Optimizing Charging Schedules for Electrified Aircraft at RTHA Airport
Balancing Cost and Time for Electric Aviation
R.J.S. van de Luijtgaarden (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)
G.R. Chandra Mouli – Mentor (TU Delft - DC systems, Energy conversion & Storage)
Y. Liang – Mentor (TU Delft - DC systems, Energy conversion & Storage)
J. Dong – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - DC systems, Energy conversion & Storage)
O.A. Sharpans'kykh – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Operations & Environment)
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Abstract
This thesis develops a mathematical optimization model to optimize charging schedules and energy management for electrified aircraft at Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTHA), addressing research gaps in adapting airport infrastructure for electric aviation. Based on a real-life flight schedule from 2019, the model determines a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) size while minimizing operational costs, such as grid electricity, photovoltaic (PV) use, BESS degradation, and flight delay/cancellation penalties, while trying to maintain the schedule as closely as possible. Five electric aircraft types, ranging from a 2-seater flight school aircraft, to a 90-seater commercial aviation model, were considered with a Constant Power - Constant Voltage (CPCV) charging profile, alongside a detailed mission energy analysis. Seasonal simulation for January, April, July, and October 2019 showed delays averaging from 2 minutes in July while peaking at 45 in January, alongside three flight cancellations due to high energy demands. Optimized BESS sizes range from 7 MWh to 12 MWh. Optimization of the model showed a reduction of up to €500,000 weekly when compared to a baseline case. Sensitivity analysis showed that increasing the grid import limits from 3.5 MW to 5 MW gave better grid reliability, with less delays and cancellations, while a decrease to 2 MW showed increases in delay times and cancellations. When the export limit was reduced from 7.5 MW to 5 MW, the delays increased due to constrained energy offloading, while increasing it to 10 MW decreased the delays and cancellations by one. A 1 MWh BESS increase reduced cancellations by one and total delay time by up to 5 hours. Adjusting the turnaround times by ± 15 minutes demonstrated the model’s resilience to stricter turnaround times, but a 4-hour delay increase was present with extensions. The findings of the thesis show the critical role that BESS capacity and grid limits play in ensuring operational efficiency for the electric aviation infrastructures of the future, but also the cost and delay reduction by optimizing charging schedules.