Discretized Miller approach to assess effects on boundary layer ingestion induced distortion

The performance of propulsion configurations with boundary layer ingestion (BLI) is affected to a large extent by the level of distortion in the inlet flow field. Through flow methods and parallel compressor have been used in the past to calculate the effects of this aerodynamic integration issue on the fan performance; however high-fidelity through flow methods are computationally expensive, which limits their use at preliminary design stage. On the other hand, parallel compressor has been developed to assess only circumferential distortion. This paper introduces a discretized semi-empirical performance method, which uses empirical correlations for blade and performance calculations. This tool discretizes the inlet region in radial and circumferential directions enabling the assessment of deterioration in fan performance caused by the combined effect of both distortion patterns. This paper initially studies the accuracy and suitability of the semi-empirical discretized method by comparing its predictions with CFD and experimental data for a baseline case working under distorted and undistorted conditions. Then a test case is examined, which corresponds to the propulsor fan of a distributed propulsion system with BLI. The results obtained from the validation study show a good agreement with the experimental and CFD results under design point conditions

Effect of change in role of an aircraft on engine life

New aircraft require years of development from concept to realisation and can be prone to delays. Consequently, military operators take existing fleets and operate them in a different role. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of operating a typical low bypass military fast jet engine, originally designed for a European theatre, in a hot and harsh climate. The specific purpose is to determine the effect on the high-pressure turbine blade life and the life- cycle cost of the engine. A mission profile and respective performance conditions were analysed and modelled using an in-house performance tool. The flow conditions were simulated using ANSYS® FLUENT. A conjugated heat transfer solution was adopted to determine the blade metal temperature. The blade was modelled physically in 3D using SIMULIA® ABAQUS FEA software. The stresses were derived and used to calculate the temperature coupled low cycle fatigue and creep life. A deterioration case was also studied to evaluate the effect of sand and dust ingestion. There was a significant life reduction of approximately 50% due to creep. The reduction in life was inversely proportional to the life cycle cost of the engine depending on the operating conditions. The results were compared with similar engines and summarised in the context of airworthiness regulations and component integrity

Installed performance assessment of an array of distributed propulsors ingesting boundary layer flow

Conventional propulsion systems are typically represented as uninstalled system to suit the simple separation between airframe and engine in a podded configuration. However, boundary layer ingesting systems are inherently integrated, and require a different perspective for performance analysis. Simulations of boundary layer ingesting propulsions systems must represent the change in inlet flow characteristics which result from different local flow conditions. In addition, a suitable accounting system is required to split the airframe forces from the propulsion system forces. The research assesses the performance of a conceptual vehicle which applies a boundary layer ingesting propulsion system - NASA's N3-X blended wing body aircraft - as a case study. The performance of the aircraft's distributed propulsor array is assessed using a performance method which accounts for installation terms resulting from the boundary layer ingesting nature of the system. A `thrust split' option is considered which splits the source of thrust between the aircraft's main turbojet engines and the distributed propulsor array. An optimum thrust split for a specific fuel consumption at design point is found to occur for a thrust split value of 94.1%. In comparison, the optimum thrust split with respect to fuel consumption for the design 7500 nmi mission is found to be 93.6%, leading to a 1.5% fuel saving for the configuration considered

Investigation into the effects of operating conditions and design parameters on the creep life of high pressure turbine blades in a stationary gas turbine engine

A physics–based model is used to investigate the relationship between operating conditions and design parameters on the creep life of a stationary gas turbine high pressure turbine (HPT) blade. A performance model is used to size the blade and to determine its stresses. The effects of radial temperature distortion, turbine inlet temperature, ambient temperature and compressor degradation on creep life are then examined. The results show variations in creep life and failure location along the span of the blade enabling better informed design and maintenance decisions

Full-aircraft energy-based force decomposition applied to boundary layer ingestion

