Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-45l2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T14:27:33.907Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Aircraft conceptual design for optimal environmental performance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2016

R. P. Henderson
Affiliation:
Institute for Aerospace Studies, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
J. R. R. A. Martins*
Affiliation:
Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan, Michigan, USA
R. E. Perez
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Consideration of the environmental impact of aircraft has become critical in commercial aviation. The continued growth of air traffic has caused increasing demands to reduce aircraft emissions, imposing new constraints on the design and development of future airplane concepts. In this paper, an aircraft design optimisation framework is used to design aircraft that minimise specific environmental metrics. Multidisciplinary design optimisation is used to optimise aircraft by simultaneously considering airframe, engine and mission. The environmental metrics considered in this investigation are CO2 emissions — which are proportional to fuel burn — and landing-takeoff NOx emissions. The results are compared to those of an aircraft with minimum direct operating cost. The design variables considered in the optimisation problems include aircraft geometry, engine parameters, and cruise settings. An augmented Lagrangian particle swarm optimiser and a genetic algorithm are used to solve the single objective and multi-objective optimisation problems, respectively.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2012 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Schafer, A., and Victor, D.G. The past and future of global mobility, Sci American, October 1997, pp 3639.Google Scholar
2. Penner, J.E., Lister, D.H., Griggs, D.J., Dokken, D.J., and McFarland, M. Aviation and the Global Atmosphere, 1999, Special report, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.Google Scholar
3. Epa. Evaluation of air pollutant emissions from subsonic commercial jet aircraft, April 1999, Tech Report EPA 420-R-99-013, Us Environmental Protection Agency.Google Scholar
4. Le Dilosquer, M.J.R. The aero engine response to the protection of the global atmosphere, 2001, Gas Turbine Pollutant Emissions, IMechE Seminar Publication, Professional Engineering Publishing Ltd. Google Scholar
5. Gardner, R.M., Adams, K., Cook, T., Deidewig, F., Ernedal, S., Falk, R., Fleuti, E., Herms, E., Johnson, C.E., Lecht, M., Newon, P., Shmitt, A., Vanderbergh, C. and van Drimmelen, R. The ANCAT/EC global inventory of NO emissions from aircraft, Atmospheric Environment, 1997, 31, (12), pp 17511766.Google Scholar
6. Lee, D., Pitari, G., Grewe, V., Gierens, K., Penner, J., Petzold, A., Prather, M., Schumann, U., Bais, A., and Berntsen, T. Transport impacts on atmosphere and climate: Aviation, Atmospheric Environment, December 2010, 44, (37), pp 46784734.Google Scholar
7. Green, J.E. Civil aviation and the environmental challenge, Aeronaut J, June 2003.Google Scholar
8. Green, J.E. Civil aviation and the environment — the next frontier for the aerodynamicist, Aeronaut J, August 2006.Google Scholar
9. Williams, V., Noland, R.B., Majumdar, A., Toumi, R., Ochieng, W. and Molloy, J. Reducing environmental impacts of aviation with innovative air traffic management technologies, Aeronaut J, November 2007, pp 741749.Google Scholar
10. Chittick, I.R. and Martins, J.R.R.A. An asymmetric suboptimization approach to aerostructural optimization, Optimization and Engineering, March 2009, 10, (1), pp 133152.Google Scholar
11. Kroo, I.M., Altus, S., Braun, R.D., Gage, P.J. and Sobieski, I.P. Multidisciplinary optimization methods for aircraft preliminary design, September 1994, AIAA 5th Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization, Panama City Beach, FL, AIAA 1994-4325.Google Scholar
12. Malone, B. and Mason, W. Multidisciplinary optimization in aircraft design using analytic technology models, J Aircr March-April 1995, 32, (2), pp 431438.Google Scholar
13. Martins, J.R.R.A., Alonso, J.J. and Reuther, J.J. High-fidelity aerostructural design optimization of a supersonic business jet, J Aircr, 2004, 41, (3), pp 523530.Google Scholar
14. Antoine, N.E. and Kroo, I.M. Aircraft optimization for minimal environmental impact, J Aircr, 2004, 41, (4), pp 790797.Google Scholar
15. Antoine, N.E. and Kroo, I.M. Framework for aircraft conceptual design and environmental performance studies, AIAA J, October 2005, 43, (10), pp 21002109.Google Scholar
16. Schwartz, E. and Kroo, I.M. Aircraft design: Trading cost and climate impact, January 2009, 47th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, Orlando, FL, AIAA 2009-1261.Google Scholar
