Return to the Table of ContentsObjective: To develop multidisciplinary technologies for multistage compression systems that enhance full engine simulation capabilities.
Approach: A detailed multistage compressor analysis code (MSTAGE) has been ported to a variety of computing systems including the IBM SP1 parallel processor. Several analyses were made to define the flow physics involved in compressor stall. These flow analyses suggested a variety of approaches to improve the performance of compression systems, while providing increased stall margins.
Accomplishment: This work was conducted as part of a joint industry / government/university team (P&W/NASA/ MIT) effort called ''Stall Line Management''. Design and off-design flow prediction for multistage turbomachinery is one of the critical elements of this program. A key feature of this prediction capability is the physics-based models developed at NASA Lewis. These models provide a rational prediction of time averaged multistage flow physics by using steady prediction tools. Rigorous mathematical analysis and NASA high performance computing platforms (including the NASA Cray C90, IBM Workstation cluster and SP-1) were essential to the formulation and development of these models.
Significance: A 1.5 percent reduction in specific fuel consumption for a large commercial aircraft engine was recently demonstrated at Pratt and Whitney. This reduction was achieved in 1/2 the historical design time by utilizing viscous 3D fluids analysis codes.
Status/Plans: Compressor disk and outer casing thermal and structural analyses are being incorporated into the overall predictive system. A project plan that schedules the inclusion of several disciplines (controls, aero, structures) has been developed and approved by the performing team members.
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