Thermal Management System Architecture for the Powertrain of a 90-Seater Battery-Electric Aircraft

The preliminary design of the thermal management system for the electric powertrain of a 90-seater battery-electric aircraft is addressed in this study. The main heat loads of the powertrain are associated with the battery pack and the electronic power unit, comprising an electric motor, an inverter, and optionally a gearbox. The main operating points of the thermal management system throughout the nominal flight mission are identified as take-off, top of climb, cruise, and top of descent. Two candidate architectures are assessed and compared in terms of key performance metrics, i.e., weight, drag penalty, and electric power consumption. Moreover, the equivalent battery mass required to power and carry the thermal management system throughout the flight mission is computed. The results show that the architecture exploiting the difference in the temperature levels of the heat sources in the powertrain features superior performance than the baseline configuration. In particular, the total equivalent battery mass is reduced by 388 kg. Overall, this translates into an increase in the usable range of 11 km prior to snowball effects, highlighting the importance of the thermal management system in the design of large battery-electric aircraft.