Aircraft refuelling is a major cause of flight delays because it is a slow process. Further, if it does not begin as soon as the aircraft is available for ground handlers, there is an increasing risk of it being terminated after the final passenger has boarded. Usually, the process only begins after information regarding the required quantity of fuel is passed through the flight dispatcher, and this information typically requires a certain time to reach the ground handlers. Therefore, it is intended to test a new scenario: to begin refuelling with a minimum level and, if necessary, fill up the remainder with the final fuel figures when received. The aim of this paper is to analyse the application of Six Sigma in this process through Student’s t-test and statistical process control. The collected data in this case study include the amount of fuel supplied and flight delays (which are mainly caused by refuelling). The results demonstrate that the new process is favourable, and that the average length of flight delays is reduced from 14 to 6 min, which is an improvement of 57%. It is concluded that the application of Six Sigma in the aircraft refuelling process saves time and improves on-time performance levels, which is relevant to the scientific literature, thereby aiding in mitigating the risk of fines and penalties.

To solve the on-ground lateral direction control problem of the unswept flying-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) without rudder, steering system or breaking system, a control approach which uses differential propeller thrust to control the lateral direction is proposed. First, a mathematical model of the unswept flying-wing UAV on-ground moving is established. Second, based on the active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) theory, a yaw angle controller is designed by using the differential propeller thrust as the control output. Finally, a straight line trajectory tracking control law is designed by improving the vector field path following method. Experiment results show that the proposed control laws have a shorter response time, better robustness and better control precision compared with proportional integral derivative (PID) controller. The proposed controller has small computational complexity, simple parameter setting process, and uses practical measurable physical quantities, providing a reference solution for further engineering applications.

One of the challenges of modern engineering design is the amount of data that designers must keep track while performing system analysis and synthesis. This task is particularly important in the design process of complex systems such as novel aerospace systems where Modeling and Simulation play an essential role. The Agile philosophy stems from the field of Software Engineering and describes an approach to development in which requirements and solutions gradually develop through collaboration between self-organising cross-functional teams and end users. Agile Model-Based System Engineering (AMBSE) is the application of the Agile philosophy to Model-Based System Engineering. In this paper, AMBSE is accomplished through the application of the Object-Oriented System Engineering Method (OOSEM). OOSEM employs a top-down scenario-driven process that adopts System Modeling Language (SysML) and leverages the object-oriented paradigm to support the analysis, specification, design, and verification of systems. AMBSE assisted by mathematical modelling and safety assessment techniques is applied to the first design iterations of the main aircraft systems, allowing a comprehensive design exploration. The flight control system was chosen to illustrate the procedure in detail, emphasising the synthesis of a six-degrees-of-freedom model augmented by dynamic inversion control for a hypothetical supersonic transport aircraft satisfying class II MIL-F-8785C handling qualities. It is concluded that AMBSE presents promising properties to support future aircraft development within the current regulatory framework for aircraft design, while enabling a smooth transition from conceptual to preliminary design.

An improved variational optimization approach is established to optimize and analyse the propulsion efficiency of the high-altitude contra-rotating propellers for high-altitude airships based on the Vortex Lattice Lifting Line Method. The optimum radial circulation distribution, chord and pitch distribution are optimized under the maximum lift-to-drag ratio of aerofoils. To consider the effects of the actual Reynolds number and the Mach number of each aerofoil section, aerodynamics such as lift coefficient, drag coefficient and lift-to-ratio are obtained by interpolating a CFD database, which is established by numerical simulations under different Reynolds number, Mach number and angles-of-attack. The improved method is verified by validation cases on a high-altitude CRP using the three-dimensional steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes solver and moving reference frames technique. The optimization results of thrust, torque and efficiency for both the individual front/rear propeller and CRP are shown to agree reasonably well with the CFD results. Using the improved approach, the influence of blade numbers, diameter, rotation speeds, axial distance and torque ratio on the optimum efficiency of CRPs is illustrated in detail by conducting parametric studies.

