ELISA: A Tool for Optimization of Rotor Hover Performance at Low Reynolds Number in the Mars Atmosphere

The Evolutionary aLgorithm for Iterative Studies of Aeromechanics (ELISA) was developed in support of the Rotorcraft Optimization for the Advancement of Mars eXploration (ROAMX) project. ELISA was developed to enable aerodynamic rotor hover optimization for low Reynolds number flows in the Mars atmosphere. The first objective of the algorithm allows for unconventional airfoil parameterization and multi-objective airfoil geometry optimization using OVERFLOW. The Pareto-optimal airfoil sets are converted to a set of Pareto-optimal airfoil decks, providing the lowest drag air foil geometry for each angle of attack, removing the need to arbitrarily select the airfoils to be used in the rotor optimization. The second objective allows for rotor geometry optimization with simultaneous maximization of blade loading and minimization of rotor power using the comprehensive analysis CAMRADII. The result is a Pareto-optimal rotor set, providing the lowest power rotor for each attainable blade loading, and one of the first tools for hover-optimized rotors for high-subsonic low Reynolds number conditions. The airfoil thickness can be modified after the airfoil optimization is complete, allowing for a post-airfoil-optimization adjustment of blade thickness to facilitate conforming to external structural analyses requirements. The relevance of the code is demonstrated with case studies for the ROAMX rotor optimization for Ingenuity-sized single rotors in the Mars atmosphere, a performance study optimizing the chord and twist of Ingenuity’s coaxial rotor resulting in the Sample Recovery Helicopters candidate rotor, and high-subsonic low Reynolds number airfoil optimization providing novel insights for higher-efficiency low Reynolds number airfoil geometries and flow physics.