17. Diedrich, A., Hileman, J., Tan, D., Willcox, K. and Spakovszky, Z. Multidisciplinary design and optimization of the silent aircraft, January 2006, 44th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibition, Reno, NV.Google Scholar
18. Jones, A.R., Willcox, K.E. and Hileman, J.I. Distributed multidisciplinary optimization of aircraft design and takeoff operations for low noise, April 2006, 48th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, Honolulu, HI, AIAA 2007-1856.Google Scholar
19. Leifsson, L.T. Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Low-Noise Transport Aircraft, 2005, PhD thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.Google Scholar
20. Perez, R.E. and Martins, J.R.R.A. pyACDT: An object-oriented framework for aircraft design modelling and multidisciplinary optimization, September 2008, 12th AIAA/ISSMO Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization Conference, Victoria, BC, Canada.Google Scholar
21. Raymer, D. Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach, Third edition, 1999, AIAA Education Series, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Washington, DC, USA.Google Scholar
22. Roskam, J. Airplane Design, Second edition, Vol 1-8, 1998 DARCorporation, Ottawa, KS, USA.Google Scholar
23. Torenbeek, E. Synthesis of Subsonic Airplane Design, Sixth edition, 1990, Delft University Press and Kluwer Academic Publishers.Google Scholar
24. Chai, S., Crisafulli, P. and Mason, W. Aircraft center of gravity estimation in conceptual and preliminary design, P, September 1995, 1st Aircraft Engineering, Technology, and Operations Congress, Los Angeles, CA, AlAA 1995-3882.Google Scholar
25. Schaufele, R.D. The Elements of Aircraft Preliminary Design, 2007, Aries Publications.Google Scholar
26. Jansen, P., Perez, R.E. and Martins, J.R.R.A. Aerostructural optimization of nonplanar lifting surfaces, J Aircr, 2010, 47, (5), pp 14911503.Google Scholar
27. Anonymous. Increment in aerofoil lift coefficient at zero angle of attack and in maximum lift coefficient due to deployment of various leading-edge high-lift devices at low speeds, December 1994, Tech Report 94027, ESDU.Google Scholar
28. Anonymous. Increments in aerofoil lift coefficient at zero angle of attack and in maximum lift coefficient due to deployment of a double-slotted or triple-slotted trailing-edge flap, with or without a leading-edge high-lift device, at low speeds, April 1995, Tech Rep 94031, ESDU.Google Scholar
29. Anonymous. Maximum lift of wings with leading-edge devices and trailing-edge flaps deployed, November 1995, Tech Report 92031, ESDU.Google Scholar
30. Anonymous. Maximum lift of wings with trailing-edge flaps at low speeds, August 1995, Tech Report 91014, Esdu. 32.Google Scholar
32. March, A. Influence of Low-speed Aerodynamic Performance on Airport Community Noise, 2008, Master’s thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Google Scholar
32. Henderson, R. Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Airframe and Engine for Emissions Reduction, 2009, Master’s thesis, University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, Toronto, ON, Canada.Google Scholar
33. Antoine, N.E. and Kroo, I.M. Framework for aircraft conceptual design and environmental performance studies, AIAA J, October 2005, 43, (10), pp 21002109.Google Scholar
34. Lukachko, S.P. and Waitz, I.A. Effects of engine aging on aircraft NOx emissions, 1997, ASME International Gas Turbine and Aero-Engine Congress and Exhibition.Google Scholar
35. Lefebvre, A.H. Gas Turbine Combustion, Second edition, 1998, Taylor and Francis, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.Google Scholar
36. Perez, R.E., Jansen, P.W. and Martins, J.R.R.A. pyOpt: a Python-based object-oriented framework for non linear constrained optimization, Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, 2011 (In press).Google Scholar
37. Nocedal, J. and Wright, S.J. Numerical Optimization, 2006, Second edition, Springer.Google Scholar
38. Deb, K., Pratap, A., Agarwal, S. and Meyarivan, T. A fast and elitist multi-objective genetic algorithm: NSGA-II, 2000, Tech Report 200001, Kanpur Genetic Algorithms Laboratory, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.Google Scholar
39. Kenway, G.K., Henderson, R., Hicken, J.E., Kuntawala, N B., Zingg, D.W., Martins, J.R.R.A. and McKeand, R.G. Reducing aviation’s environmental impact through large aircraft for short ranges, January 2010, 48th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibitition, Orlando, FL, AIAA 2010-1015.Google Scholar
40. Anonymous. OAG Aviation, http://www.oagaviation.com/.Google Scholar
41. Anonymous. A330 airplane characteristics for airport planning ac, January 1993, Tech Report, Airbus.Google Scholar