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Environmentally Friendly Gas Turbines
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Environmentally Friendly Gas Turbines

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Mechanical Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2021) | Viewed by 29701

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Theoklis Nikolaidis

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Guest Editor
Centre for Propulsion Engineering, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, UK
Interests: modelling-simulation advanced numerical methods; steady state/transient performance; engine’s control system; variable and novel cycles; particulate/multiphase flows and their effects on engine’s performance; alternative fuels; health monitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Pericles Pericles Pilidis

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Centre for Propulsion Engineering, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK
Interests: gas turbine performance; gas turbines for air, land and sea applications; gas turbine methods; combined cycle gas turbines; power plant integration; TERA (Techno economic Environmental Risk Analysis); power plant asset management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Soheil Jafari

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Propulsion Engineering, School of Aerospace Transport and Manufacturing, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, UK
Interests: propulsion engineering; turbomachinery; control systems; thermal management systems; optimization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Future aircraft propulsion systems should be able to meet ambitious targets and severe limitations set by governments and organizations for the environment (e.g., the Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe has a target of a 75% reduction in CO2 emissions and a 90% reduction of NOx emissions by 2050). These targets cannot be achieved just through marginal improvements in turbine technology or aircraft design.

In other words, revolutionary concepts, ideas, and solutions are required to deal with future environmental issues and concerns in the aviation sector. The most important aspect in this regard is the impact of the proposed solutions and ideas on the environment. In recent years,

  • Hybrid electric propulsion has been investigated as part of efforts to improve fuel efficiency, emissions, and noise levels in commercial transport aircraft. The term “hybrid electric” is really meant to encompass many different methods for using both airplane fuel and electricity to drive propulsion systems;
  • Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) have been explored to find sustainable solutions for the aviation sector and to develop a CO2 roadmap, which have given estimates of the impact of sustainable fuels on UK aviation’s carbon emissions;
  • Other novel configurations for air travel are being considered as well (e.g., the ionic wind propulsion project, the novel aircraft configurations project)

This Special Issue of Applied Sciences, "Environmentally Friendly Gas Turbines", aims to cover innovative technology in the development of gas turbines from the component to the engine level and from novel fuels to new architectures. It focuses on environmentally friendly power systems ideas, concepts, modelling, performance analysis, control, optimization, systems, and sub-systems.

Dr. Theoklis Nikolaidis
Prof. Dr. Pericles Pericles Pilidis
Dr. Soheil Jafari
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Hybrid Electric Propulsion
  • Turbo-electric Propulsion
  • All-electric propulsion
  • Ion thrusters
  • New aero-engine architectures
  • Sustainable Alternative Fuels (SAF)
  • Environmentally friendly aviation
  • Emission reduction
  • Thermal Management Systems
  • Fuel economy

