Redesigning the Auxiliary Power Unit Bleed Air Venturi
This paper examines the analysis of re-designing the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) bleed air spool piece used on the Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC). The APU supplies bleed air for main engine (ME) starting, anti-icing of the propeller shrouds during cold weather conditions and anti-icing of the filtration system that supplies both ME compartment cooling air and the APU gas turbine combustion air. An air-blast cockpit windshield cleaning system is also powered by APU bleed air. A spool piece is a venturi whose function is to limit a specific amount of airflow as it passes through a system. The current spool piece venturi dimensions allow an excess in APU bleed air to on-craft components, resulting in an exhaust gas temperature (EGT) over-temp in the gas turbine power producer. Such operating conditions occur during cold weather testing, when port and starboard propeller shroud anti-ice systems and APU combustion air/main engine compartment cooling air anti-ice systems are operating. In order to rectify this issue, a model analysis was created, determining the proper dimension of the spool piece venturi. Because spool piece venturies have been implemented fleet wide, it was a priority to reduce fabrication expenses of new materials. To best achieve this, the analysis will determine the size of a plain venturi that can be installed within the existing spool pieces. Referring to engine specifications, APU bleed air was limited to a certain flow rate. However, anti-ice components also required a specific mass flow rate in order to operate properly. It is within these boundaries that the proper diameter of the venturi was determined. This issue further expands upon the analysis of thermal testing, inlet and outlet pressures and the mass flow rate of the new venturi dimension.