PEANUT

Aerodynamic Design and Validation of a Propulsor for Passenger Air Vehicles

Within the PEANUT project, the Institute of Aircraft Design and Lightweight Structures (IFL) at TU Braunschweig, together with the Institute of Jet Propulsion and Turbomachinery (IFAS) and Oswald Elektromotoren GmbH, is researching a highly dynamic, all-electric propulsion system for vertical take-off passenger aircraft (eVTOL) with a range of more than 100 kilometers. The aim of the project is to lay the foundation for efficient, quiet, and low-emission air transport in urban environments.

IFL contributes its expertise in aircraft design and is responsible for developing the overall eVTOL configuration. The concept’s flight performance is analyzed while taking the newly developed propulsion system into account. Using multidisciplinary optimization, IFL investigates the optimal combination of propulsion unit, wing, and overall geometry to maximize aircraft efficiency and system integration, thereby making a decisive contribution to the future development of electric aircraft.

A key element of the PEANUT propulsion concept is the electrically driven tilt propeller, which enables a seamless transition between vertical and forward flight. In combination with an air-cooled direct-drive motor from Oswald, this results in a particularly compact, low-maintenance propulsion system that eliminates the need for complex gearboxes. Direct power transmission and air cooling enable high control quality, fast dynamic response, and a simplified design ideally suited for urban operations. In addition, the propeller’s aerodynamic characteristics and the motor performance are experimentally tested to compare theoretical calculations with real measurement data and to further improve efficiency and system integration.