Integration of a Turbine Stage Optimizer into Engine Simulation Utilizing Numerical Propulsion System Simulation

摘要

The development of a turbine stage optimizer integrated into an engine simulation is presented. The practice of optimizing individual turbine blades or stages for incorporation into aircraft engines is widespread and often accepted as standard practice. Though this optimization method may produce an optimal turbine blade or stage for a given objective function, it may not yield the optimal engine performance as the effect of the optimized turbine on the engine as a whole is not taken into account during the optimization process. To address this concern, a turbine stage optimizer is incorporated into an engine simulation program in which the objective function of the optimizer is defined by the engine performance rather than the turbine performance. An F100 equivalent engine was modeled in the propulsion simulation software Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS). A three-dimensional turbine stage optimizer utilizing an evolutionary algorithm and a viscous flow solver was integrated into the engine simulation to optimize the high and low pressure turbines. The turbines optimized within the engine simulation software produced a 1.4% increase in thrust and a 1.5% decrease in TSFC of the F100 equivalent engine, whereas the turbines optimized independently did not allow for the afterburner to achieve its desired exit temperature, resulting in a 6.7% decrease in thrust and a 12.6% decrease in TSFC of the F100 equivalent engine. Results indicate turbine stages optimized independently of an engine may adversely affect other engine components when integrated into the engine, leading to detrimental engine performance.