Techno-economic and environmental risk assessment of a turbo-electric distributed propulsion system on a blended wing body aircraft

Constant rise of air traffic has caused the environmental impacts of aviation to be the subject of an unprecedented scrutiny. Organisations all over the world are setting targets for emission reductions that represent the technological potential for the next decades. Meeting the stringent goals imposed requires a fundamental shift in approach to engine and aircraft design. The topic of this research involves the use of the Techno-economic Environmental Risk Analysis (TERA) approach in order to assess the Turbo- electric Distributed Propulsion (TeDP) system. The research will be based on the NASA N3-X concept in terms of dimensions, layout, weighs and performance. The contribution to knowledge is the development of assessment models to better understand the propulsion and electrical system of the TeDP vehicle. By identifying the key risks and opportunities provided by the technology assessed, this study further contributes to define a technology roadmap for future research.