Computational Fluid Dynamics Approaches for Aero-Propulsive and Thermal Analysis of Distributed Electric Propulsion Aircraft
Distributed electric propulsion (DEP) is one of the emerging fields of research for the development of next-generation electric aircraft. The current paper is a narrative review and synthesis of published literature related to using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods for aero-propulsive and thermal analysis of DEP aircraft systems. Propulsor slipstream effects, rotor-wake interactions, aero-propulsor coupling mechanisms, multi-physics modeling challenges, and digital thread perspectives are explored in the review. The literature shows that the locally accelerated airflow over wing surfaces generated by distributed propulsors can increase the production of lift, especially in low-velocity flight conditions. Interactions between the wakes of neighboring propellers are also found to generate complicated unsteady wake flow characteristics which can only be simulated accurately by high fidelity methods. From the literature study, it is concluded that CFD is a key tool that delivers physics-based boundary conditions for thermal, structural, and energy system analysis. The review highlights the significant issues in rotor-wake prediction, heat management, and multi-disciplinary integration, as well as research activities that are currently underway, such as AI-supported CFD, reduced-order modelling, digital twin frameworks, and multi-disciplinary design optimization. The synthesis offers a structured basis for integrated DEP aircraft design researchers and engineers.