Control Architecture Study Focused on Energy Savings of an Aircraft Thermal Management System

Abstract

The next generation of aircraft will face more challenging demands in both electrical and thermal loads. The larger thermal loads reduce the propulsion system efficiency by demanding bleed air from the main engine compressor or imposing a shaft load on the high or low pressure shaft. The approach adopted to power the thermal management system influences the overall fuel burn of the aircraft for a given mission. To assess these demands and to explore conceptual designs for the electrical and thermal management system, a dynamic vehicle level tip-to-tail (T2T) model has been developed. The T2T model captures and quantifies the energy exchanges throughout the aircraft. The following subsystems of the aircraft are simulated in the T2T model: Air vehicle system, propulsion system, adaptive power thermal management system, fuel thermal management system, electrical system and actuator system. This paper presents trade studies of the impact of various approaches in power take-off from the main engine and control strategies. The trade studies identify different control strategies resulting in significant fuel savings for a given mission profile.