Combined Joule-Humphrey-Recuperator Cycle: Performance and Parametric Analysis Evaluation Toward More Efficient Air Transportation

Abstract

A three-stream combined Joule-Humphrey cycle that employs a heat recovery stream to function as a recuperator is presented. Based on an in-house developed thermodynamic performance tool, the operation of a modified dual-shaft turbofan engine is proposed. The engine core is modified by adding an intercooler and a reheating chamber to approach isothermal compression and expansion processes. A fraction of the primary flow is introduced into a reheat chamber that uses rotating detonation combustion (RDC) technology. The outflow of the RDC is then merged with the rest of the nucleus current before being discharged to the next turbine stage. The overall system behavior is captured by means of a nonlinear mathematical model featuring eight decision variables, including mass flow rates and compression ratios. A parametric analysis identifies the operational and performance envelope of the proposed engine concept. Ultimately, the model is endowed with an objective function, which includes global efficiency and thrust looking for an operation regime that boosts the thermodynamic performance. A generalized reduced gradient based algorithm is used to solve the nonlinear model, where each iteration solves a linearly constrained subproblem to generate a search direction. The performance and operational envelope presented here could be used as guidance for others considering the implementation of any of the discussed Joule cycle modifications or assessing the cost-effective balance of their use.