Theoretical evaluation of the ducted-fan turbojet engine
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A full-scale turbojet engine having a two-stage turbine was operated with pentaborane fuel continuously for 11.5 minutes at a simulated altitude of 55,000 feet at a flight Mach number of 0.8. The engine incorporated an NACA combustor designed specifically for use with pentaborane fuel. The specific fuel consumption was initially reduced 32 percent below that obtained with gasoline fuel; however, the occurrence of a 25-percent reduction in net thrust after 8 minutes of operation resulted in a subsequent increase in specific fuel consumption to a value only 11.5 percent lower than that for gasoline.
Combustion must be maintained in the turbojet-engine combustor over a wide range of operating conditions resulting from variations in required engine thrust, flight altitude, and flight speed. Furthermore, combustion must be efficient in order to provide the maximum aircraft range. Thus, two major performance criteria of the turbojet-engine combustor are (1) operatable range, or combustion limits, and (2) combustion efficiency. Several fundamental requirements for efficient, high-speed combustion are evident from the discussions presented in chapters III to V. The fuel-air ratio and pressure in the burning zone must lie within specific limits of flammability (fig. 111-16(b)) in order to have the mixture ignite and burn satisfactorily. Increases in mixture temperature will favor the flammability characteristics (ch. III). A second requirement in maintaining a stable flame -is that low local flow velocities exist in the combustion zone (ch. VI). Finally, even with these requirements satisfied, a flame needs a certain minimum space in which to release a desired amount of heat, the necessary space increasing with a decrease in pressure (ref. 1). It is apparent, then, that combustor design and operation must provide for (1) proper control of vapor fuel-air ratios in the combustion zone at or near stoichiometric, (2) mixture pressures above the minimum flammability pressures, (3) low flow velocities in the combustion zone, and (4) adequate space for the flame.
The altitude operational characteristics of the prototype J40-WE-8 turbojet engine were determined in the NACA Lewis altitude wind tunnel. The operational characteristics that were obtained include (1) compressor surge characteristics, (2) acceleration and deceleration rates, (3) steady-state windmilling-engine characteristics, (4) altitude ignition characteristics, and (5) the effect of two grades of fuel on steady-state engine performance at an altitude of 45,000 feet and a flight Mach number of 0.20. The altitude ignition characteristics determined include the effects of (1) ignition fuel flow, (2) two ignition procedures, (3) fuel temperatures, and (4) two grades of fuel on ignition characteristics. The compressor surge line, when presented as a function of compressor pressure ratio and corrected engine speed, was not affected by changes in flight condition and was independent of engine-inlet installation and of the manner in which surge was approached, rapidly or slowly. Also there was no effect of altitude or engine-inlet installation on the compressor surge recovery line when presented as a function of compressor pressure ratio and corrected engine speed.
Preliminary flow matching has been demonstrated for a MHD energy bypass system on a supersonic turbojet engine. The Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) environment was used to perform a thermodynamic cycle analysis to properly match the flows from an inlet to a MHD generator and from the exit of a supersonic turbojet to a MHD accelerator. Working with various operating conditions such as the enthalpy extraction ratio and isentropic efficiency of the MHD generator and MHD accelerator, interfacing studies were conducted between the pre-ionizers, the MHD generator, the turbojet engine, and the MHD accelerator. This paper briefly describes the NPSS environment used in this analysis and describes the NPSS analysis of a supersonic turbojet engine with a MHD generator/accelerator energy bypass system. Results from this study have shown that using MHD energy bypass in the flow path of a supersonic turbojet engine increases the useful Mach number operating range from 0 to 3.0 Mach (not using MHD) to an explored and desired range of 0 to 7.0 Mach.
An investigation of turbojet-engine thrust augmentation by means of tail-pipe burning has been conducted in the NACA Lewis altitude wind tunnel.
An investigation of turbojet-engine thrust augmentation by means of tail-pipe burning has been conducted in the NACA Lewis altitude wind tunnel. Several fuel systems and flame holders were investigated in a 29-inch-diameter tail-pipe burner to determine the effect of fuel distribution and flame-holder design on tail-pipe-burner performance and operational characteristics over a range of simulated flight conditions. At an altitude of 5000 feet, the type of flame holder used had only a slight effect on the combustion efficiency. As the altitude was increased, the decrease in peak combustion efficiency became more rapid as the blocking area of the flame holder was reduced. At all altitudes investigated, an improvement in the uniformity of the radial distribution of fuel and air slightly increased the peak combustion efficiencies and shifted the peak combustion efficiency to higher tail-pipe fuel-air ratios. The use of an internal cooling liner extending the full length of the tail-pipe combustion chamber provided adequate shell cooling at all flight conditions investigated.
