On the Optimization of a Geared Fan Intercooled Core Engine Design

Abstract

Reduction of CO2 emissions is strongly linked with the improvement of engine specific fuel consumption (SFC), as well as the reduction of engine nacelle drag and weight. One alternative design approach to improving SFC is to consider a geared fan combined with an increased overall pressure ratio (OPR) intercooled core performance cycle. Thermal benefits from intercooling have been well documented in the literature. Nevertheless, there is little information available in the public domain with respect to design space exploration of such an engine concept when combined with a geared fan. The present work uses a multidisciplinary conceptual design too! to further analyze the option of an intercooled core geared fan aero engine for long haul applications with a 2020 entry into service technology level assumption. The proposed design methodology is capable, with the utilized tool, of exploring the interaction of design criteria and providing critical design insight at engine-aircraft system level. Previous work by the authors focused on understanding the design space for this particular configuration with minimum SFC. engine weight, and mission fuel in mind. This was achieved by means of a parametric analysis, varying several engine design parameters-but only one at a time. The present work attempts to identify "globally " fuel burn optimal values for a set of engine design parameters by varying them all simultaneously. This permits the nonlinear interactions between the parameters to be accounted for. Special attention has been given to the fuel burn impact of the reduced high pressure compressor (HPC) efficiency levels associated with low last stage blade heights. Three fuel optimal designs are considered, based on different assumptions. The results indicate that it is preferable to trade OPR and pressure ratio split exponent, rather than specific thrust, as means of increasing blade height and hence reducing the associated fuel consumption penalties. It is interesting to note that even when considering the effect of HPC last stage blade height on efficiency there is still an equivalently good design at a reduced OPR. This provides evidence that the overall economic optimum could be for a lower OPR cycle. Customer requirements such as take off distance and time to height play a very important role in determining a fuel optimal engine design. Tougher customer requirements result in bigger and heavier engines that burn more fuel. Higher OPR intercooled engine cycles clearly become more attractive in aircraft applications that require larger engine sizes.

Analytical Model for the Performance Estimation of Pre-Cooled Pulse Detonation Turbofan Engines

“…This location is consistent with the proposed arrangement reported in studies dedicated to the exploration of intercooling for high bypass ratio turbofans [5,7,30,31]. The considered arrangement allows for an efficient installation of a compact airto-air cross-flow heat exchanger as well as to recovering thrust by ejecting the spent cooling air using a variable area nozzle.…”

“…This can be seen as an indirect means of targeting the loss from core exhaust heat rejection, since higher turbine expansion ratios lead to reduced core exhaust temperatures. Intercooling in gas turbine aero-engines has been the subject of extensive research in several EU research projects with recent results revealing that improvements in fuel burn efficiency of the order of 3-5% are achievable [5,7].…”

Techno-economic viability assessments of greener propulsion technology under potential environmental regulatory policy scenarios

“…( Kyprianidis, et al, 2011;Kyprianidis, et al, 2014;Kyprianidis and Rolt, 2015;Xu, et al, 2013; Najafi 146 Saatlou, et al, 2014;Camilleri et al, 2014). Frameworks that utilise a similar approach to TERA have 147 also been used successfully by other researchers in the field for novel technology assessments (Marinai,L., et.al.…”

Assessment of a Turbo-Electric Aircraft Configuration with Aft-Propulsion Using Boundary Layer Ingestion

“…The results suggest that, at given and constant levels of fan face Mach number, the maximal reachable efficiency levels are highest at fan pressure ratio levels around FPR = 1.32, dropping towards both, lower and higher FPR. Those corrections of the main engine and aft-fan isentropic efficiency were made individually for each case and depends on the corresponding level of FPR, and then directly translated into SFC using relations as introduced in Reference [38] in the following way:…”