Complex intake flows and advanced non-intrusive measurement methods
Lead Research Organisation:
CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY
Department Name: Sch of Aerospace, Transport & Manufact
Abstract
Current work at Cranfield University has developed a test rig and PIV measurement capability for measuring the highly distorted flow field at the exit of a curved intake duct. The overall aim of the research is to further develop innovative measurement methods for complex and podded engine intake systems. The research will focus on two main aspects: time resolved PIV for complex intakes and investigating fundamental aspects of applying PIV to short podded intakes. The research will include application of PIV for representative complex S-duct intakes on the Cranfield test rig as well as the development of methods for the analysis of unsteady TR-PIV data. The work will also include CFD simulations to refine the experimental arrangement for measurements in different regions of the duct. The research will also address the fundamental aspects of applying PIV and advanced measurements to short podded intakes in a wind tunnel. The aim is to identify and design a viable experiment arrangement in collaboration with a post-doctoral researcher.
People |
ORCID iD |
| David MacManus (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Matteo Migliorini (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/P510464/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/09/2021 | |||
| 2202953 | Studentship | EP/P510464/1 | 27/11/2017 | 26/11/2021 | Matteo Migliorini |
| Description | Increased fuel cost and stricter policies on emissions and noise drive aero-engine designers to seek a new balance between fuel consumption, weight, manufacturing, maintenance and operating costs. Many novel aircraft configurations propose a closer integration between the propulsion system and aircraft fuselage to reduce fuel consumption, weight, maintenance and operating costs. For some closely coupled propulsion-airframe configurations the engine is embedded or partially embedded in the airframe. In these cases, the use of convoluted intakes for the aero-engine, or propulsor, is known to generate complex flow distortions that can be detrimental for the propulsion system performance. The understanding of the unsteady distortion characteristics across the range of aircraft operating conditions is a key element for the design and integration of the intake with the engine. This work aims to investigate the flow distortion for complex aero-engine intakes with non-uniform inlet conditions. The outcome of this research could expand the knowledge on the flow distortion for future propulsion systems for novel aircraft. This could benefit the work of both intake and compressor designers, which could apply modifications in order to suppress or to tolerate the highly distorted flow field. The availability of devices to condition the flow upstream the S-duct intake could cost-benefit the experiments for the future generation of aircraft, reducing the complexity of testing and increasing the number of possible configurations that can be assessed. The use of high bandwidth measurement systems could help to identify compatibility issues between intake and aero-engine which could cause a reduction of the performance and operability problems. The main research findings are: • Enabled time-resolved synchronous measurements with cross flow Particle Image Velocimetry not previously possible. • Enabled understanding of the unsteady nature of the swirl distortion typical of S-duct intakes. • Characterization of the impact of non-uniform inlet conditions (thick inlet boundary layers and vortex ingestion) on the S-duct flow distortion. • Characterization of the main frequencies of the S-duct flow distortion for a range of different operating conditions of the intake. • Analysis of the duration, magnitude and likelihood of distortion events during an envisaged rotation of the compressor blades. |
| Exploitation Route | Outcomes of the work could aid the development of distortion tolerant propulsion systems by aiding the design of closely coupled fans and intakes. The experimental data could be used for further validation of computational simulations and investigations for S-duct intakes. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine |
| URL | https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2019-4202 |