scholarly journals Mission Performance Simulation of Integrated Helicopter–Engine Systems Using an Aeroelastic Rotor Model

Author(s):  
Ioannis Goulos ◽  
Panos Giannakakis ◽  
Vassilios Pachidis ◽  
Pericles Pilidis

This paper presents an integrated approach, targeting the comprehensive assessment of combined helicopter–engine designs, within designated operations. The developed methodology comprises a series of individual modeling theories, each applicable to a different aspect of helicopter flight dynamics and performance. These relate to rotor blade modal analysis, three-dimensional flight path definition, flight dynamics trim solution, aeroelasticity and engine performance. The individual mathematical models are elaborately integrated within a numerical procedure, solving for the total mission fuel consumption. The overall simulation framework is applied to the performance analysis of the Aérospatiale SA330 helicopter within two generic, twin-engine medium helicopter missions. An extensive comparison with flight test data on main rotor trim controls, power requirements and unsteady blade structural loads is presented. It is shown that, for the typical range of operating conditions encountered by modern twin-engine medium civil helicopters, the effect of operational altitude on fuel consumption is predominantly influenced by the corresponding effects induced on the engine, rather than on airframe–rotor performance. The implications associated with the implicit coupling between aircraft and engine performance, are discussed in the context of mission analysis. The potential to comprehensively evaluate integrated helicopter–engine systems within complete three-dimensional operations, using modeling fidelity designated for main rotor design applications, is demonstrated. The proposed method essentially constitutes an enabler in terms of focusing the rotorcraft design process on designated operation types, rather than on specific sets of flight conditions.

Author(s):  
Ioannis Goulos ◽  
Panagiotis Giannakakis ◽  
Vassilios Pachidis ◽  
Pericles Pilidis

This paper presents an integrated approach, targeting the comprehensive assessment of combined helicopter engine designs within designated operations. The developed methodology comprises a series of individual modeling theories, each applicable to a different aspect of helicopter flight dynamics and performance. These relate to rotor blade modal analysis, three-dimensional flight path definition, flight dynamics trim solution, aeroelasticity, and engine performance. The individual mathematical models are elaborately integrated within a numerical procedure, solving for the total mission fuel consumption. The overall simulation framework is applied to the performance analysis of the Aérospatiale SA330 helicopter within two generic, twin-engine medium helicopter missions. An extensive comparison with flight test data on main rotor trim controls, power requirements, and unsteady blade structural loads is presented. It is shown that, for the typical range of operating conditions encountered by modern twin-engine medium civil helicopters, the effect of operational altitude on fuel consumption is predominantly influenced by the corresponding effects induced on the engine rather than on airframe rotor performance. The implications associated with the implicit coupling between aircraft and engine performance are discussed in the context of mission analysis. The potential to comprehensively evaluate integrated helicopter engine systems within complete three-dimensional operations using modeling fidelity designated for main rotor design applications is demonstrated. The proposed method essentially constitutes an enabler in terms of focusing the rotorcraft design process on designated operation types rather than on specific sets of flight conditions.


Author(s):  
Dimitrios T. Hountalas ◽  
Spiridon Raptotasios ◽  
Antonis Antonopoulos ◽  
Stavros Daniolos ◽  
Iosif Dolaptzis ◽  
...  

