Comparison and Synthesis of Performance and Aerodynamic Modeling of a Pass-Off Turbofan Engine Test Cell

Abstract

To ensure the quality standards in engine testing, a growing research effort is put into the modeling of full engine test cell systems. A detailed understanding of the performance of the combined system, engine and test cell, is necessary e.g. to assess test cell modifications or to identify the influence of test cell installation effects on engine performance. This study aims to give solutions on how such a combined engine and test cell system can be effectively modeled and validated in the light of maximized test cell observability with minimum instrumentation and computational requirements. An aero-thermodynamic performance model and a CFD model are created for the Fan-Engine Pass-Off Test Facility at MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH, representing a W-shape configuration, indoor Fan-Engine test cell. Both models are adjusted and validated against each other and against test cell instrumentation. A fast-computing performance model is delivering global parameters, whereas a highly-detailed aerodynamic simulation is established for modeling component characteristics. A multi-disciplinary synthesis of both approaches can be used to optimize each of the specific models by calibration, optimized boundary conditions etc. This will result in optimized models, which, in combination, can be used to assess the respective design and operational requirements.

Three-spool turbofan pass-off test data analysis using an optimization-based diagnostic technique

“…Production jet engines may show variabilities during these tests. 3 The investigation and identification of the root causes of variability, which can correspond to genuine changes in components and/or measurement errors, require an efficient way to estimate and analyze the real engine performance. The goal of gas turbine diagnostic methods is the detection of the aforementioned phenomena and the accurate estimation of the real condition of the engine.…”