This paper introduces a generic force decomposition method derived from mechanical energy conservation. A transformation from relative to absolute reference frame captures the power transfer from pressure and skin-friction forces on aircraft surfaces to mechanisms in the flow-field . A unique flow-feature extraction procedure isolates these mechanisms into different regions including the jet-plume substructures, as well as shocks and shear-layers located externally to the jet. Featured is a novel shear-layer identification metric that captures both laminar and turbulent regions. The resulting energy balance is rearranged into a force decomposition formulation with contributions attributed to shocks, jets, lift induced vortices and the remaining wake. Boundary layer ingestion is used to demonstrate the method where a Potential for Energy Recovery factor is introduced and defines the amount of energy available at the trailing edge of an unpowered body. CFD results of a fuselage suggest 10% of its drag power is available for re-utilisation. CFD studies of a boundary layer ingesting propulsor show local minima in power consumption at a given thrust-split for particular combinations of fan pressure ratio and amount of boundary layer ingested. A noteworthy finding reveals significant contributions of volumetric pressure work, a term often neglected in previous wor

Novel fan configuration for distributed propulsion systems with boundary layer ingestion on an hybrid wing body airframe

The performance benefits of directly ingesting the boundary layer (BLI) on air vehicles with distributed propulsion (DP) systems has been documented and explored extensively. However, numerous investigations have demonstrated that the increase of the flow distortion in the inlets of conventional propulsors can dramatically reduce the expected benefits. Hence, this work presents an alternative fan configuration to re-energize the boundary layer, and at the same time, to perform properly in a distorted and non-uniform flow-field. This conceptual design utilizes a two-dimension idealized fan and replaces the rotational movement with linear displacement, avoiding the undesired effects of circumferential distortion on the propulsor operation. A quasi two-dimensional model based on the Discretized Miller approach has been used to compare the proposed configuration with a conventional axial fan. From the results obtained, it is observed that the thermal performance of the fan is less affected for the proposed configuration and furthermore, intake pressure losses are ameliorated by the use of a single mailbox shape inlet. The performance assessment of the proposed configuration coupled on the N3-X aircraft shows benefits of 4% in fuel savings compared with current BLI turbo-machinery configurations. The main contribution of this study lies on the definition of a preliminary design for an alternative propulsor configuration able to deal with circumferential distortion

Industrial gas turbine performance: Compressor fouling and on-line washing

Industrial gas turbines are susceptible to compressor fouling, which is the deposition and accretion of airborne particles or contaminants on the compressor blades. This paper demonstrates the blade aerodynamic effects of fouling through experimental compressor cascade tests and the accompanied engine performance degradation using turbomatch, an in-house gas turbine performance software. Similarly, on-line compressor washing is implemented taking into account typical operating conditions comparable with industry high pressure washing. The fouling study shows the changes in the individual stage maps of the compressor in this condition, the impact of degradation during part-load, influence of control variables, and the identification of key parameters to ascertain fouling levels. Applying demineralized water for 10 min, with a liquid-to-air ratio of 0.2%, the aerodynamic performance of the blade is shown to improve, however most of the cleaning effect occurred in the first 5 min. The most effectively washed part of the blade was the pressure side, in which most of the particles deposited during the accelerated fouling. The simulation of fouled and washed engine conditions indicates 30% recovery of the lost power due to washing