Currently the most promising solution for marine propulsion is the two-stroke low-speed diesel engine. Start of Injection (SOI) is of significant importance for these engines due to its effect on firing pressure and specific fuel consumption. Therefore these engines are usually equipped with Variable Injection Timing (VIT) systems for variation of SOI with load. Proper operation of these systems is essential for both safe engine operation and performance since they are also used to control peak firing pressure. However, it is rather difficult to evaluate the operation of VIT system and determine the required rack settings for a specific SOI angle without using experimental techniques, which are extremely expensive and time consuming. For this reason in the present work it is examined the use of on-board monitoring and diagnosis techniques to overcome this difficulty. The application is conducted on a commercial vessel equipped with a two-stroke engine from which cylinder pressure measurements were acquired. From the processing of measurements acquired at various operating conditions it is determined the relation between VIT rack position and start of injection angle. This is used to evaluate the VIT system condition and determine the required settings to achieve the desired SOI angle. After VIT system tuning, new measurements were acquired from the processing of which results were derived for various operating parameters, i.e. brake power, specific fuel consumption, heat release rate, start of combustion etc. From the comparative evaluation of results before and after VIT adjustment it is revealed an improvement of specific fuel consumption while firing pressure remains within limits. It is thus revealed that the proposed method has the potential to overcome the disadvantages of purely experimental trial and error methods and that its use can result to fuel saving with minimum effort and time. To evaluate the corresponding effect on NOx emissions, as required by Marpol Annex-VI regulation a theoretical investigation is conducted using a multi-zone combustion model. Shop-test and NOx-file data are used to evaluate its ability to predict engine performance and NOx emissions before conducting the investigation. Moreover, the results derived from the on-board cylinder pressure measurements, after VIT system tuning, are used to evaluate the model’s ability to predict the effect of SOI variation on engine performance. Then the simulation model is applied to estimate the impact of SOI advance on NOx emissions. As revealed NOx emissions remain within limits despite the SOI variation (increase).


Author(s):  
Teja Gonguntla ◽  
Robert Raine ◽  
Leigh Ramsey ◽  
Thomas Houlihan

The objective of this project was to develop both engine performance and emission profiles for two test fuels — a 6% water-in-diesel oil emulsion (DOE-6) fuel and a neat diesel (D100) fuel. The testing was performed on a single cylinder, direct-injection, water-cooled diesel engine coupled to an eddy current dynamometer. Output parameters of the engine were used to calculate Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) and Engine Efficiency (η) for each test fuel. DOE-6 fuels generated a 24% reduction in NOX and a 42% reduction in Carbon Monoxide emissions over the tested operating conditions. DOE-6 fuels presented higher ignition delays — between 1°-4°, yielded 1%–12% lower peak cylinder pressures and produced up to 5.5% lower exhaust temperatures. Brake Specific Fuel consumption increased by 6.6% for the DOE-6 fuels as compared to the D100 fuels. This project is the first research done by a New Zealand academic institution on water-in-diesel emulsion fuels.


Aerospace ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Large ◽  
Apostolos Pesyridis

In this study, the on-going research into the improvement of micro-gas turbine propulsion system performance and the suitability for its application as propulsion systems for small tactical UAVs (<600 kg) is investigated. The study is focused around the concept of converting existing micro turbojet engines into turbofans with the use of a continuously variable gearbox, thus maintaining a single spool configuration and relative design simplicity. This is an effort to reduce the initial engine development cost, whilst improving the propulsive performance. The BMT 120 KS micro turbojet engine is selected for the performance evaluation of the conversion process using the gas turbine performance software GasTurb13. The preliminary design of a matched low-pressure compressor (LPC) for the proposed engine is then performed using meanline calculation methods. According to the analysis that is carried out, an improvement in the converted micro gas turbine engine performance, in terms of thrust and specific fuel consumption is achieved. Furthermore, with the introduction of a CVT gearbox, the fan speed operation may be adjusted independently of the core, allowing an increased thrust generation or better fuel consumption. This therefore enables a wider gamut of operating conditions and enhances the performance and scope of the tactical UAV.


