Student: Christopher Handgis
Committee: Dr. Werner Dahm
Abstract:
The objective of this project is to explore the performance benefits that a three-stream adaptive cycle engine (ACE) has over a low-bypass turbofan typically found on military fighter aircraft. Key features of an ACE are the variable area bypass injectors (VABIs) and the addition of a third stream surrounding the engine. The VABIs deflect as needed to adjust the bypass ratios of each stream while the third stream expands the available total bypass ratio to help maintain a constant air mass flow rate through the engine and reduce spillage drag. Additionally, this stream can function as a heat sink for improved thermal management. Overall, these features allow the ACE to operate in a high-efficiency turbofan mode or high-thrust turbojet mode depending on mission requirements. A generic ACE design was chosen and a flow path model was developed to analyze thermodynamic states and overall thrust performance of the engine. Similarly, a generic low-bypass turbofan was defined for comparison. The ACE displayed improved overall efficiency and thrust-specific fuel consumption (TSFC) over the baseline low-bypass turbofan while generating equivalent thrust. This suggests that an ACE will improve range, preserve thrust, and reduce spillage drag for a vehicle normally equipped with a low-bypass turbofan.
Zoom Room: https://asu.zoom.us/j/84215106952
Presentation Time: 12:00-1:00 PM (Arizona Time)
