TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose– The purpose of this article is to present a summary of recent study results on a turboelectric distributed propulsion vehicle concept named N3-X. Design/methodology/approach– The turboelectric distributed propulsion system uses multiple electric motor-driven propulsors that are distributed on an aircraft. The power to drive these electric propulsors is generated by separately located gas turbine-driven electric generators on the airframe. To estimate the benefits associated with this new propulsion concept, a system analysis was performed on a hybrid-wing-body transport configuration to determine fuel burn (or energy usage), community noise and emissions reductions. Findings– N3-X would be able to reduce energy consumption by 70-72 per cent compared to a reference vehicle, a Boeing 777-200LR, flying the same mission. Predictions for landing and take-off NOX are estimated to be 85 per cent less than the Tier 6-CAEP/6 standard. Two variants of the N3-X vehicle were examined for certification noise and found to have International Civil Aviation Organization Chapter 4 cumulative margins of 32EPNdB and 64EPNdB. Practical implications– It is expected that the turboelectric distributed propulsion system may indeed provide unprecedented reductions in fuel/energy consumption, community noise and landing and take-off NOX emissions required in future transport aircraft. Originality/value– The studied propulsion concept is a step change from the conventional propulsion system and addresses growing aviation demands and concerns on the environment and energy usage.
VL  - 86
IS  - 6
SN  - 0002-2667
DO  - 10.1108/AEAT-04-2014-0037
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/AEAT-04-2014-0037
AU  - Dae Kim Hyun
AU  - L. Felder James
AU  - T. Tong Michael
AU  - J. Berton Jeffrey
AU  - J. Haller William
ED  - Riti Singh
PY  - 2014
Y1  - 2014/01/01
TI  - Turboelectric distributed propulsion benefits on the N3-X vehicle
T2  - Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology: An International Journal
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 558
EP  - 561
Y2  - 2024/04/23
ER  -