Author(s):  
Fabio Bozza ◽  
Vincenzo De Bellis

Nowadays the turbocharging technique is playing a fundamental role in improving automotive engine performance and reducing fuel consumption and the exhaust emissions, in spark-ignition and compression ignition engines, as well. To this end, one-dimensional (1D) modeling is usually employed to compute the engine-turbocharger matching, to select the boost level in different operating conditions, and to estimate the low-end torque level and the transient response. However, 1D modeling of a turbocharged engine requires the availability of the turbine and compressor characteristic maps. This leads to some typical drawbacks: (1)Performance maps of the turbocharger device are usually limited to a reduced number of rotational speeds, pressure ratios, and mass flow rates because of turbine/compressor matching limits; (2) as a consequence of previous issue, unphysical extrapolation of maps' data is commonly required; and (3) heat transfer conditions may strongly differ between test bench measurements and actual operation, where turbocharger is coupled to an internal combustion engine. To overcome the above problems, in the present paper a numerical procedure is introduced: It solves 1D steady flow equations inside the turbine components with the aim of accurately reproducing the experimentally derived characteristic maps. The steady procedure describes the main phenomena and losses arising within the stationary and rotating channels constituting the turbine. It is utilized to directly compute the related steady maps, starting from the specification of a reduced set of geometrical data. An optimization process is employed to identify a number of tuning constants included in the various loss correlations. The procedure is applied to the simulation of five different turbines: three waste-gated turbines, a twin-entry turbine, and a variable geometry turbine. The numerical results show good agreement with the experimentally derived maps for all the tested devices. The model is, hence, used to evaluate the turbine performance in the whole operating domain.


2015 ◽  
Vol 119 (1214) ◽  
pp. 433-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Goulos

AbstractThis paper presents a mathematical approach for the simulation of rotor-fuselage aerodynamic interaction in helicopter aeroelasticity and flight dynamics applications. A Lagrangian method is utilised for the numerical analysis of rotating blades with nonuniform structural properties. A matrix/vector-based formulation is developed for the treatment of elastic blade kinematics in the time-domain. The combined method is coupled with a finite-state induced flow model, an unsteady blade element aerodynamics model, and a dynamic wake distortion model. A three-dimensional, steady-state, potential flow, source-panel method is employed for the prediction of induced flow perturbations in the vicinity of the fuselage due to its presence in the free-stream and within the rotor wake. The combined rotor-fuselage model is implemented in a nonlinear flight dynamics simulation code. The integrated approach is deployed to investigate the effects of rotor-fuselage aerodynamic interaction on trim performance, stability and control derivatives, oscillatory structural blade loads, and nonlinear control response for a hingeless rotor helicopter modelled after the Eurocopter Bo105. Good agreement is shown between flow-field predictions and experimental measurements for a scaled-down isolated fuselage model. The proposed numerical approach is shown to be suitable for real-time flight dynamics applications with simultaneous prediction of structural blade loads, including the effects of rotor-fuselage aerodynamic interaction.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 168781402110454
Author(s):  
Erdal Tunçer ◽  
Tarkan Sandalcı ◽  
Yasin Karagöz

In this study, a single cylinder of 1.16 L, naturally aspirated engine was converted to a spark ignition engine, which was a diesel engine operating with natural gas as fuel. By placing electronic throttle, electronic ignition module, gas fuel injectors and proximity sensors on the test engine, the engine has been turned into a positive ignition engine that can work with natural gas as fuel, thanks to the electronic control unit developed by our project team. Then, in the study performed, different cycle skipping strategies were experimentally investigated at a constant engine speed of 1565 rpm, in accordance with the generator operating conditions. Engine performance, emissions (CO, HC, and NOx), and combustion characteristics (cylinder pressure, rate of heat release, etc.) of cycle skipping strategies were experimentally investigated with natural gas as fuel in Normal, 3N1S, 2N1S, and 1N1S engine operating modes. According to the results obtained, specific fuel consumption, CO and HC values improved in all cycle skipping operating conditions, except for NOx, but the best results were obtained in 2N1S operating conditions; it was concluded that the specific fuel consumption, CO and HC values improved by 11.19%, 61.89%, and 65.60%, respectively.


