Publication Date

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Committee Members

Mitch Wolff, Ph.D. (Advisor); José Camberos, Ph.D., P.E. (Committee Member); Ramana Grandhi, Ph.D. (Committee Member); Levi Elston, Ph.D. (Committee Member); Harok Bae, Ph.D. (Committee Member)

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Abstract

Design of high speed vehicles necessitates incorporating power generation and thermal management systems. Power generation is required as traditional high-speed propulsion sources do not contain rotating components to extract power, and the harsh external thermal environment calls for thermal management. To size these systems, the transient power requirements and the heat generated inside the vehicle must be understood. Sizing these systems at the earliest stages of the vehicle design allows for a more optimized geometry and a trajectory to design the most favorable vehicle. Characterization of these low-quality power and thermal loads from the actuation and fuel pump subsystems has not been done in the literature. A workflow using conceptual design level appropriate methods was developed to produce a controllable 6DOF simulation of a notional high-speed vehicle, basing the desired qualities on MIL-STD-1797A to ensure realistic flight characteristics. Actuation and fuel pump subsystems were developed, controlled, and integrated into this model, with a first-law analysis to characterize the power and thermal profiles of the subsystems. A notional runway-takeoff capable geometry was used to verify and develop the methodology for a cruise analysis, with a subsequent study conducted to validate the methodology and assess sensitivities. The results of this work provide a conceptual design methodology to assess the low quality power and thermal requirements of a high-speed vehicle.

Page Count

198

Department or Program

Ph.D. in Engineering

Year Degree Awarded

2025


Included in

Engineering Commons

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