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1288 KiB  
Article
Thermodynamic Performance and Creep Life Assessment Comparing Hydrogen- and Jet-Fueled Turbofan Aero Engine
by Emmanuel O. Osigwe, Arnold Gad-Briggs, Theoklis Nikolaidis, Soheil Jafari, Bobby Sethi and Pericles Pilidis
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 3873; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11093873 - 25 Apr 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5948
Abstract
There is renewed interest in hydrogen as an alternative fuel for aero engines, due to their perceived environmental and performance benefits compared to jet fuel. This paper presents a cycle, thermal performance, energy and creep life assessment of hydrogen compared with jet fuel, [...] Read more.
There is renewed interest in hydrogen as an alternative fuel for aero engines, due to their perceived environmental and performance benefits compared to jet fuel. This paper presents a cycle, thermal performance, energy and creep life assessment of hydrogen compared with jet fuel, using a turbofan aero engine. The turbofan cycle performance was simulated using a code developed by the authors that allows hydrogen and jet fuel to be selected as fuel input. The exergy assessment uses both conservations of energy and mass and the second law of thermodynamics to understand the impact of the fuels on the exergy destruction, exergy efficiency, waste factor ratio, environmental effect factor and sustainability index for a turbofan aero engine. Finally, the study looks at a top-level creep life assessment on the high-pressure turbine hot section influenced by the fuel heating values. This study shows performance (64% reduced fuel flow rate, better SFC) and more extended blade life (15% increase) benefits using liquefied hydrogen fuel, which corresponds with other literary work on the benefits of LH2 over jet fuel. This paper also highlights some drawbacks of hydrogen fuel based on previous research work, and gives recommendations for future work, aimed at maturing the hydrogen fuel concept in aviation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Friendly Gas Turbines)
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18 pages, 2392 KiB  
Article
Feasibility of a Helium Closed-Cycle Gas Turbine for UAV Propulsion
by Emmanuel O. Osigwe, Arnold Gad-Briggs and Theoklis Nikolaidis
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11010028 - 22 Dec 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3431
Abstract
When selecting a design for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the choice of the propulsion system is vital in terms of mission requirements, sustainability, usability, noise, controllability, reliability and technology readiness level (TRL). This study analyses the various propulsion systems used in unmanned aerial [...] Read more.
When selecting a design for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the choice of the propulsion system is vital in terms of mission requirements, sustainability, usability, noise, controllability, reliability and technology readiness level (TRL). This study analyses the various propulsion systems used in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), paying particular focus on the closed-cycle propulsion systems. The study also investigates the feasibility of using helium closed-cycle gas turbines for UAV propulsion, highlighting the merits and demerits of helium closed-cycle gas turbines. Some of the advantages mentioned include high payload, low noise and high altitude mission ability; while the major drawbacks include a heat sink, nuclear hazard radiation and the shield weight. A preliminary assessment of the cycle showed that a pressure ratio of 4, turbine entry temperature (TET) of 800 °C and mass flow of 50 kg/s could be used to achieve a lightweight helium closed-cycle gas turbine design for UAV mission considering component design constraints. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Friendly Gas Turbines)
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20 pages, 7114 KiB  
Article
Exchange Rate Analysis for Ultra High Bypass Ratio Geared Turbofan Engines
by Theoklis Nikolaidis, Soheil Jafari, David Bosak and Pericles Pilidis
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(21), 7945; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10217945 - 9 Nov 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 6373
Abstract
This paper investigates the impact of thermal management methods on the design point and synthesis exchange rates of an ultra-high bypass ratio geared turbofan engine. In a typical thermal management system, where heat is managed by means of heat exchangers that transfer engine [...] Read more.
This paper investigates the impact of thermal management methods on the design point and synthesis exchange rates of an ultra-high bypass ratio geared turbofan engine. In a typical thermal management system, where heat is managed by means of heat exchangers that transfer engine waste heat into oil, air, or fuel. However, the utilization of air–oil and fuel–oil heat exchangers has an adverse impact on engine performance. This paper investigates the impact on and engine’s specific fuel consumption and summarizes it into common exchange rates for different thermal management configurations. The results show that any pressure loss in the bypass duct results in a severe specific fuel consumption penalty (an increase of 1% pressure loss in the bypass duct causes a 2% specific fuel consumption increase at cruise conditions). In addition, quite severe is the impact of extracting air from the gas path, particularly when the bleed location is in the bypass duct or the high-pressure compressor. It is also found that the utilization of a fuel–oil heat exchanger improves the specific fuel consumption at a higher rate than an air–oil heat exchanger. For the performance characteristics of the examined engine, the specific fuel consumption benefit with the former is 1.33%, while for the latter it is 0.38%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Friendly Gas Turbines)
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20 pages, 8000 KiB  
Article
Optimization Design of a 2.5 Stage Highly Loaded Axial Compressor with a Bezier Surface Modeling Method
by Song Huang, Jinxin Cheng, Chengwu Yang, Chuangxin Zhou, Shengfeng Zhao and Xingen Lu
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(11), 3860; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10113860 - 1 Jun 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5393
Abstract
Due to the complexity of the internal flow field of compressors, the aerodynamic design and optimization of a highly loaded axial compressor with high performance still have three problems, which are rich engineering design experience, high dimensions, and time-consuming calculations. To overcome these [...] Read more.