Author(s):  
Christian Knipser ◽  
Wolfgang Horn ◽  
Stephan Staudacher

In order to minimize fuel consumption, resulting in reduced operating costs and lower environmental impact, turbofan engines must be of high overall efficiency. The design of the low pressure turbine (LPT) plays a significant role in the development of such engines. During a flight mission changing operating conditions (spool speeds, temperatures, pressures, etc.) cause altering magnitudes of the LPT tip clearance, leading to a decrease in LPT performance. As minimum clearances usually do not occur in steady state cruise condition — the major flight condition concerning fuel consumption — active measures to minimize radial tip clearance (ACC – active clearance control) must be incorporated to achieve a considerable reduction in fuel consumption over the whole flight mission. Actively minimizing radial tip clearance by manipulating the turbine casing requires energy in terms of cooling air (thermal ACC), electrical or hydraulical power (mechanical ACC). The cooling air or the power respectively must be provided by the engine itself, thus partly compensating the benefit gained through the improved LPT behavior. This paper investigates the potential of ACC systems from a whole engine perspective. The approach uses a performance model of a state-of-the-art high bypass turbofan engine with a thermal LPT-ACC system to assess the different benefits and detriments of an enhanced ACC. The overall benefit in TSFC for the simulated engine is compared to measured data of other engines indicating an increase of ACC effectiveness with increasing bypass ratios. To compensate deterioration losses due to single rub-in events, closed-loop controls are required. A tip clearance sensor allows the ACC to adapt to an individual engine. As thermal ACC systems show an optimum benefit with a corresponding optimum ACC cooling air flow, the additional TSFC benefit by compensating deterioration is limited. The achievable overall performance improvement is evaluated for different control loops. Mechanical ACC systems bear the highest potential of eliminating clearance losses, while only minor improvements can be made for thermal ACC systems.


Author(s):  
Jerald A. Caton

A thermodynamic cycle simulation was used to examine the effects of oxygen enriched combustion air on engine performance for a range of operating conditions and for different sized engines. The use of oxygen enriched combustion air will have a direct effect on the combustion process and on the overall engine thermodynamics. For example, for cases with higher inlet oxygen concentration (and hence less nitrogen dilution), for the same operating conditions, the combustion gas temperatures and engine cylinder heat losses will be higher. In addition, the engine using oxygen enriched combustion air will be smaller than an engine using normal air for the same power output. The major objective of this study was to quantify these expectations for a range of operating conditions. One special feature of a portion of the current study is the constant engine power output by decreasing engine size as the oxygen concentration increased in the combustion air. Results include detail thermodynamic results of temperatures, pressures and properties as functions of the oxygen concentration of the combustion air. Results also include engine performance parameters such as power, torque, fuel consumption, thermal efficiency, and exhaust temperatures. For one comparison, engine performance and fuel consumption were obtained for an equivalence ratio of 1.0, MBT spark timing, and 2500 rpm. For oxygen enriched combustion air with 32% oxygen, equal power output was obtained with 73% of the displaced volume (all else the same). For the higher oxygen case, the brake fuel consumption increased about 11% primarily due to higher heat losses and higher exhaust gas energy which were a consequence of the higher gas temperatures. For the MBT spark timing case, the nitric oxide emissions increased by about 11% as the oxygen concentration increases from 21% to 25%.


Author(s):  
Rodrigo R. Erdmenger ◽  
Katya Menter ◽  
Rogier Giepman ◽  
Cathal Clancy ◽  
Aneesh Vadvadgi ◽  
...  

The air handling system for large diesel/gas engines such as those used on locomotive, marine, and power generation applications require turbochargers with a high reliability and with turbomachinery capable to adjust to different operating conditions and transient requirements. The usage of variable geometry turbocharging (VGT) provides flexibility to the air handling system but adds complexity, cost and reduces the reliability of the turbocharger in exchange for improved engine performance and transient response. For this reason, it was desirable to explore designs that could provide the variability required by the air handling system, without the efficiency penalty of a conventional waste gate and with as little added complexity as possible. The current work describes a new low-cost variable geometry turbine design to address these requirements. The new tandem nozzle concept proposed is applicable to both axial and radial turbines and has been designed using conventional one-dimensional models and two- three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods. The concept has furthermore been validated experimentally on two different test rigs. In order to avoid the long lead times of procuring castings, the nozzle for the axial turbine was manufactured using new additive manufacturing techniques. Both the axial turbine and the radial turbine designs showed that the concept is capable to achieve a mass flow variability of more than 15% and provide a robust and cost-effective alternative to conventional VGT designs by significantly reducing the number of moveable parts.


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