A Thorough Comparative Analysis of Two Design Methods for DEP Heavy-Loaded Propellers

To meet the increasingly stringent carbon emission requirements, the development of distributed electric propulsion aircraft has received growing attention. As the primary power component of electric aircraft, propeller performance profoundly influences the aircraft flight characteristics. This study aims to provide a reference for proposing new high aerodynamic efficiency design method for distributed electric propulsion heavy-loaded propeller by comparing the Aprop method with the widely used Adkins design approach, which are both suitable for heavy-loaded propeller. A thorough comparative analysis was conducted, focusing on the blade geometries, the thrust accuracy, the circulation distribution, the thrust distribution, and the induced velocity distribution. The results show that, under the same design conditions, the blades designed using the Aprop method have larger pitch angles and smaller chord lengths, except of a small region near the blade root. The Aprop method provides superior accuracy in the thrust, with actual thrust closely matching the required thrust. Although the Adkins method is applicable to the high propeller disc loading, it tends to underestimate the axial induced velocity, resulting in smaller pitch angles and discrepancies between actual and required thrust.