BLI propulsor operates within the low-momentum, low-energy fluid in close proximity to the aircraft surface. By transferring energy to this flow region, viscous dissipation that would otherwise occur in the aircraft wake is avoided, reducing the amount of power needed to sustain flight. In recent years, different BLI configurations have been proposed, of which one of the most promising designs is the so-called propulsive fuselage, featuring a BLI propulsor at the aft-fuselage section. This particular design is the focus of the work presented in this thesis....