Aerodynamic Performance and Numerical Analysis of the Coaxial Contra-Rotating Propeller Lift System in eVTOL Vehicles

Jie Xu, Jiaming Yu (), Xinjiang Lu (), Zhenkun Long, Yuteng Xu and Hao Sun
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Jie Xu: State Key Laboratory of Precision Manufacturing for Extreme Service Performance, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Jiaming Yu: College of Artificial Intelligence, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
Xinjiang Lu: State Key Laboratory of Precision Manufacturing for Extreme Service Performance, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Zhenkun Long: State Key Laboratory of Precision Manufacturing for Extreme Service Performance, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Yuteng Xu: State Key Laboratory of Precision Manufacturing for Extreme Service Performance, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Hao Sun: College of Artificial Intelligence, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China

Mathematics, 2024, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-19

Abstract: Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles possess high payload transportation capabilities and compact design features. The traditional method of increasing propeller size to cope with high payload is no longer applicable. Therefore, this study proposes the use of coaxial counter-rotating propellers as the lift system for eVTOL vehicles, consisting of two coaxially mounted, counter-rotating bi-blade propellers. However, if the lift of a single rotating propeller is linearly increased without considering the lift loss caused by the downwash airflow generated by the upper propeller and the torque effect of the lift system, it will significantly impact performance optimization and safety in the eVTOL vehicles design process. To address this issue, this study employed the Moving Reference Frame (MRF) method within Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technology to simulate the lift system, conducting a detailed analysis of the impact of the upper propeller’s downwash flow on the aerodynamic performance of the lower propeller. In addition, the aerodynamic performance indicators of coaxial counter-rotating propellers were quantitatively analyzed under different speed conditions. The results indicated significant lift losses within the coaxial contra-rotating propeller system, which were particularly notable in the lift loss of the lower propeller. Moreover, the total torque decreased by more than 93.8%, and the torque was not completely offset; there was still a small torsional effect in the coaxial counter-rotating propellers. The virtual testing method of this study not only saves a significant amount of time and money but also serves as a vital reference in the design process of eVTOL vehicles.

Keywords: coaxial counter-rotating propellers; computational fluid dynamic; eVTOL; coaxial counter-rotating interference loss; downwash (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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