SEMINAR: Crafting the Future of Flight: Electrification Through...

Guest: Gökçin Çınar, University of Michigan

Title: Crafting the Future of Flight: Electrification Through the Lens of Systems Thinking

Date/Time: 24 April 2024, 13.40

Zoom: https://sabanciuniv.zoom.us/j/98504533843

Abstract: The aviation industry, responsible for 915 million tons of CO2 emissions in 2019, stands at a crossroads. With its contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions currently at 3% and projected to triple or even quintuple by 2050, the need for transformative solutions is urgent. Among these, the electrification of aircraft propulsion and power systems offers a promising path forward. This shift has the potential to revolutionize propulsion architectures and fundamentally alter the relationship between propulsion systems and airframes. However, this exciting new design space also presents challenges, including technological bottlenecks, a lack of historical data, and high levels of uncertainty. Without careful navigation, the potential environmental and performance benefits of electrification can be easily undermined by suboptimal propulsion solutions. In the Integrated Design of Environmentally-friendly Aerospace Systems Laboratory (IDEAS Lab) at the University of Michigan, we strive to explore this complex design space through quantitative, system-level, and life-cycle assessments of future aircraft concepts. In this presentation, I will emphasize the critical role of systems thinking in integrating electrified propulsion technologies into the aircraft design process and will share examples of design space exploration and multi-disciplinary analysis and optimization of electrified aircraft.

Bio: Dr. Gökçin Çınar, is an assistant professor of aerospace engineering and the director of the Integrated Design of Environmentally-friendly Aerospace Systems (IDEAS) Laboratory at the University of Michigan. She has over a decade of research focused on the environmental impact of aircraft design and operation, particularly electrified aircraft  and sustainable aviation concepts. Her research aims to advance the understanding of the system-level benefits and challenges related to propulsion system electrification, and power and energy management optimization in hybrid-electric aircraft. As the lead faculty of the Michigan Initiative for Sustainable Aviation (MISA), she is helping to build a collaborative community of experts to explore multi-disciplinary solutions to aviation’s environmental impact. She currently serves as the Chair of the AIAA Electrified Aircraft Technologies Technical Committee and the AIAA/IEEE Electric Aircraft Technologies Symposium 2024, and holds a leadership role in AIAA’s newly founded Sustainable Aviation Working Group.