Leading and Trailing Edge Configuration for Distributed Electric Propulsion Systems

In pusher-type aircraft, the impact of putting the propeller on the trailing edge and impact of propeller on the tip of the wing have been carefully researched. The results reveal an increase in propelling efficiency and a reduction in drag. In addition, there is a lot of study being done right now on distributed propulsion and the advantages it has in terms of aerodynamic effects and propelling advantages. This paves way for the possibility of positioning the propeller on the trailing edge of the wing and using the increased propulsive efficiency afforded by boundary layer ingestion (BLI). This research studies the effect of positioning the propeller on the trailing edge of the wing instead of the leading edge on power savings and advances in propulsive efficiency. A scaled remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) wing is tested in a wind tunnel utilizing a brushless direct current (BLDC) engine with several propeller configurations. A new term, ingestion ratio (IR), is introduced to describe the effect of the change in propeller size on power savings. The investigation revealed that positioning the propeller on the trailing edge of the wing increases the propelling efficiency by up to 5.8% and saves up to 24.7% of electricity.