A simplified simulation of gas turbine engine operation John Olsen & John Page School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, N.S.W., 2052.
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[email protected] Abstract. This work outlines the analysis used in simulating the operation of a gas turbine engine. Its starting point is the analysis of Cumpsty (2006). Cumpsty’s work suggests that it is possible to simplify the behavior of gas turbine engines enormously by taking into account aspects that are common to all turbine maps, i.e., the collapse of curves representing differing constant non-dimensional spool rotational speed. As a result, the relationship between the pressure ratio and the non-dimensional mass flow rate as well as the pressure ratio and the isentropic efficiency are essentially independent of the rotational speed of the spool. Following Cumpsty, we develop equations to enable us to calculate both pressure ratios and normalised mass flow rates through compressors so that we can plot the behavior of these engines on compressor maps. numbering regime adopted in this work, i.e., station 2 at 1. INTRODUCTION the inlet to the compressor, station 3 at the inlet to the combustion chamber, station 4 at the inlet to the turbine For straight and level flight, aircraft require a constant and station 5 at the inlet to the propelling nozzle. throughput of energy to maintain altitude and speed. In many aircraft applications, gas turbine engines are utilised to provide forward thrust. It can be shown that the net thrust Tn is: n & ( j −= VVmT ) (1) where m& is the mass flow rate of air through the engine (we ignore the mass flow rate of fuel through the engine), Vj is the magnitude of the velocity of the jet issuing from the propelling nozzle with respect to the aircraft and V is the magnitude of the velocity of the incoming airflow with respect to the aircraft.