The effect of hot streaks from a gas turbine combustor on the thermodynamic load of internally air-cooled nozzle guide vanes (NGVs) and shrouds has been numerically investigated under flight conditions. The study follows two steps: one for the high-fidelity 60° combustor sector with simplified ten NGVs and three thermocouples attached; and the other for the NGV sectors where each sector consists of one high-fidelity NGV (probe NGV) and nine dummy NGVs. The first step identifies which NGV has the highest thermal load and provides the inlet flow boundary conditions for the second step. In the second step, the flow fields and thermal loads of the probe NGVs are resolved in detail.

With the systematically validated physical models, the two-phase flowfield of the combustor-NGVs sector has been successfully simulated. The predicted mean and maximum temperature at the combustor sector exit are in excellent agreement with the experimental data, which provides a solid basis for the hot-streak effect investigation. The results indicate that the second NGV, looking upstream from left, has the highest thermal load. Its maximum surface temperature is 8.4% higher than that for the same NGV but with the mean inlet boundary conditions, and 14.1% higher than the ninth NGV. The finding is consistent with the field-observed NGV damage pattern. To extend the service life of these vulnerable NGVs, some protection methods should be considered.

In this study, the combustion instability and emission characteristics of flames of different H2/CH4 compositions were investigated in a partially premixed model gas turbine combustor. A mode shift in the frequency of instability occurred under varying experimental conditions from the first to the seventh mode of longitudinal frequency in the combustor, and a parametric study was conducted to determine the reasons for this shift by using the length of the combustor, a factor that determines the mode frequency of longitudinal instability, as the main parameter. Furthermore, heat load and fuel composition (H2 ratio) were considered as parameters to compare the phenomenon under different conditions. The GRI-3.0 CANTERA code, OH chemiluminescence and the Abel inversion process were applied to analyse the frequency mode shift. NOx emissions, which occurred through the thermal NOx mechanism, increased with increasing heat load and H2 ratio. The instability frequency shifted from the first to the seventh mode as the H2 ratio increased in the H2/CH4 mixture. However, 100% H2 as fuel did not cause combustion instability because it has a higher burning velocity and extinction stretch rate than CH4. Furthermore, the laminar flame speed influenced the frequency mode shift. These phenomena were confirmed by the flame shapes. The Abel inversion process was applied to obtain the cross section of the flames from averaged OH chemiluminescence images. Stable and unstable flames were identified from the radial profile of OH concentration. The combustor length was found to not influence frequency mode shift, whereas the H2 ratio significantly influenced it as well as the flame shape. The results of this experimental study can help in the reliable operation of gas turbine systems in SNG plants.

The increasing environmental requirements in the air transport sector pose great challenges to the aviation industry and are key drivers for innovation. Besides various approaches for increasing the efficiency of conventional gas turbine engines, electric propulsion systems have moved into the focus of aviation research. The first electric concepts are already in service in general aviation. This study analyses the potentials of electric and turbo hybrid propulsion systems for commercial aviation. Its purpose is to compare various architectures of electrical powertrains with a conventional turboprop on a regional aircraft, similar to the ATR 72, on engine and flight mission levels. The considered architectures include a turbo-electric (power controlled and direct driven), hybrid-electric (serial and parallel) and a pure electric concept. Their system weights are determined using today’s technology assumptions. With the help of performance models and flight mission calculations the impact on fuel consumption, CO ${}_{2}$ emissions and aircraft performance is evaluated.

This paper deals with the study of the power matching of the propulsion system and on-board systems changing the on-board systems’ electrification level. In particular, four system architectures have been studied, each one with a different level of electrification starting from the More Electric Aircraft (MEA) to the All Electric Aircraft (AEA) systems. The mass and the power requirement of each system architectures have been analysed together with the change in engine specific fuel consumption. Then, these results have been used to quantify the influences of engine and systems power matching to the entire aircraft. In particular, the beneficial effect of system electrification has been evaluated as an increment of aircraft range. Moreover, two reference aircraft – a regional jet and a short/medium range liner – have been selected to understand the variance of the power matching changing aircraft dimensions and mission range. The study is carried out using a distributed and collaborative Multi-Disciplinary Design Analysis and Optimization (MDAO) environment. The results show a beneficial effect of systems electrification on systems mass and engine specific fuel consumption. At aircraft level, the results point out an increment of aircraft range up to 7.7% with a different trend for the two studied cases.