Transient modelling and simulation of gas turbine secondary air system

The behaviour of the jet engine during transient operation and specifically its secondary air system (SAS) is the point of this work. This paper presents a methodological approach to develop a fast, one-dimensional transient platform for preliminary analysis of the flow behaviour in gas turbine engines secondary air system. For this purpose, different elements of the system including rotating chamber, pipe, turbine blade cooling, orifice, and labyrinth seal are modelled in a modular form. The validity of the developed models for each component is checked against experimental/publicly available data. Then, using a flow network simulation approach, the secondary air system of a two-spool turbofan engine is modelled and simulated in transient mode. The coupling effect between volume packing and swirl are considered in the simulation, under two pre-defined scenarios for step and scheduled boundary condition variations. In the step-change scenario, the boundary conditions are changed instantly to represent the flow behaviour of the SAS under extreme operating conditions (i.e. shaft fracture, flameout, etc.). In the scheduled scenario, the boundary conditions vary linearly with time to represent the performance of the SAS under normal operating conditions (i.e. acceleration and deceleration). The key findings include the fact that, under normal engine operation, the flow in the SAS varies smoothly and converges much faster than the primary flow by around one magnitude. Thus, it is reasonable to use steady-state SAS model to simulate SAS flow behaviour under these conditions. However, under extreme conditions (e.g. flameout), which could induce an abrupt change in the primary airflow properties (pressure, temperature), reverse airflow or choking conditions in SAS may be observed. This could result in a malfunction of the SAS, inducing further damages to the engine

Performance assessment of a boundary layer ingesting distributed propulsion system at off-design

As research on boundary layer ingesting aircraft concepts progresses, it becomes important to develop methods that may be used to model such propulsion systems not only at design point, but also over the full ight envelope. This research presents a methodology and framework for simulating the performance of boundary layer ingesting propulsion systems at o -design conditions. The method is intended for use as a preliminary design tool that may be used to explore the design space and identify design challenges or potential optimum con gurations. The method presented in this research enables the rapid analysis of novel BLI con gurations at a preliminary design stage. The method was applied to a case study of NASA's N3-X aircraft, a blended wing body concept with a distributed propulsor array ingesting the airframe boundary layer. The performance of two propulsor in the array was compare, one at the airframe centreline and one at the extreme edge of the array. Due to di erence in ow conditions, the centreline propulsor was shown to be more e cient at o -design than the end propulsor. However, this di erence in e ciency disappeared at sea level static where the boundary layer thickness is negligible and mass ow ratio is high. Di erence in thrust produce by the two propulsors was instead due their di erent sizes. Performance of the propulsor array as a whole was also presented both independently and including a link to a pair of turbogenerators to provide power. At o design, it was found that there was a discrepancy between the maximum power available from the turbogenerators at o -design operating points and that demanded by the propulsor array operating at 100% fan rotational speed. This discrepancy means that the propulsor array's performance is limited by the turbogenerators at o -design, particularly for low speed, low altitude operation

Advancements and prospects of boundary layer ingestion propulsion concepts

The aviation sector is experiencing an increasing pressure to reduce emissions via long-term strategies for a ceaselessly growing number of flight passengers. Aircraft currently in operation have typically been designed by considering the airframe somewhat separately from the propulsion system. In doing so, conventional aero-engine architectures are approaching their limits in terms of propulsive efficiency, with technological advancements yielding diminishing returns. A promising alternative architecture for improving the overall performance of the next generation of commercial aircraft relies upon boundary layer ingestion (BLI). This technology aerodynamically couples the airframe with a strategically positioned propulsion system to purposely ingest the airframe’s boundary layer flow. Nonetheless, there is a lack in consensus surrounding the interpretation and quantification of BLI benefits. This is primarily because conventional performance accounting methods breakdown in scenarios of strong aerodynamic coupling. Subsequently, there is a major challenge in defining appropriate performance metrics to provide a consistent measurement and comparison of the potential benefits. This review examines the various accounting methods and metrics that have been applied in evaluating BLI performance. These are discussed and critiqued in the context of both numerical and experimental models. Numerically, the geometric, aerodynamic and propulsive models are sorted by their orders of fidelity along with the plenitude of methods used for flow feature identification enabling a phenomenological understanding of BLI. Particular attention is then given to experimental BLI models with their different set-ups, methods and associated limitations and uncertainties. Finally, the numerous unconventional BLI aircraft concepts are categorised, compared and critiqued with reference to their associated design exploration and optimisation studies.European Union funding: 86480