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At least 487 records · Page 27

System Noise Prediction of the DGEN 380 Turbofan Engine

The DGEN 380 is a small, separate-flow, geared turbofan. Its manufacturer, Price Induction, is promoting it for a small twinjet application in the emerging personal light jet market. Smaller, and producing less thrust than other entries in the industry, Price Induction is seeking to apply the engine to a 4- to 5-place twinjet designed to compete in an area currently dominated by propeller-driven airplanes. NASA is considering purchasing a DGEN 380 turbofan to test new propulsion noise reduction technologies in a relevant engine environment. To explore this possibility, NASA and Price Induction have signed a Space Act Agreement and have agreed to cooperate on engine acoustic testing. Static acoustic measurements of the engine were made by NASA researchers during July, 2014 at the Glenn Research Center. In the event that a DGEN turbofan becomes a NASA noise technology research testbed, it is in the interest of NASA to develop procedures to evaluate engine system noise metrics. This report documents the procedures used to project the DGEN static noise measurements to flight conditions and the prediction of system noise of a notional airplane powered by twin DGEN engines.

Aircraft Design↗

Discovering Digital Engineering Needs Through Human-Centered Approaches

Digital engineering has the power to transform organizations in profound ways, but digitizing legacy workflows and infusing new technologies into existing practices may not yield the intended results or address the underlying problems or bottlenecks. This paper describes the human-centered approaches used to understand stakeholder challenges and identify digital engineering needs during the design-build-test portion of the systems development lifecycle. Through a series of interactive stakeholder workshops and need-finding activities, key stakeholder needs were identified to help guide the integration of digital engineering technologies. The overarching need was for downstream system development steps to be considered further upstream in the project lifecycle in a manner that allows for proactive and interactive co-constructive idea exploration, problem resolution, and requirements considerations in a collective engagement with engineers and technicians from multiple disciplines to increase efficiency and reduce risks while offering opportunities to improve the final engineered system. Supporting this need was a wide-ranging desire from stakeholders for digital and non-digital support structures for efficient rapid iteration during system development. This work yielded several improvements for system development processes and for digital engineering infusion.

Human-centered Design↗

Discovering Digital Engineering Needs Through Human-Centered Approaches

Digital engineering has the power to transform organizations in profound ways, but digitizing legacy workflows and infusing new technologies into existing practices may not yield the intended results or address the underlying problems or bottlenecks. This paper describes the human-centered approaches used to understand stakeholder challenges and identify digital engineering needs during the design-build-test portion of the systems development lifecycle. Through a series of interactive stakeholder workshops and need-finding activities, key stakeholder needs were identified to help guide the integration of digital engineering technologies. The overarching need was for downstream system development steps to be considered further upstream in the project lifecycle in a manner that allows for proactive and interactive co-constructive idea exploration, problem resolution, and requirements considerations in a collective engagement with engineers and technicians from multiple disciplines to increase efficiency and reduce risks while offering opportunities to improve the final engineered system. Supporting this need was a wide-ranging desire from stakeholders for digital and non-digital support structures for efficient rapid iteration during system development. This work yielded several improvements for system development processes and for digital engineering infusion.

Design Science↗

Improving Power Density of Free-Piston Stirling Engines

Analyses and experiments demonstrate the potential benefits of optimizing piston and displacer motion in a free-piston Stirling Engine. Isothermal analysis shows the theoretical limits of power density improvement due to ideal motion in ideal Stirling engines. More realistic models based on nodal analysis show that ideal piston and displacer waveforms are not optimal, often producing less power than engines that use sinusoidal piston and displacer motion. Constrained optimization using nodal analysis predicts that Stirling engine power density can be increased by as much as 58 percent using optimized higher harmonic piston and displacer motion. An experiment is conducted in which an engine designed for sinusoidal motion is forced to operate with both second and third harmonics, resulting in a piston power increase of as much as 14 percent. Analytical predictions are compared to experimental data and show close agreement with indirect thermodynamic power calculations, but poor agreement with direct electrical power measurements.

aerospace engineering↗

Improving Power Density of Free-Piston Stirling Engines

Analyses and experiments demonstrate the potential benefits of optimizing piston and displacer motion in a free piston Stirling Engine. Isothermal analysis shows the theoretical limits of power density improvement due to ideal motion in ideal Stirling engines. More realistic models based on nodal analysis show that ideal piston and displacer waveforms are not optimal, often producing less power than engines that use sinusoidal piston and displacer motion. Constrained optimization using nodal analysis predicts that Stirling engine power density can be increased by as much as 58 using optimized higher harmonic piston and displacer motion. An experiment is conducted in which an engine designed for sinusoidal motion is forced to operate with both second and third harmonics, resulting in a maximum piston power increase of 14. Analytical predictions are compared to experimental data showing close agreement with indirect thermodynamic power calculations, but poor agreement with direct electrical power measurements.

space technology↗

Design studies of lift fan engines suitable for use in civilian VTOL aircraft

Low pressure ratio fan engines are receiving increasing attention as a means to provide low speed lift for civilian VTOL transports. Two general types of fan lift engines that are being studied are integral fans and remote power fans. Preliminary engine design studies of both types of lift fan systems have been made. The paper summarizes a portion of the results of the engine design studies, including the crucial engine requirements, and some of the characteristics of the emerging engine designs of each type.

