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PhD Proposal by Robert Clark

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Robert Clark 
(Advisor: Prof. Dimitri Mavris] 

will propose a doctoral thesis entitled, 

 

A Method for the Integrated Design of Variable Cycle Engines and Aircraft Thermal Management Systems 

On 

Wednesday, April 5 at 2:00 p.m.  
Weber SST Room #304 
Click here to join the meeting 

Abstract 
Development efforts for current and future military fighter aircraft are tasked with fulfilling strenuous requirements, many of which are at odds with each other. An increased demand for high power electronics and weapons systems has put the need for auxiliary power generation and heat dissipation on par with the more traditional fighter aircraft requirements of extended range, speed, stealth, and maneuverability. All of these requirements can be traced back in some way to the propulsion system, which is arguably the single most important subsystem on the aircraft. For decades, the mixed-flow turbofan (MFTF) has been the propulsion system architecture of choice for fighter aircraft. However, the demands placed on modern propulsion systems has highlighted the limitations of the MFTF and has led to the development of the variable cycle engine (VCE). Variable cycle engines show promise in increasing thrust, reducing fuel consumption, and improving heat dissipation capability. The aircraft thermal management system (TMS) is tasked with dissipating all of the waste heat on the aircraft and interacts with the propulsion system in a highly coupled manner. A key feature of variable cycle engines is the presence of variable geometry components inside the engine, the positions of which can be modulated to increase thrust, reduce specific fuel consumption, or improve heat dissipation capability of the TMS. 

The objective of this research is to develop a design methodology at the conceptual design level that enables the integrated design of variable cycle engines and aircraft thermal management systems. The proposed methodology extends the multiple design point (MDP) cycle design method by incorporating optimization routines for variable geometry features directly into the cycle design process. Integrating the thermal management system directly into the cycle design process demonstrates the impact that the design point variable geometry settings can have on overall mission heat dissipation capability. The proposed methodology gives cycle designers at the conceptual design level additional insight into the design trade-offs that can be made when seeking to design propulsion systems that address the competing requirements for modern fighter aircraft. 

Committee 

  • Prof. Dimitri Mavris – School of Aerospace Engineering (advisor) 
  • Prof. Graeme Kennedy – School of Aerospace Engineering 
  • Prof. Jechiel (Jeff) Jagoda – School of Aerospace Engineering 
  • Dr. Jimmy Tai – School of Aerospace Engineering 

Status

  • Workflow Status:Published
  • Created By:Tatianna Richardson
  • Created:03/23/2023
  • Modified By:Tatianna Richardson
  • Modified:03/23/2023

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