XTI Aerospace provides TriFan engine air inlet / exhaust update

XTI Aerospace, Inc., a pioneer in VTOL and powered-lift aircraft solutions, today announced the successful update of its engine air inlet and exhaust system design, achieving a key Q1 product and engineering milestone announced in a prior press release.

The updated engine air inlet and exhaust design significantly improves the air intake, particularly in conventional flight, to ensure the air is not hampered by the air flow boundary layer on the upper fuselage. The design team has successfully created a smooth air flow sufficient for the two turboshaft engines to optimize their performance in both vertical and conventional flight. For the engine exhaust, the design provides for a smooth engine exhaust flow, while enabling some forward thrust advantage and a minimized drag footprint. Figure 1 depicts the TriFan 600 engine inlet and exhaust for the two turboshaft engines, and Figure 2 illustrates the engine inlet flow optimization around the high-speed shaft to minimize distortion and maximize pressure recovery.

"Earlier versions of the TriFan 600 reflected notional concepts of the engine inlets and exhaust manifolds. This latest update reflects a design that supports the needs of the twin turboshaft engines while addressing the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle in CTOL, VTOL, and cruise flight modes," said Dave Ambrose, VP of Engineering at XTI Aircraft. "I believe our aero team has done a fantastic job in meeting the requirements for the engines while leveraging our DMU (digital mock-up) and CFD (computational fluid dynamics) analysis to optimize the design and performance."

Scott Pomeroy, Chairman and CEO of XTI Aerospace, added, "This is yet another step in the design evolution process to bring science and art together – not only does it look great, but the aerodynamics are excellent in our CFD analysis. While these changes would likely be missed by a casual observer, our culture of innovation and customer focus is what will make the TriFan 600 a market leader."

In a previous update, the Company outlined six core product and engineering milestones for Q1, listed below, beginning with the downwash/outwash study and leading up to the launch of the "Sparrow" subscale working model in early Q2.

Completed:

- Downwash / Outwash Study – Analyze airflows generated by the aircraft during vertical takeoff and landing to evaluate safety and performance

- Type Certification Application – Formally apply to the FAA for type certification of the TriFan 600

- Engine Air Inlets and Exhaust – Optimize air intake and exhaust design to enhance performance and efficiency of the propulsion system

To be Completed:

- Fuel System Design – Optimize fuel system design to reduce unusable fuel and increase fuel capacity

- Flight Deck Mockup – Develop a flight deck human factors mockup to design and evaluate and optimize ergonomics, pilot controls, and vision polar

- Global Finite Element Model (GFEM) of the latest configuration – Update the comprehensive structural model to evaluate and optimize the aircraft's strength and load paths under various loading conditions