Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of an Aircraft Propulsor Air Intake with Boundary Layer Ingestion
The growth of the airline industry has highlighted the need for more environmentally conscious aviation, leading to the conceptualization of more fuel-efficient aircraft. One concept that has received significant attention and has been associated with improved fuel efficiency is the boundary layer i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Applied Mechanics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3161/3/3/64 |
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| author | Ayesh Sudasinghe Padmassun Rajakareyar Edgar Matida Hamza Abo El Ella Mostafa S. A. ElSayed |
| author_facet | Ayesh Sudasinghe Padmassun Rajakareyar Edgar Matida Hamza Abo El Ella Mostafa S. A. ElSayed |
| author_sort | Ayesh Sudasinghe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The growth of the airline industry has highlighted the need for more environmentally conscious aviation, leading to the conceptualization of more fuel-efficient aircraft. One concept that has received significant attention and has been associated with improved fuel efficiency is the boundary layer ingesting (BLI) propulsion system, which refers to the ingesting of the aircraft wake by the propulsors. Although BLI has theoretically been proven to reduce fuel burn, this can potentially be offset by the reduced efficiency and stability experienced by the propulsor in the presence of distorted inflow. Therefore, engine intakes must be optimized in order to mitigate the effects of BLI on the propulsion system. In this work, the shape optimization of a BLI intake is investigated using a free-form deformation technique in combination with a multi-objective genetic algorithm, in order to minimize pressure losses and distortion at the engine inlet. The optimization is performed on an S-duct intake at a cruise altitude of approximately 37,000 feet and a free stream Mach number of 0.7. An optimization strategy was developed for the task which was able to produce a Pareto optimal set of designs with improved pressure recovery and distortion. The general trend of the optimal designs shows that to reduce distortion the optimizer accelerates the flow to reduce the size of the low total pressure region and increase the dynamic pressure at the engine inlet. In contrast, the pressure recovery was increased by reducing velocity as well as shifting the maximum velocity region to the outlet, which reduces the viscous dissipation losses within the intake. The final result is a fully autonomous optimization strategy resulting in reduced pressure losses and reduced distortion leading to higher efficiency BLI S-duct intake designs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:51:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5b9602adce6d44359ed4baaaed0902e7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-3161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:51:49Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Mechanics |
| spelling | doaj.art-5b9602adce6d44359ed4baaaed0902e72023-11-23T14:50:11ZengMDPI AGApplied Mechanics2673-31612022-09-01331123114410.3390/applmech3030064Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of an Aircraft Propulsor Air Intake with Boundary Layer IngestionAyesh Sudasinghe0Padmassun Rajakareyar1Edgar Matida2Hamza Abo El Ella3Mostafa S. A. ElSayed4Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, CanadaGas Turbine Lab, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, CanadaThe growth of the airline industry has highlighted the need for more environmentally conscious aviation, leading to the conceptualization of more fuel-efficient aircraft. One concept that has received significant attention and has been associated with improved fuel efficiency is the boundary layer ingesting (BLI) propulsion system, which refers to the ingesting of the aircraft wake by the propulsors. Although BLI has theoretically been proven to reduce fuel burn, this can potentially be offset by the reduced efficiency and stability experienced by the propulsor in the presence of distorted inflow. Therefore, engine intakes must be optimized in order to mitigate the effects of BLI on the propulsion system. In this work, the shape optimization of a BLI intake is investigated using a free-form deformation technique in combination with a multi-objective genetic algorithm, in order to minimize pressure losses and distortion at the engine inlet. The optimization is performed on an S-duct intake at a cruise altitude of approximately 37,000 feet and a free stream Mach number of 0.7. An optimization strategy was developed for the task which was able to produce a Pareto optimal set of designs with improved pressure recovery and distortion. The general trend of the optimal designs shows that to reduce distortion the optimizer accelerates the flow to reduce the size of the low total pressure region and increase the dynamic pressure at the engine inlet. In contrast, the pressure recovery was increased by reducing velocity as well as shifting the maximum velocity region to the outlet, which reduces the viscous dissipation losses within the intake. The final result is a fully autonomous optimization strategy resulting in reduced pressure losses and reduced distortion leading to higher efficiency BLI S-duct intake designs.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3161/3/3/64aircraft propulsorshape optimizationboundary layer ingesting |
| spellingShingle | Ayesh Sudasinghe Padmassun Rajakareyar Edgar Matida Hamza Abo El Ella Mostafa S. A. ElSayed Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of an Aircraft Propulsor Air Intake with Boundary Layer Ingestion Applied Mechanics aircraft propulsor shape optimization boundary layer ingesting |
| title | Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of an Aircraft Propulsor Air Intake with Boundary Layer Ingestion |
| title_full | Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of an Aircraft Propulsor Air Intake with Boundary Layer Ingestion |
| title_fullStr | Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of an Aircraft Propulsor Air Intake with Boundary Layer Ingestion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of an Aircraft Propulsor Air Intake with Boundary Layer Ingestion |
| title_short | Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of an Aircraft Propulsor Air Intake with Boundary Layer Ingestion |
| title_sort | aerodynamic shape optimization of an aircraft propulsor air intake with boundary layer ingestion |
| topic | aircraft propulsor shape optimization boundary layer ingesting |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3161/3/3/64 |
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