Date of Thesis

Spring 2026

Description

Aircraft flights are an increasingly popular mode of transportation. However, their harmful impacts on the environment are a growing concern. Many engineers have worked to develop fully electric aircraft to address this issue. Although they are much more sustainable than conventional aircraft, electric aircraft encounter severe limitations imposed by current battery technology. One alternative route engineers have taken is developing energy recovery methods (ERMs). These are marketed as devices that reduce aircraft fuel consumption without significantly changing their structure and functionality, making them an excellent short-term solution. However, there is little to no consideration of the tradeoffs induced by the additional weight and drag these methods impose. The only exception is physical testing, which is costly and time-intensive. This research aims to validate the claims of ERM developers using a robust analytical model and to identify the most successful methods. To do so, custom-made Computer-Aided Design (CAD) models were tested in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software to determine the drag force on each aircraft with and without ERMs. Next, a non-ideal cycle analysis in MATLAB was developed to determine the increase in fuel consumption required to achieve the specified thrust. Finally, after estimating the power generation of each ERM, the net energy recovery was calculated and used as the comparative metric. The results show that only one of the ERMs investigated, an acoustic tube waste heat recovery system, yields a net positive impact on consumption across all case studies, with energy recovery values ranging from 0.09% to 0.17% of energy consumption. These results have shown the importance of accounting for design tradeoffs, especially effects on aerodynamic efficiency, when designing ERMs.

Keywords

Commercial Aircraft, Design Trade-Offs, Computer-Aided Design, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Non-Ideal Brayton Cycle

Access Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Type

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Major

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

M. Greg O'Neill

Second Advisor

M. Laura Beninati

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