Konstantinos Milios
(Advisor: Prof. Dimitris N. Mavris)

will propose a doctoral thesis entitled,

A Business Case Approach to the Selection and Evaluation of Hybrid-Electric Propulsion Architectures at the Conceptual/Exploratory Design Phase

On

Tuesday, December 7 at 2:00 p.m.

In the
Collaborative Visualization Environment (CoVE)

Weber Space Science and Technology Building (SST II)

Abstract
Aviation related emissions have steadily been increasing over the past century, becoming a key contributor in global environmental emissions. With leading aircraft manufacturers predicting that the world’s passenger and freighter fleet will more than double by 2038, the world aviation industry is under immense pressure to meet the efficiency, performance, and environmental targets of the future. A new, revolutionary concept, capable of mitigating the impact of global aviation on the climate, is electrified propulsion-based aircraft configurations. The electrification of the propulsion system has created a new class of propulsion system configurations and novel aircraft designs.

However, the introduction of a new electric powertrain to the existing propulsion system has created a series of challenges. To make electrified propulsion systems commercially viable for mid- and long-range airplanes, operational, sizing, technological, and safety/certification challenges need to be addressed. Electrified propulsion systems are radical innovations and as such, entail a high degree of risk in technical and financial performance. Traditional project management methods for new products, such as the stage-gate model, tend to favor more traditional and conventional engine advancements where the associated technologies and economics are better understood, leading to promising novel concepts being discarded during the early design phases. Additionally, projects that do advance to later design phases may ultimately fail to prove economic viability and thus not make it to market. With cost overruns and schedule delays being a common theme among new airplane development programs, it is imperative that the most promising electrified propulsion concepts advance to the later stages of product development.

The objective of this research is to propose an improved framework/methodology for selecting and evaluating hybrid-electric propulsion architectures. Technical feasibility and financial viability of proposed hybrid-electric concepts is concurrently quantified during the conceptual/exploratory design phase, in combination with uncertainty analysis associated with low maturity technologies and dynamic economic environments. This methodology enables a more accurate and holistic analysis (business case performance) to be conducted and better-informed decisions to be made, thereby increasing the probability of successfully developing and launching hybrid-electric propulsion systems in the next generation of aircraft. Finally, the proposed business case framework will be demonstrated using scenario-based analysis for measuring the impact of external market factors (fuel prices, electricity prices, environmental policies, etc.) on the selection and evaluation of hybrid-electric propulsion systems.

Committee

• Prof. Dimitris N. Mavris – School of Aerospace Engineering (advisor)
• Prof. Daniel P. Schrage – School of Aerospace Engineering
• Prof. Jechiel I. Jagoda – School of Aerospace Engineering
• Dr. Jonathan C. Gladin – School of Aerospace Engineering