Roelke, R. J.↗

Control of turbofan lift engines for VTOL aircraft.

This paper presents the results of an analytical study of the dynamics and control of turbofan lift engines, and proposes methods of meeting the response requirements imposed by the VTOL aircraft application. Two types of lift fan engines are discussed: the integral and remote. The integral engine is a conventional two-spool, high bypass ratio turbofan designed for low noise and short length. The remote engine employs a gas generator and a lift fan which are separated by a duct, and which need not be coaxial. For the integral engine, a control system design is presented which satisfies the VTOL response requirements. For the remote engine, two unconventional methods of control involving flow transfer between lift units are discussed.

Sellers, J. F.↗

Advanced space engine preliminary design

A preliminary design was completed for an O2/H2, 89 kN (20,000 lb) thrust staged combustion rocket engine that has a single-bell nozzle with an overall expansion ratio of 400:1. The engine has a best estimate vacuum specific impulse of 4623.8 N-s/kg (471.5 sec) at full thrust and mixture ratio = 6.0. The engine employs gear-driven, low pressure pumps to provide low NPSH capability while individual turbine-driven, high-speed main pumps provide the system pressures required for high-chamber pressure operation. The engine design dry weight for the fixed-nozzle configuration is 206.9 kg (456.3 lb). Engine overall length is 234 cm (92.1 in.). The extendible nozzle version has a stowed length of 141.5 cm (55.7 in.). Critical technology items in the development of the engine were defined. Development program plans and their costs for development, production, operation, and flight support of the ASE were established for minimum cost and minimum time programs.

Cuffe, J. P. B.↗

Technology for reducing aircraft engine pollution

Programs have been initiated by NASA to develop and demonstrate advanced technology for reducing aircraft gas turbine and piston engine pollutant emissions. These programs encompass engines currently in use for a wide variety of aircraft from widebody-jets to general aviation. Emission goals for these programs are consistent with the established EPA standards. Full-scale engine demonstrations of the most promising pollutant reduction techniques are planned within the next three years. Preliminary tests of advanced technology gas turbine engine combustors indicate that significant reductions in all major pollutant emissions should be attainable in present generation aircraft engines without adverse effects on fuel consumption. Fundamental-type programs are yielding results which indicate that future generation gas turbine aircraft engines may be able to utilize extremely low pollutant emission combustion systems.

Rudey, R. A.↗

Technology for reducing aircraft engine pollution

Programs have been initiated by NASA to develop and demonstrate advanced technology for reducing aircraft gas turbine and piston engine pollutant emissions. These programs encompass engines currently in use for a wide variety of aircraft from widebody-jets to general aviation. Emission goals for these programs are consistent with the established EPA standards. Full-scale engine demonstrations of the most promising pollutant reduction techniques are planned within the next three years. Preliminary tests of advanced technology gas turbine engine combustors indicate that significant reductions in all major pollutant emissions should be attainable in present generation aircraft engines without adverse effects on fuel consumption. Fundamental-type programs are yielding results which indicate that future generation gas turbine aircraft engines may be able to utilize extremely low pollutant emission combustion systems.

Rudey, R. A.↗

Laser engines operating by resonance absorption

Basic tutorial article on the thermodynamic feasibility of laser engines at the present state of the art. Three main options are considered: (1) laser power applied externally to a heat reservoir (boiler approach); (2) internal heating of working fluid by resonance absorption; and (3) direct conversion of selective excitation into work. Only (2) is considered practically feasible at present. Basic concepts and variants, efficiency relations, upper temperature limits of laser engines, selection of absorbing gases, engine walls, bleaching, thermodynamic cycles of optimized laser engines, laser-powered turbines, laser heat pumps are discussed. Photon engines and laser dissociation engines are also considered.

Garbuny, M.↗

Experimental results with hydrogen fueled internal combustion engines

The paper focuses on the most important experimental findings for hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines, with particular reference to the application of these findings to the assessment of the potential of hydrogen engines. Emphasis is on the various tradeoffs that can be made, such as between maximum efficiency, maximum power, and minimum NO emissions. The various possibilities for induction and ignition are described. Some projections are made about areas in which hydrogen engines may find their initial application and about optimum ways to design such engines. It is shown that hydrogen-fueled reciprocal internal combustion engines offer important advantages with respect to thermal efficiency and exhaust emissions. Problems arising from preignition can suitably be avoided by restricting the fuel-air equivalence ratio to values below about 0.5. The direct cylinder injection appears to be a very attractive way to operate the engine, because it combines a wide range of possible power outputs with a high thermal efficiency and very low NO emissions at part loads.

