First Principle Parameter-Based Performance Model for Commercial Turbofan Aircraft

Sammanfattning

Climate change and greenhouse gas emissions are arguably some of the most pressing threats that today's society has to face. Emissions from the transport sector, including air traffic, play an important role in the pursuit of reducing climate impact. One way to reduce emissions from air traffic can be to fly more fuel efficient through route planning. However, to do this, a sufficiently accurate aircraft performance model is required. A first principle, equation-based, aircraft performance model for an Airbus A320 is developed for the purpose of route planning. The model is based on equations found in literature in combination with a large set of tabulated aircraft performance data. Numerical methods are used to estimate aircraft performance parameters and quantify model accuracy. Three kinds of comparisons are carried out. Firstly, a comparison between the model and tabulated reference data. Secondly, a comparison with flight data registered by aircraft, model and tabulated reference data. Lastly, a comparison of trajectory simulations with model and reference data. The results show that the equation-based model is sufficiently accurate for the purpose of estimating fuel consumption for route planning.