Modeling and simulation of a distributed electric propulsion aircraft by Modelica

Increasingly stringent environmental standards and economic challenges, fuel consumption, noise and pollution emissions have brought enormous challenges to aviation technology, and the need of changes and breakthroughs in this area has become more urgent. Distributed electric propulsion (DEP) is a revolutionary for future aircraft. Compared with the conventional power propulsion system, the aerodynamic structure and equivalent duct ratio of the DEP system have been significantly improved, and there are also significant reductions in noise, fuel consumption, and emissions. In this paper, Modelica is adopted to construct the models for DEP aircraft which is validated through simulation studies. The proposed models can then be used for further study on DEP aircraft.