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No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

A fully elliptic computational method for the analysis of steady viscous flow in high speed subsonic centrifugal compressor impellers with tip leakage, is presented. A generalised curvilinear, non-orthogonal grid is utilised and the timeaveraged Navier-Stokes equations are transformed and expressed in a fully conservative form. The discretisation of the governing equations is performed through finite volume integration. The solution procedure employs a non-staggered variable arrangement and a SIMPLE based method for coupling the velocity and pressure fields. The turbulence effects are simulated with the use of the k-e model, modified to account for rotation and streamline curvature, and the near-wall viscous phenomena are modelled through the wall function method. The numerical model is implemented for the flow prediction in a series of two and three dimensional test cases. Incompressible flow predictions in twodimensional cascades and three-dimensional ducting systems with different geometrical features and inlet conditions are initially performed and the numerical results are compared against available experimental data. The final objective of the present study is achieved through the comparative study of the predictions obtained against the results of Eckardt's experimental investigation of the viscous compressible flow in a high speed radial impeller operating at design condition and in a backswept impeller at design and off-design conditions. In addition, the flow is simulated in the passages of the Rolls Royce GEM impeller which was tested at Cranfield at design and off-design flow rates. A jet/wake pattern was discerned in all the simulated centrifugal compressor cases and a good overall agreement was achieved with the measured wake formation and development; and, encouraging results were obtained on the evolution of the secondary flows. The tip leakage effects influenced the loss distribution, the size and the location of the wake flow pattern at the rotor exit. The effects of the flow mass rate on the detailed flow pattern and on the compressor performance have been well represented. In certain cases, the quality of the present predictions is an improvement over that obtained by other 'state-of-the-art' Navier-Stokes solvers. In conclusion, the developed finite volume flow model has captured a large number of complex flow phenomena encountered in the tested impellers and is expected to provide a useful aerodynamic analysis tool for stationary or rotating, axial or radial turbomachinery components.

Core engine icing has been recognized to affect a wide variety of engines since the 1990's. This previously unrecognized form of icing occurs in flights through high altitude convective regions and vicinity of thunderstorms. Engine icing events involve power loss or damage associated to the engine core, namely instabilities such as compressor surge, stall, engine rollback and even combustor flameout events. The effects on compressor performance are significant in understanding the response of the engine to atmospheric ice ingestion. A one-dimensional axisymmetric flow model is used to simulate the continuous phase through the compressor. The steady state operation of dry air is validated with an industrial database. By changing an exit throttle, the point where the dry compressor mass flow rate slowly starts to drop, is predicted. The stage that is the first to locally collapse, causing the remaining stages and eventually the complete compressor failure, is determined. The continuous flow model is then coupled with a Lagrangian model for the discrete phase in a framework that conserves mass, momentum and energy. From numerical simulations of the coupled, continuous-discrete phase flow model, it is observed that a rematching of the stages across the compressor occurs with increasing ice flow rates to accommodate loss of energy to the ice flow. The migration of the operating point towards the stall point at the rear stage eventually causes the compressor to stall. The onset of stall is characterized by initial oscillations followed by a rapid decay of pressures of the last stage with the instability traveling quickly towards the front of the compressor. Effectively, a reduction in the compressor stall margin is observed as the ice flow rate increases. Further, the relevance of factors such as blockage due to discrete particles and break/splash semi-empirical models in the icing physics, are analyzed through parametric studies. Conclusions are drawn that underscore the influence of the assumptions and models in prediction of the flow behavior in the presence of ice ingestion. Smaller ice crystal diameters have a greater influence on the gas flow dynamics in terms of a higher reduction in surge margin. The break empirical model for ice crystals and splash model for the droplets that are used to calculate the secondary particle size upon impact with rotor blades have a significant influence on the gas flow predictions.

