Comparison of propeller-driven propulsion systems

Sammanfattning: Global warming caused by combustion of fossil fuels is a hot topic in today’s society and the world is constantly trying to makes steps towards a brighter tomorrow with stricter environmental laws and research of alternative fuels. A great propulsion system is however not great solely of it being environmental friendly, it must also achieve other requirements. A comparison using different propulsion systems and different fuel types has been made and evaluated in four different categories; power; range; cost and environmental impact. The process of scientifically compare systems using given attributes is a big part of the study and is hoped to yield inspiration to the reader to apply to their own application, not necessarily using the same categories. The result has been assembled in a matrix and depending on what category one prefers the most, different results are presented. A clear observation is a lack of range for all of the systems using electricity due to the low energy density compared to fossil fuels. Hydrogen fuel cells and ICE are however constrained by the volume required to store hydrogen but applications can surely be found where the great gravimetric energy-density can be utilized at its full potential. The future of alternative fuels and propulsion systems are looking great checking the improvements of technology on electrical components such as batteries, fuel cells and solar cells the last 10 years. The improvements not only affecting performance such as increased energy-density and power but also cost, making them more desired by the common man.