pritham13 / power_calculations_evtol

Power Calculation for eVTOL Aircraft

This project contains two Python scripts that calculate different aspects of the power requirements and configurations for an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Files

power_calc.py

Functions

1. calculate_battery_power(mtow, l_d_max, eta_total, v_inf)

   • Description: Calculates the power absorbed by the battery during cruise flight.
   • Arguments:
     • mtow (float): Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) in Newtons.
     • l_d_max (float): Maximum lift-to-drag ratio.
     • eta_total (float): Total system efficiency.
     • v_inf (float): Free-stream velocity in meters per second.
   • Returns: Power absorbed by the battery in watts.

2. calculate_vertical_flight_power(aircraft_weight, disk_area, air_density, climb_rate, fom, eta_vertical, is_ducted, fuselage_correction_factor)

   • Description: Calculates the power required for vertical flight.
   • Arguments:
     • aircraft_weight (float): Aircraft weight in Newtons.
     • disk_area (float): Rotor disk area in square meters.
     • air_density (float): Air density at flight altitude in kg/m³.
     • climb_rate (float): Climb rate in meters per second.
     • fom (float): Figure of Merit.
     • eta_vertical (float): Combined efficiency of motors and electric powertrain during vertical flight.
     • is_ducted (bool): True if the aircraft has ducted fans, False for open rotors.
     • fuselage_correction_factor (float): Correction factor for interference from the fuselage.
   • Returns: Power required for vertical flight in watts.

Outputs

The script calculates and prints:

• Power absorbed from the battery during cruise (in kilowatts).
• Power absorbed from the battery during vertical takeoff (in kilowatts).
• Total power absorbed from the battery (in kilowatts).

battery_pack_calc.py

Functions

1. calculate_battery_pack_config(cell_nominal_voltage, cell_capacity, required_voltage, required_capacity)

   • Description: Calculates the parallel and series configuration of the battery pack.
   • Arguments:
     • cell_nominal_voltage (float): Nominal voltage of a single cell.
     • cell_capacity (float): Capacity of a single cell in Ah.
     • required_voltage (float): Required voltage of the battery pack in V.
     • required_capacity (float): Required capacity of the battery pack in Ah.
   • Returns: Tuple containing the number of cells in parallel and in series.

2. calculate_battery_pack_weight(cell_weight, cooling_system_weight)

   • Description: Calculates the total weight of the battery pack including the cooling system.
   • Arguments:
     • cell_weight (float): Weight of a single cell in grams.
     • cooling_system_weight (float): Percentage of the weight of the cooling system with respect to the battery weight.
   • Returns: Total weight of the battery pack in grams.

Outputs

The script calculates and prints:

• Number of cells in parallel.
• Number of cells in series.
• Total weight of the battery pack in kilograms.