A two-spool turbojet engine was operated in the Lewis altitude wind tunnel to study the inception of compressor surge. In addition to the usual steady-state pressure and temperature measurements, the compressors were extensively instrumented with fast-response interstage pressure transducers. Thus it was possible to obtain maps for both compressors, pressure oscillations during rotating stall, effects of stall on efficiency, and stage-loading curves. In addition, with the transient measurements, it was possible to record interstage pressures and then compute stage performance during accelerations to the stall limit. Rotating stall was found to exist at low speeds in the outer spool. Although the stall arose from poor flow conditions at the inlet-stage blade tips, the low-energy air moved through the machine from the tip at the inlet to the outer spool to the hub at the inlet to the inner spool. This tip stall ultimately resulted in compressor surge in the mid-speed region, and necessitated inter-compressor air bleed. Interstage pressure measurements during acceleration to the compressor stall limit indicated that rotating stall was not a necessary condition for compressor surge and that, at the critical stall point, the circumferential interstage pressure distribution was uniform. The exit-stage group of the inner spool was first t o stall; then, the stages upstream stalled in succession until the inlet stage of the outer spool was stalled. With a sufficiently high fuel rate, the process repeated with a cycle time of about 0.1 second. It was possible to construct reproducible stage stall lines as a function of compressor speed from the stage stall points of several such compressor surges. This transient stall line was checked by computing the stall line from a steady-state stage-loading curve. Good agreement between the stage stall lines was obtained by these two methods.
Altitude performance of turbojet engine using pentaborane fuel
A nonlinear analog simulation of a turbojet engine was developed. The purpose of the study was to establish simulation techniques applicable to propulsion system dynamics and controls research. A schematic model was derived from a physical description of a J85-13 turbojet engine. Basic conservation equations were applied to each component along with their individual performance characteristics to derive a mathematical representation. The simulation was mechanized on an analog computer. The simulation was verified in both steady-state and dynamic modes by comparing analytical results with experimental data obtained from tests performed at the Lewis Research Center with a J85-13 engine. In addition, comparison was also made with performance data obtained from the engine manufacturer. The comparisons established the validity of the simulation technique.
This paper describes the preliminary results of a thermodynamic cycle analysis of a supersonic turbojet engine with a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) energy bypass system that explores a wide range of MHD enthalpy extraction parameters. Through the analysis described here, it is shown that applying a magnetic field to a flow path in the Mach 2.0 to 3.5 range can increase the specific thrust of the turbojet engine up to as much as 420 N/(kg/s) provided that the magnitude of the magnetic field is in the range of 1 to 5 Tesla. The MHD energy bypass can also increase the operating Mach number range for a supersonic turbojet engine into the hypersonic flight regime. In this case, the Mach number range is shown to be extended to Mach 7.0.
A conceptual design of an afterburner system for turbojet engines which may reduce the jet exhaust noise by approximately 10 decibels is presented in this report. The proposed system consists of an array of swirl-can combustors and jet dividing nozzle tubes. The nozzle tubes translate axially upstream of the swirl cans when not in use. Results of preliminary design calculations and photographs of a kinematic model as applied to a hypothetical turbojet engine are presented.
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Temperature - fuel-flow and temperature-area feedback control systems were investigated as means of controlling tailpipe gas temperature of a turbojet engine during transient operation in the high-speed region. Proportional-plus-integral control was used in both systems, but in the temperature-area control system it was necessary to add nonlinear components to the basic proportional-plus-integral control to provide satisfactory transient response to a desired step increase in temperature. Time integral of temperature-error functions were used as criteria for determining optimum transient response. A description of engine dynamics was obtained from frequency-response data.
The effects of turbine-blade cooling on engine performance were analytically investigated for a turbojet engine in which cooling air is bled from the engine compressor. The analysis was made for a constant turbine-inlet temperature and a range of altitudes to determine the minimum cooling requirements to permit substitution of nonstrategic materials in turbine blading. The results indicate that, for a constant inlet temperature, air cooling of the turbine blades increases the specific fuel consumption and decreases the thrust of the engine. The highest possible cooling effectiveness is desirable to minimize coolant weight flow and its effects on engine performance.
The dispersion of the exhaust of turbojet engines into the atmosphere is estimated by using a model developed for the mixing of a round jet with a parallel flow. The analysis is appropriate for determining the spread and dilution of the jet exhaust from the engine exit until it is entrained in the aircraft trailing vortices. Chemical reactions are not expected to be important and are not included in the flow model. Calculations of the dispersion of the exhaust plumes of three aircraft turbojet engines with and without afterburning at typical flight conditions are presented. Calculated average concentrations for the exhaust plume from a single engine jet fighter are shown to be in good agreement with measurements made in the aircraft wake during flight.
High temperature nickel and cobalt superalloys for turbojet engines
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