Russell W. Claus

Multidisciplinary propulsion simulation using NPSS

The current status of the Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) program, a cooperative effort of NASA, industry, and universities to reduce the cost and time of advanced technology propulsion system development, is reviewed. The technologies required for this program include (1) interdisciplinary analysis to couple the relevant disciplines, such as aerodynamics, structures, heat transfer, combustion, acoustics, controls, and materials; (2) integrated systems analysis; (3) a high-performance computing platform, including massively parallel processing; and (4) a simulation environment providing a user-friendly interface. Several research efforts to develop these technologies are discussed.

A Case Study of High Fidelity Engine System Simulation

*† ‡ § ** Current engineering systems tools have limitations that restrict the ability to perform high fidelity system simulation. The Numerical Prop ulsion System Simulation (NPSS) is an engineering systems tool that has been tackling key technology barriers of high fidelity simulation for over a decade. One of the technologi es being developed by NPSS is: coupled component system simulation. This paper describes o ne successful approach to component coupling and integration with a high fidelity simul ation of a state-of-the-art gas turbine. Details of the coupling techniques including wrappi ng and communication techniques shall be described. Results of the coupled simulation wil l be detailed and key findings will be illustrated.

Variable Fidelity Analysis of Complete Engine Systems

The Numerical Propulsion System Simulator (NPSS) is an engineering systems tool that has been tackling key technology barriers of high fidelity simulation for over a decade. One of the technologies being developed by NPSS is coupled component system simulation. This paper describes one successful approach to component coupling and integration with a high fidelity simulation of a state-of-the-art gas turbine. Details of the coupling techniques including wrapping and communication techniques shall be described. Several techniques have been studied to unite high fidelity and low order models. Some approaches successfully allow the integration of multi-fidelity codes. These integration strategies are reviewed in this paper.

Coupled Component, Full Engine Simulation of a Gas Turbine Engine

Theumerical Propulsion System Simulator (�PSS) is an engineering systems tool that has been tackling key technology barriers of high fidelity simulation for over a decade. AVETeC, a non#profit organization pursuing the deve lopment of an advanced virtual engineering environment, contracted withASA to further extend the capabilities ofPSS that were demonstrated by Turner, et al (ref. 1). This report documents research findings under this contract. The first, coupled#component, full engine simulation was achieved. The techniques employed to perform these simulations and the results are detailed. In general, the full engine simulations matched baseline (experimental) data to within a few percent for most system parameters.

Challenges in the Development of a Multi-Fidelity, Coupled Component Simulation of Complex Systems

Modern aerospace products are driving the need for increasingly complex system simulations. However, foundational research on the best approaches to develop these complex simulations is sparse. This report will review various techniques that enable complex system simulation for gas turbine engines. These simulations employ high and low fidelity simulations combined with integration software that couples component calculations into one unified representation of a complex system. We detail the physical and numerical challenges of simulating a modern aerospace gas turbine engine and compare our results with actual engine test data. To perform component improvement studies, the simulation must closely track the “real!world” performance of both the component and the system. Computational results will demonstrate that this goal remains a research focus.