A Design Model for Electric Environmental Control System in Aircraft Conceptual and Preliminary Design

Abstract

In present decades, the need for a more efficient air transport system is driving towards more electric aircraft subsystems. Electrified subsystems offer the opportunity to optimize the operational performance of systems by reducing the power required by the propulsion system therefore, reducing the fuel burnt. A considerable advantage can be obtained by electrifying the environmental control system which is the most power demanding aircraft subsystem. The paper presents a simplified model to estimate the main performances of the conventional and electrified environmental control system during the aircraft conceptual and preliminary design phases. Different air cycle machine architectures can be designed. The model is divided in two main modules. The first is dedicated to the estimation of the aircraft thermal loads including the effect of solar radiation, the conduction of external air, the presence of passengers and the avionic systems. With the main result of estimating the cabin airflow required to control the temperature and the air quality within the aircraft’s mission profile. The second module of the model designs all major components of the air conditioning pack including the dedicated compressors of the electrified environmental control system. The model requires basic input data that can be easily estimated during the early stages of aircraft design. The model is calibrated using the available data of a conventional system and then applied to the electrified one. The results show the increased efficiency of the electrified system that results from optimizing both pneumatic power generation and the air cycle machine.