Date of Award

Spring 5-2018

Access Type

Thesis - Open Access

Degree Name

Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering

Department

Aerospace Engineering

Committee Chair

Richard P. Anderson

First Committee Member

Jianhua Liu

Second Committee Member

Snorri Gudmundsson

Third Committee Member

Steven Daniel

Abstract

This thesis derives analytical methods for sizing the propulsive battery packs for designing an electric-driven aircraft. Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery is the primary choice of battery cell chemistry in this thesis research due to its superior specific energy and market availability. The characteristics of Lithium-Ion battery cells are first determined and studied using experimental test results and manufacturers published data. Based on the design requirement to the battery system, the battery sizing will fall into one of the two sizing categories. The first category is power sizing, which requires the battery’s ability to deliver full power demanded by the electric motor. The second category is endurance sizing, which requires the battery system to store sufficient energy for the required endurance. Both types of sizing are analytically derived. From the sizing result, capacity is used to determine the parallel connected battery cells. The required system voltage governs the series connected cells. A battery discharging simulation model is built to validate the sizing results.

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