Thrust Vectoring Nozzle for Military Aircraft Engines
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ICAS 2000 CONGRESS Industria de Turbo Propulsores, S.A. THRUST VECTORING NOZZLE FOR MILITARY AIRCRAFT ENGINES Daniel Ikaza Industria de Turbo Propulsores S.A. (ITP) Parque Tecnológico, edificio 300 48170 Zamudio, Spain [email protected] number of actuators, which, in turn, leads to an optimized mass and overall engine efficiency. ITP has dedicated a research programme on Thrust Vectoring technology which started back in 1991, and which met an important milestone as is the ground testing of a prototype nozzle at ITP. Fig. 1.- CFD Model of a TVN ABSTRACT Even though Thrust Vectoring is a relatively new technology, it has been talked about for some time, and several programmes worldwide have explored its Fig. 2.- TVN ground tests at ITP application and benefits. Thrust Vectoring can provide modern military aircraft with a number of advantages The next major goal will be the realisation of a flight regarding performance and survivability, all of which has programme, in order to validate the system in flight, and an influence upon Life Cycle Cost. evaluate the capabilities and performance of the system as a means of primary flight control. There are several types of Thrust Vectoring Nozzles. For example, there are 2-D and 3-D Thrust Vectoring A decisive contribution is being done by ITP’s partner Nozzles. The ITP Nozzle is a 3-D Vectoring Nozzle. company MTU of Munich, Germany, by developing the Also, there are different ways to achieve the deflection of electronic Control System. the gas jet: the most efficient one is by mechanically This programme is making the Thrust Vectoring deflecting the divergent section only, hence minimizing technology available in Europe for existing military the effect on the engine upstream of the throat (sonic) aircraft such as Eurofighter, in which the introduction of section. Thrust Vectoring could be carried out with a relatively The ITP concept consists of a patented design featuring small number of changes to the aircraft and to the engine, the so-called “Three-Ring-System”, which allows all and could provide it with significant enhancements. nozzle functions to be performed with a minimum 534.1 Daniel Ikaza CONTENTS convergent section, which has the task to accelerate the gas jet in order to generate thrust, yet with the characteristic that it must be capable of varying the throat 1.- DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS area (A8) according to the requirement of the engine running point. These are called “variable geometry 2.- BACKGROUND convergent” nozzles. 3.- BENEFITS OF THRUST VECTORING AND Additionally, some nozzles include a divergent section NOZZLE EXIT AREA CONTROL downstream of the convergent section, which 4.- ITP DESIGN overexpands the jet between the throat area (A8) and the exit area (A9) in order to extract yet some extra thrust. 5.- ITP THRUST VECTORING PROGRAMME These are called “Variable geometry convergent- 6.- CONCLUSIONS divergent” (or Con-Di) nozzles. 7.- REFERENCES Depending on the level of control upon this divergent section, Con-Di nozzles can be of two types: • One-parameter Nozzles: also called 1-DOF nozzles; 1.- DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS A8 is fully controlled, and A9 follows a pre-defined relationship to A8. The current EJ200 nozzle is of this type. A8 Nozzle throat area • Two-parameter Nozzles: also called 2-DOF nozzles; A9 Nozzle exit area A8 and A9 are fully controlled independently. This AoA Angle of Attack type can match the Divergent section to the exact flight condition in order to obtain an optimised thrust. ATF Altitude Test Facility Also there are some intermediate solutions such as CFD Computational Fluid Dynamics “floating” and some other “passive” means of exit area control, which are outside the scope of this paper. Con-Di Convergent-Divergent One solution or the other is chosen according to the DECU Digital Engine Control Unit particular requirements of each case, in terms of weight, DOF Degree of freedom cost, reliability, thrust, priority missions, etc… ESTOL Extremely Short Take-Off and Landing In the case of Thrust Vectoring Nozzles, they also have the task to direct the jet to generate side thrust as a means FCS Flight Control System of aircraft flight control. RCS Radar Cross Section SFC Specific Fuel Consumption 3.- BENEFITS OF THRUST VECTORING SLS Sea Level Static AND NOZZLE EXIT AREA CONTROL SOT Stator Outlet Temperature (Turbine temp.) TVN Thrust Vectoring Nozzle The introduction of Thrust Vectoring brings a wide range of benefits, some of them not so obvious when people first think of Thrust Vectoring. They can be basically 2.- BACKGROUND grouped in four categories: • Enhanced performance in conventional flight As an improvement to the current (non-vectoring) • Extended flight envelope Convergent-Divergent (Con-Di) nozzle of the EJ200 engine, powerplant for EF2000, ITP have developed a • Increased Safety new Thrust Vectoring Nozzle which can be fitted to • Reduction of aero controls EJ200 to significantly enhance the capabilities of EF2000 or other similar aircraft. All these benefits have a direct influence upon the overall operational cost of the weapon system. Introduction to Military Aircraft Nozzles In a military aircraft engine with reheat (also called afterburner or augmentor), the nozzle presents a 3.1.