Integrated Design of a Variable Cycle Engine and Aircraft Thermal Management System

Abstract

The integrated design of a variable cycle engine (VCE) and an aircraft thermal management system (TMS) is investigated. The integrated system is designed using the multiple design point approach in order to achieve required performance metrics at points other than the cycle design condition. The VCE architecture is a three stream design where the third stream is split off after the fan, exhausting through a separate third-stream nozzle. The primary air stream passes through a low-pressure compressor before splitting into an inner bypass stream and a core stream. The inner streams mix aft of the low-pressure turbine and exhaust through a core nozzle. The variable cycle engine utilizes variable compressor inlet guide vanes, a variable area bypass injector at the core stream mixing plane, and variable throats in the two exhaust nozzles. The TMS architecture is an air cycle system using air bled from the high-pressure compressor. The effect of integrating the TMS into the engine design loop is investigated. A comparison is made to prior studies where the same TMS architecture was connected to a low bypass ratio turbofan engine. The comparison shows that the variable cycle engine is able to improve heat dissipation capability versus a ram air cooled system, while eliminating the airframe integration impact that comes with a separate ram-air stream. Lastly, the impact of modulating the variable geometry features on overall cooling capability is investigated. Results are presented for individual operating points as well as at the aircraft mission level.