De Boer, P. C. T.↗

Ceramic applications in the advanced Stirling automotive engine

The ideal cycle, its application to a practical machine, and the specific advantages of high efficiency, low emissions, multi-fuel capability, and low noise of the stirling engine are discussed. Certain portions of the Stirling engine must operate continuously at high temperature. Ceramics offer the potential of cost reduction and efficiency improvement for advanced engine applications. Potential applications for ceramics in Stirling engines, and some of the special problems pertinent to using ceramics in the Stirling engine are described. The research and technology program in ceramics which is planned to support the development of advanced Stirling engines is outlined.

Tomazic, W. A.↗

Effect of forward motion on engine noise

Methods used to determine a procedure for correcting static engine data for the effects of forward motion are described. Data were analyzed from airplane flyover and static-engine tests with a JT8D-109 low-bypass-ratio turbofan engine installed on a DC-9-30, with a CF6-6D high-bypass-ratio turbofan engine installed on a DC-10-10, and with a JT9D-59A high-bypass-ratio turbofan engine installed on a DC-10-40. The observed differences between the static and the flyover data bases are discussed in terms of noise generation, convective amplification, atmospheric propagation, and engine installation. The results indicate that each noise source must be adjusted separately for forward-motion and installation effects and then projected to flight conditions as a function of source-path angle, directivity angle, and acoustic range relative to the microphones on the ground.

Blankenship, G. L.↗

Update on the development of the Space Shuttle main engine /as of June 20, 1978/

During the last year, significant progress was made toward the development of the Space Shuttle Main Engine which will provide propulsion for the Space Shuttle Orbiter Vehicle. Component and subsystem testing was conducted at the Rocketdyne Santa Susana Field Laboratory on combustion devices, turbomachinery, and the engine POGO suppression system. Engine testing continued at the National Space Technology Laboratories on both single engines and a three-engine cluster. As a result of these tests, hardware limitations were identified and design modifications were incorporated and evaluated by further testing. Current effort is being directed toward the delivery of the first flight engines and certification of the SSME for manned flight.

Johnson, J. R.↗

Investigation of wing shielding effects on CTOL engine noise

A full scale engine wing shielding investigation was conducted at the Lewis Research Center using a 97,900-N (22,000 lb) thrust turbofan engine and a simulated wing section sized around a conventional-take-off type four-engine narrow body airplane. Sound data were obtained for the wing placed at seven positions in a plane parallel to the engine axis, and were compared to data obtained without the wing at both take off and approach power. In addition, the engine was operated with and without extensive acoustic treatment, including a sonic inlet in order to evaluate wing shielding effectiveness with a highly suppressed engine. The wing shielding effectiveness was also calibrated using a 3.8 cm diam air nozzle as a second source. Results indicated that even though about 10 dB broad band shielding was achieved, the equivalent flyover noise reduction was less than 3.0 EPNdB for most configurations.

Bloomer, H. E.↗

Design of a preprototype Stirling Laboratory Research Engine

A description is given for the design and fabrication of a first generation, preprototype Stirling Laboratory Research Engine. The engine represents the first step in providing a research tool to be used to support the development of a broad range of analytical modeling and experimental efforts, and to evaluate new approaches to the design of components for Stirling engines. The test engine is a horizontally-opposed, two-piston, single-acting machine with a dual crankshaft drive mechanism. The preprototype engine is rated at 10 kW and was designed for maximum modularity. The long term objective of the project is to provide a proven design of a standardized test engine, which can be commercially produced, for national research on Stirling cycle machines.

Hoehn, F. W.↗

Investigation of wing shielding effects on CTOL engine noise

A full scale engine wing shielding investigation was conducted at the Lewis Research Center using a 97,900-N (22,000 lb) thrust turbofan engine and a simulated wing section sized around a conventional-take-off type four-engine narrow body airplane. Sound data were obtained for the wing placed at seven positions in a plane parallel to the engine axis, and were compared to data obtained without the wing at both take off and approach power. In addition the engine was operated with and without extensive acoustic treatment including a sonic inlet in order to evaluate wing shielding effectiveness with a highly suppressed engine. The wing shielding effectiveness was also calibrated using a 3.8 cm diam air nozzle as a sound source. Results indicated that even though about 10 dB broad band shielding was achieved, the equivalent flyover noise reduction was less than 3.0 EPNdB for most configurations.

Bloomer, H. E.↗