- Enhanced performance in conventional flight 534.2 THRUST VECTORING NOZZLE FOR MILITARY AIRCRAFT ENGINES The concept of Thrust Vectoring is often associated with Nozzle Exit Area Control spectacular loop-type manoeuvres performed by small As described in the Introduction to military aircraft aircraft in airshow demonstrations or combat simulations, nozzles, in one-parameter Con-Di nozzles the divergent and the operational use of these capabilities is often section (hence A9) follows a pre-defined relationship to regarded with a lot of skepticism, due to the trends of the convergent section (hence A8). This relationship is modern air combat. However, there is a lot more to optimised for an average of all missions, which normally Thrust Vectoring than these funny manoeuvres, and in means low A9/A8 Ratio for dry conditions (without fact the greatest argument in favour of Thrust Vectoring reheat) and high A9/A8 Ratio for conditions with reheat. is not found in combat characteristics but rather in conventional performance, as described in more detail In rough terms, this is reasonably optimised for low below and in [1]: speed max dry conditions (rapid cruise, climb, etc...) and for high speed reheat conditions (high speed strike, Stationary Flight Trimming etc...), but is not optimised for low speed reheat The use of the Nozzles as a complementary control conditions (take-off), high speed max dry conditions surface allows the aircraft to better optimize its angle of (supersonic cruise), or low power steady state conditions attack (AoA) and minimize Flap Angle in stationary level (low cruise, loiter, etc...). flight for a given flight point and load configuration, and The use of an independently controlled divergent section by doing so to find the minimum drag condition, which allows A9 to be optimised for any engine running in turn leads to strong benefits in SFC, and therefore condition at any flight point, and has an improvement range. especially in those conditions where one-parameter CASE STUDY: Conventional Trimming: A9/A8 Ratio is not optimized. Lift 30,000 ft Mach 1.8 Drag Optimum Thrust A9/A8 ratio Flaps 4º up Dry Reheat including High Alt/Speed: Rear Flaps Thrust required: Ref. Supercruise: Weight Trimming afterbody -10ºK SOT +7%Thrust effects Supersonic Independent Thrust Vectoring Trimming: A9 control Lift Flaps 0º Drag Nozzles 5º up Thrust Fixed Thrust req’d: Ref.-3% Schedule Weight Take-off: Subsonic Thrust Vectoring +2%Thrust Trimming or: Fig.3.- Optimized Stationary Flight Trimming with TVNs Patrol: -20ºK SOT -3,5% SFC Throat Area Stationary and Transient Manoeuvres Fig. 5.- Benefits of A9 Optimization Similarly to the above case, the nozzles can be used to For example, for a supersonic cruise case (Mach 1.2, increase the maximum load factor that is achievable altitude 36,000 ft, engine at Max Dry condition) of under certain circumstances while maintaining the EJ200 engine on Eurofighter, the use of independent A9 aircraft trimmed. This applies both for stationary control could lead to an improvement of up to 7% in manoeuvres (sustained turn rate) and for transient installed net thrust relative to the current performance. manoeuvres (rapid deceleration). This is due to the combination of two effects: increase of nozzle internal thrust; and reduction of nozzle external Conventional Trimming: CASE STUDY: drag. For Take-off, the Thrust increase would be approx. Lift 30,000 ft Mach 1.8 2%. Velocity Vector Drag Available Flaps 6º up Weight Thrust Max. Lift: Ref. If the priorities are placed on cost, the extra Thrust can Max. Load Factor: Ref. Rear Flaps be traded for SOT (Turbine Temperature), in order to Trimming Max. Turn Rate: Ref. increase the life of hot components. For example, for Thrust Vectoring Trimming: some of the cases studied, SOT reductions of up to 20ºK Lift Flaps 2º up Nozzles 4º up are estimated, while keeping the same Thrust. Velocity Vector Drag Lift Coef.: Ref +14% Available Weight Thrust Load Factor: Ref +9% In addition to thrust increase, independent A9 control Turn Rate: Ref +7% Thrust Vectoring also permits reduction in SFC for certain flight points. Trimming SFC reductions of up to 3,5% are feasible for cruise and Fig. 4.- Increased Sustained Turn Rate with TVNs loiter type conditions. 534.3 Daniel Ikaza Reduction of take-off and landing runs In the Altitude/Mach-number envelope, Thrust Vectoring permits an extension of the envelope in the low speed- The rotation of the aircraft for take-off and landing can medium height region. In the Altitude/Mach- be accelerated by using Thrust Vectoring. Also, Thrust number/Angle-of-attack envelope, Thrust Vectoring Vectoring can be used to increase angle of attack, hence permits operation at much higher values of Angle of lift, while maintaining a trimmed aircraft.