Preliminary study of an air supply system for an aviation fuel cell power plant

This thesis work arises as a result of the experience gained at Leonardo Labs in Turin with regard to the preliminary study of the auxiliary components of a fuel cell power system (FCPS) in the context of the development of an innovative concept for a hybrid more electric regional aircraft. This research activity is inserted into the framework of the implementation of an integrated platform for the creation of a digital twin of the aircraft, that is a digital counterpart that not only allows to simulate the behavior of the real system but also keeps tracks in real time of the updates and the several versions of the model resulting from the engineering process (as in the case of modern software development approaches). This project is perfectly in line with two separate but at the same time closely interconnected current trends in research: on the one hand, the attempt to move towards a climate-neutral horizon; on the other, the effort in modernizing engineering processes by harnessing the computing power enabled by modern technologies. The present work precisely fits within this context and addresses the issue of the preliminary study of the air supply system, specifically of the compressor, recognized as one of the most critical components of the entire FCPS, which is here the core of the aircraft electric propulsion system. The main purpose is to provide support to the aircraft integrator by highlighting the most relevant aspects of the design process of this crucial ancillary component. After an initial part aimed at framing the background of the project, as well as the state-of-the-art technologies for FCPS air supply systems, an overview on the whole design process is provided, starting from the steady-state analysis of system performances, moving through the sizing procedure and then finishing with the dynamic modeling of the different plant components in view of control design and simulation of the air management. The criteria developed at this stage are then applied to a specific case study partly recalling the one tackled during the internship experience at Labs. Not least, the models developed along the study are conceived in the perspective of the implementation within the aforementioned integrated platform so as to achieve a design and simulation flow as automatic and adaptable as possible.