Steady State Thermal Analyses of SCEPTOR X-57 Wingtip Propulsion

摘要

Electric aircraft concepts enable advanced propulsion airframe integration approaches that promise increased efficiency as well as reduced emissions and noise. NASA's fully electric Maxwell X-57 features distributed propulsion across a high aspect ratio wing. There are 14 propulsors in all: 12 high lift motors that are only active during take off and climb, and 2 larger motors positioned on the wingtips that operate over the entire mission. The power electronics across the aircraft require thermal management as they are both temperature sensitive and in direct contact with temperature sensitive structural components. These include the motors and inverters of the propulsion system. This work focuses on the high and low fidelity heat transfer analysis methods performed to ensure that the wingtip motor inverters do not reach their temperature limits. It also explores different geometry configurations involved in the X-57 development and any thermal concerns. All analyses presented are performed at steady state under stressful operating conditions, therefore predicting temperatures which are considered the worst-case scenario to remain conservative.