Baseline Report - Aetheria, hydrogen-based long-range eVTOL designed for crashworthiness

Baseline Report of the Design, Synthesis and Exercise (DSE) carried on during the Spring DSE 2023, group 11, assignment "hydrogen-based long-range eVTOL designed for crashworthiness". Tutors: Saullo G. P. Castro & Fulvio Scarano Coaches: Marina B. Lopez & Justus Benad Institution: Delft University of Technology Place: Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft Submission Date: Thrusday 11th of May, 2023 Executive Overview In recent years, the research and development for alternative means of travel have surged in search for faster, more efficient and more sustainable travel options. Moreover, increasing congestion and air pollution require ever more urgent solutions. Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft have the potential to be the solution to this problem. This new type of aircraft provides capabilities of flying over a congested city in a matter of minutes and providing point-to-point transport. An extension of the eVTOL design is the inclusion of hydrogen-based propulsion, which will yield a larger possible range for the aircraft. Therefore, this DSE project will focus on using hydrogen to increase the efficiency of long-range eVTOLs powered by batteries. The Mission Need Statement (MNS) of the project is as follows: Design a sustainable long-range hydrogen eVTOL for crashworthiness that can transport four passengers This report serves as the foundation based on which the final detailed design will be made. Literature studies on the current eVTOL market, as well as technical risks and requirements assessment and a sustainability analysis, are done. Finally, some preliminary designs are presented which will be further investigated in future reports