Energy Management for an All-Electric Aircraft via Optimal Control

In this article, we develop an integrated approach to energy optimization for an all-electric aircraft. Our approach involves the formulation of the aircraft energy optimization as a set of optimal control problems (OCPs)-integrating battery and flight dynamics-for the cruise and climb phases, as well as the complete flight profile. The corresponding OCPs are then examined in the context of Pontryagin's minimum principle, providing necessary optimality conditions for the proposed integrated approach. Our analysis is then followed by utilizing the numerical solver Tomlab to devise computational solutions for the energy optimization OCPs. We then proceed to characterize the performance of the energy-optimal solutions for distinct models of the battery. In particular, we show that the choice of the battery model does not alter the form of optimal control for the flight system; however, the current profiles for the battery pack and the total operating costs are affected by the adopted models used for optimization. Finally, we develop a Simulink model built around physics-based battery dynamics to further characterize the interplay between aircraft energy operating costs and the underlying battery dynamics.