Electric Aircraft propulsion within dtec.bw ELAPSED

4 Oktober 2023

As part of the dtec.bw-project ELAPSED, an electric, ducted propulsor was manufactured and experimentally investigated to validate an innovative design tool approach, developed at the institute of Aeronautical Engineering under direction of Prof. Andreas Hupfer. Based on both steady-state and transient CFD simulations, it enables a freely scalable design of counter-rotating, ducted flight propulsion engines that can significantly enlarge the operation range of electric aircraft towards high subsonic Mach numbers.

To support the testing and validation, we've established a special test bed at the institute. It is engineered to accommodate both static engine tests and wind tunnel operations, offering researchers a wide spectrum of testing possibilities. Notably, the inclusion of particle image velocimetry (PIV) technology further enhances our ability to scrutinize and optimize engine performance.

Being rarely applied within the academic and research-intensive context due to its increased manufacturing complexity, but representing state-of-the-art technology for large, commercial engines, we’ve enabled the application of self-manufactured composite blades in our engine. This enhances transferability of research findings, for instance innovative designs of thermal management or active tip clearance systems.

By the way: We don't normally work as quickly as shown in some of the sequences in the video 😉.