Analysis of Active Cooling System for High Power Density Bio-LNG Cooled Electric Motors for Electric Aircraft

Jimmy Meacham, November 15, 2022

An electrified aircraft with bio-liquified natural gas (Bio-LNG) as its primary cooling and energy source is being suggested as a carbon neutral alternative to current aircraft propulsion systems. The aircraft will use 2 MW or greater cryogenic electric motors to produce the thrust necessary for sustained flight. The heat generated by the electric motors limits the current density thus requiring advanced cooling systems to reach the desired power density. Bio-LNG has at least ten times more thermal heat sink potential when compared to jet fuels and the proposed system takes advantage of the phase change to accomplish this. The use of the Carbon Neutral Liquid Fuel (CNFL) Bio-LNG as both the thermal heat sink and energy source provides a highly compact, light, and environmentally friendly solution to aircraft propulsion. In this study, a MATLAB/Simulink transient model is developed to analyze the thermal management system of an aircraft to determine the feasibility of the proposed system. The system uses an estimated flight profile of a Boeing 737 class airplane for the vehicle thermals and fuel demand.