| Summary: | The key requirements for military aircraft are high survivability and mission
success rate: the former will “exponentially” increase the latter. The survivability
of the aircraft depends crucially on its performance and energy signatures, to
which its propulsion system contributes significantly. Therefore this imposes
demands upon future propulsion systems for a better aerothermodynamics
performance with a lower energy signature.
However, the performances
achievable with conventional engine cycles
may be reaching their limits.
Therefore, the author was motivated to investigate the potential of the two combustor
engine for military fighter
applications; with respect to its
aerothermodynamics performance and infrared signature.
An extensive literature survey was conducted to identify the uptodate
research for the two combustor
engine. Based on the collected information,
systematic approaches were formatted with proven analytical methodologies for
conducting the present study. A proven conventional engine (i.e. F100PW229
engine, based on “open publication”),
for powering military fighter aircraft, was
selected for benchmarking purposes in order to identify the prospect of the two combustor
engine. With an engine performance-simulation
program of high
fidelity and a detail engine model, the accuracy of the predictions of the engines’
performances are greatly improved. The key contribution is the establishment on
the influences of the two combustor
engine on the performances of the selected
fighter aircraft, in particular the transient behaviour, steady state
flight
characteristics (e.g. flight envelope)
and infrared signatures. This research relates
the performance of the two combustor
engine to that of the aircraft, which was not
found in any uptodate
publication. The availability of this research will allow
engine and aircraft studies to include two combustor
solution in a more secure
way than it was possible.
In this investigation, the main analytical tool employed is a Cranfield
University inhouse
developed engine performance-simulation
program,
TURBOMATCH. The author has implemented various subprograms
to interface
with TURBOMATCH in order to conduct specific simulations, e.g. transient behaviour
predictions. All the analyses have been undertaken using data from the
published literature.
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