Performance and Weight Parameters Calculation for Hydrogen- and Battery-Powered Aircraft Concepts

Abstract

This article describes the creation of a program that would be useful for calculating mathematical models in order to estimate the weight of aircraft components. Using several parameters, it can calculate other parameters of civil transport aircraft powered by batteries or fuel cells. The main goals of this research were to add the missing dimensions and parameters to the aircraft database, create a simple but effective program for creating mathematical models, and use this program to find technological barriers to battery or hydrogen fuel-cell-powered aircraft concepts. The article introduces the reader to the problem of calculating OEW (operating empty weight) using Breguet–Leduc equations. A calculation model was created for OEW calculation. The result of this work is the verification of a mathematical model for battery-powered electric aircraft of the CS-23 (European Aviation Safety Agency Certification Specification for Normal, Utility, Aerobatic, and Commuter Category Aeroplanes) category by comparing the program’s outputs with real aircraft. Subsequently, the results of mathematical models are shown in graphs that specify the space of possible concepts of aircraft powered by batteries or fuel cells, sorted by the number of passengers and the range of the aircraft, delimited by two or three criteria, respectively.