Abstract:
This paper presents an integrated multidisciplinary rotorcraft design and optimization framework, deployed for the design
and assessment of a conceptual rotorcraft powerplant configuration at mission level. The proposed approach comprises a
wide-range of individual modeling theories applicable to rotorcraft flight dynamics, gas turbine engine performance and
weight estimation as well as a novel physics-based, stirred reactor model for the rapid estimation of gas turbine gaseous
emissions. A novel Single-Objective and Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimizer is coupled with the aforementioned
integrated rotorcraft multidisciplinary design framework. The combined approach is applied to the multidisciplinary design
and optimization of a reference Twin Engine Light civil rotorcraft modeled after the Eurocopter Bo105 helicopter, operating
on representative mission scenario. Through the application of Single-Objective optimization, optimum engine design
configurations are acquired in terms of mission fuel consumption, engine weight and gaseous emissions at constant
technology level. Multi-Objective studies are carried out in order to quantify the optimum interrelationship between mission
fuel consumption and gaseous emissions for the representative Twin Engine Light rotorcraft operation and a variety of engine
configurations. The proposed approach essentially constitutes an enabler in terms of focusing the multidisciplinary design of
rotorcraft powerplants to realistic, three-dimensional operations and towards the realization of associated engine design
tradeoffs at mission level.