Convex Optimization Models for Hybrid Hydrogen-based Aero Engines

This paper presents convex optimization models for computing power management strategies for hybrid hydrogen-based aero engines. Specifically, we consider an architecture consisting of a hydrogen gas turbine coupled to a fuel cell, which is powering an electric motor connected to the propeller shaft. First, we identify convex models of the components within the propulsion system, capturing the interactions between them. Second, we formulate the minimum-fuel operation problem for a given flight cycle as a quadratically constrained linear program. We expect our results to reveal the optimal power coordination, providing useful insights on the structure of the solution for online optimal control implementations.