This paper presents a flight risk assessment framework for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles and routes. It considers separation automation and mission structure sensitivity based on energy demand. We evaluate the energy consumption of a conceptual hexacopter electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) vehicle for identified potential UAM routes from Dallas-Fort Worth and San Francisco metropolitan regions considering level flight conflict management. A mission structure-based parameter sensitivity study is conducted for operational flexibility, and assessment of associated risk level, of the UAM vehicle's flight energy consumption using Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR) statistical metrics. Our results demonstrate that the feasibility and energy demand of the flights can be affected greatly by the vehicle configuration, range of the operational routes, aircraft density in the airspace, conflicts, and different parameter values of the mission structure. This study high-lights the fact that a mission parameter-based energy demand evaluation that considers performance-based energy reserve can provide information about possible vehicle capabilities in a specific operation. Additionally, the CVaR metric captured the maximum level of risk associated with high energy-demanding flights for the potential routes in the two metropolitan regions. These findings provide air transportation decision-makers with crucial insights for enhancing strategies aimed at accelerating the design-to-certification process of UAM vehicles and mitigating operational hazards.
Flight Risk Assessment of Urban Air Mobility Vehicles and Routes Based on Battery Energy Consumption
2024-09-29
5137312 byte
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
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