Performance Analysis of a Blended Wing Body Aircraft Utilizing Hybrid-Electric Distributed Propulsion and Boundary Layer Ingestion

Abstract

This research investigates a novel aircraft propulsion architecture integrating hybrid-electric power systems with Blended-Wing Body (BWB) airframes and Boundary-Layer Ingesting (BLI) distributed ducted fans to achieve substantial improvements in fuel efficiency and emissions reduction for commercial aviation. With traditional tube-and-wing configurations approaching their aerodynamic and thermodynamic efficiency limits, the study addresses critical inefficiencies in conventional aircraft, particularly wake and boundary-layer drag over the fuselage and aft-body, where externally mounted engines bypass low-energy airflow and leave significant propulsion efficiency unutilized. The proposed configuration employs a compact gas turbine generator coupled with lithium-ion battery systems to power multiple distributed electric ducted fans strategically positioned on the BWB’s aft body to ingest the low-momentum boundary layer. This approach synergistically combines the aerodynamic benefits of the BWB platform—including higher lift-to-drag ratios, reduced wetted area, and enhanced internal volume for energy storage—with the propulsive efficiency gains from BLI, which can reduce fuel burn by 5-10% by recovering wake losses. The methodology integrates computational fluid dynamics simulations, thermodynamic cycle analysis, electric propulsion system modelling, and mission-level performance assessments to evaluate the integrated system. Key technical innovations include optimized fan placement for boundary-layer ingestion effectiveness, electrical distribution network design to minimize resistive losses, and hybrid power management strategies balancing gas turbine and battery operation across flight phases. Unlike previous studies that examine these technologies in isolation, this work provides a comprehensive systems-level analysis incorporating aerodynamic-propulsion coupling, mass estimation, and crucially, redundancy and failure tolerance analysis for multi-fan configurations. Parametric studies explore the design space across variables including fan count (4-12), fan diameter (0.8-1.5 m), pressure ratio (1.2-1.4), and battery specific energy (200-350 Wh/kg) to identify optimal configurations. The analysis demonstrates that integrated BWB-BLI-hybrid-electric architectures represent one of the most promising pathways for sustainable aviation while maintaining near-term technological feasibility. Results are validated against NASA STARC-ABL and MIT D8 benchmarks, with performance metrics including mission fuel burn reduction, take-off gross weight, propulsive efficiency improvements, and system-level power saving coefficients. This study addresses critical research gaps in distributed BLI systems, hybrid-electric BWB integration, and operational robustness under fan-out scenarios, providing a rigorous foundation for future development of advanced commercial aircraft configurations that balance environmental performance with practical implementation constraints.