Multifidelity Analysis of a Solo Propeller: Entropy Rise Using Vorticity Dynamics and Kinetic Energy Dissipation

Abstract

Propellers for electric aviation are used in solo- and multirotor applications. Multifidelity analysis with reduced cycle time is crucial to explore several designs for energy minimization and range maximization. A low-fidelity design tool, py_BEM, is developed for design and analysis of a reverse-engineered solo 2-bladed propeller using blade-element momentum theory with physics enhancements including local Reynolds number effect, boundary-layer rotation, airfoil polar at large AoAs and stall delay. Spanwise properties from py_BEM are converted into 3D blade geometry using T-Blade3. S809 and NACA airfoil polar are utilized, obtained by XFOIL. Lift, drag, performance losses, wake analysis, comparison of 3D steady CFD with low fidelity tool, kinetic energy dissipation, entropy and exergy through irreversibility are analyzed. Spanwise thrust and torque comparison between low and high fidelity reveals the effect of blade rotation on the polar. Vorticity dynamics and boundary-vorticity flux methods describe the onset of flow separation and entropy rise. Various components of drag and loss are accounted. The entropy rise in the boundary layer and downstream propagation and mixing out with freestream are demonstrated qualitatively. Irreversibility is accounted downstream of the rotor using the second-law approach to understand the quality of available energy. The performance metrics are within 5% error for both fidelities.