This thesis investigates the application of CFD techniques to the aerodynamic analysis of a U-shaped JETC. Investigations were carried out to determine the flow patterns present at a number of locations within the structure of a full U-shaped JETC. The CFD solutions produced in these investigations used recommendations from the literature in the set-up of the CFD solver, and provided the computational component towards problem-specific validation of the CFD techniques used. A structured series of CFD-aided investigation and design processes were then performed. These processes were based around a series of analyses that evaluated the influence of a number of cell parameters in terms of cell airflow efficiency and velocity distortion. Four cell components; the inlet and exhaust stack baffle arrangements, the turning-vanes, the rear of the working section and augmenter entrance, and the lower exhaust stack, including the BB, were investigated in individual analyses. Throughout the investigations the value of CFD as a design tool was constantly assessed. Overall, the findings suggest that aerodynamic optimisation of the baffle arrangements would provide the greatest gains to cell airflow efficiency. As some cells contain as many as three baffle arrangements, the potential increases made to cell airflow capacity are sizable. Through implementing the findings of the baffle arrangement investigations, static pressure loss across the five-row baseline arrangement was reduced by 79%. For low levels of velocity distortion in the upstream region of the working section, the need to design the inlet stack baffles in the turning-vane arrangement was highlighted. Mid-baffle vane alignment, consistent flow channels, and sufficiently low chord to gap ratios should be incorporated into a turning-vane design to maximise flow uniformity. The need for the baffle and vane components to combine with the geometry of the cell to limit adverse pressure gradients was found as a requirement to minimise inner corner separation, and the downstream threat it creates to a safe testing environment. CFD proved to be a valuable analysis tool throughout the investigations performed in this thesis. The number of design iterations analysed, and the detail of data that could be extracted, significantly exceeded what could have been achieved through an isolated experimental testing programme.

The design of distributed control systems (DCSs) for large, civil gas turbine engines is a complex architectural challenge. To date, the majority of research into DCSs has focused on the contributing technologies and high temperature electronics rather than the architecture of the system itself. This thesis proposes a method for the architectural design of distributed systems using a genetic algorithm to generate, evaluate and refine designs. The proposed designs are analysed for their architectural quality, lifecycle value and commercial benefit. The method is presented along with results proving the concept. Whilst the method described here is applied exclusively to Distributed Control System (DCS) for jet engines, the principles and methods could be adapted for a broad range of complex systems.

NASA’s long range vision for space exploration includes human and robotic missions to extraterrestrial bodies including the moon, asteroids and the martian surface. All feasible extraterrestrial landing sites in the solar system are smaller and have gravitational fields of lesser strength than Earth’s gravity field. Thus, a need exists for evaluating autonomous and human-piloted landing techniques in these reduced-gravity situations. A small-scale, free-flying, reduced-gravity simulation vehicle was designed by a group of senior mechanical engineering students with the help of faculty and graduate student advisors at Utah State University during the 2009-2010 academic year. The design reproduces many of the capabilities of NASA’s 1960s era lunar landing research vehicle using small, inexpensive modern digital avionics instead of the large, expensive analog technology available at that time. The final vehicle design consists of an outer maneuvering platform and an inner gravity offset platform. The two platforms are connected through a set of concentric gimbals which allow them to move in tandem through lateral, vertical, and yawing motions, while remaining independent of each other in rolling and pitching motions. A small radio-controlled jet engine was used on the inner platform to offset a fraction of Earth’s gravity (5/6th for lunar simulations), allowing the outer platform to act as though it is flying in a reduced-gravity environment. Imperative to the stability of the vehicle and fidelity of the simulation, the jet engine must remain in a vertical orientation to not contribute to lateral motions. To this end, a thrust vectoring mechanism was designed and built that, together with a suite of sensors and a closed loop control algorithm, enables precise orientation control of the jet engine. Detailed designs for the thrust vectoring mechanisms and control avionics are presented. The thrust vectoring mechanism uses thin airfoils, mounted directly behind the nozzle, to deflect the engine’s exhaust plume. Both pitch and yaw control can be generated. The thrust vectoring airfoil sections were sized using the two-dimensional airfoil section compressible-flow CFD code, XFOIL, developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Because of the high exhaust temperatures of the nozzle plume, viscous calculations derived from XFOIL were considered to be inaccurate. XFOIL was run in inviscid flow mode and viscosity adjustments were calculated using a Utah State University-developed compressible skin friction code. A series of ground tests were conducted to demonstrate the thrust vectoring system’s ability to control the orientation of the jet engine. Detailed test results are presented.

This work develops a methodology for full engine FEA simulation of the fan blade off containment test for a jet engine using LS-Dyna. The fan blade off containment test is a safety requirement involving the intentional release of a fan blade when the engine is running at full power. The released blade must not pierce or fracture the engine cases during the impact or rotating unbalance. The novel feature of the LS-Dyna simulation is the extensive full engine geometry as well as the widespread use of nonlinearities (mainly plasticity and friction) to absorb the large kinetic energies of the engine rotors. The methodology is simple to use, runs quickly and is being recognized by industry as a contender for widespread implementation. Future applications look promising enough that the methodology warrants further development and refinement.