Due to the complexity of the internal flow field of compressors, the aerodynamic design and optimization of a highly loaded axial compressor with high performance still have three problems, which are rich engineering design experience, high dimensions, and time-consuming calculations. To overcome these three problems, this paper takes an engineering-designed 2.5-stage highly loaded axial flow compressor as an example to introduce the design process and the adopted design philosophies. Then, this paper verifies the numerical method of computational fluid dynamics. A new Bezier surface modeling method for the entire suction surface and pressure surface of blades is developed, and the multi-island genetic algorithm is directly used for further optimization. Only 32 optimization variables are used to optimize the rotors and stators of the compressor, which greatly overcome the problem of high dimensions, time-consuming calculations, and smooth blade surfaces. After optimization, compared with the original compressor, the peak efficiency is still improved by 0.12%, and the stall margin is increased by 2.69%. The increase in peak efficiency is mainly due to the rotors. Compared with the original compressor, for the second-stage rotor, the adiabatic efficiency is improved by about 0.4%, which is mainly due to the decreases of total pressure losses in the range of above 30% of the span height and 10%–30% of the chord length. Besides, for the original compressor, due to deterioration of the flow field near the tip region of the second-stage stator, the large low-speed region eventually evolves from corner separation into corner stall with three-dimensional space spiral backflow. For the optimized compressor, the main reason for the increased stall margin is that the flow field of the second-stage stator with a span height above 50% is improved, and the separation area and three-dimensional space spiral backflow are reduced. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Friendly Gas Turbines)
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26 pages, 3661 KiB  
Article
Advanced Constraints Management Strategy for Real-Time Optimization of Gas Turbine Engine Transient Performance
by Theoklis Nikolaidis, Zhuo Li and Soheil Jafari
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(24), 5333; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9245333 - 6 Dec 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4142
Abstract
Motivated by the growing technology of control and data processing as well as the increasingly complex designs of the new generation of gas turbine engines, a fully automatic control strategy that is capable of dealing with different aspects of operational and safety considerations [...] Read more.
Motivated by the growing technology of control and data processing as well as the increasingly complex designs of the new generation of gas turbine engines, a fully automatic control strategy that is capable of dealing with different aspects of operational and safety considerations is required to be implemented on gas turbine engines. An advanced practical control mode satisfaction method for the entire operating envelope of gas turbine engines is proposed in this paper to achieve the optimal transient performance for the engine. A constraint management strategy is developed to generate different controller settings for short-range fighters as well as long-range intercontinental aircraft engines at different operating conditions by utilizing a model predictive control approach. Then, the designed controller is tuned and modified with respect to different realistic considerations including the practicality, physical limitations, system dynamics, and computational efforts. The simulation results from a verified two-spool turbofan engine model and controller show that the proposed method is capable of maneuverability and/or fuel economy optimization indices while satisfying all the predefined constraints successfully. Based on the parameters, natural frequencies, and dynamic behavior of the system, a set of optimized weighting factors for different engine parameters is also proposed to achieve the optimal and safe operation for the engine at different flight conditions. The paper demonstrates the effects of the prediction length and control horizon; adding new constraints on the computational effort and the controller performance are also discussed in detail to confirm the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed approach in developing a fully automatic optimized real-time controller for gas turbine engines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Friendly Gas Turbines)
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24 pages, 12719 KiB  
Article
Effects of Diverging Nozzle Downstream on Flow Field Parameters of Rotating Detonation Combustor
by Chengwen Sun, Hongtao Zheng, Zhiming Li, Ningbo Zhao, Lei Qi and Hongbo Guo
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(20), 4259; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9204259 - 11 Oct 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3026
Abstract
In this study, three-dimensional numerical studies have been performed to investigate the performance of a rotating detonation combustor with a diverging nozzle downstream. The effects of a diverging nozzle on the formation and propagation process of a detonation wave and typical flow field [...] Read more.
In this study, three-dimensional numerical studies have been performed to investigate the performance of a rotating detonation combustor with a diverging nozzle downstream. The effects of a diverging nozzle on the formation and propagation process of a detonation wave and typical flow field parameters in a rotating detonation combustor are mainly discussed. The results indicate that the diverging nozzle downstream is an important factor affecting the performance and design of a rotating detonation combustor. The diverging nozzle does not affect the formation and propagation process of the rotating detonation wave, while the time of two key wave collisions are delayed during the formation process of the detonation wave. With increases of the diverging angle, the rotating detonation combustor with the diverging nozzle can still maintain a certain pressure gain performance. Both the diverging nozzle and diverging angle have great influence on the flow field parameters of the rotating detonation combustor, including reducing the high pressure and temperature load, making the distribution of the outlet parameters uniform, and changing the local supersonic flow at the outlet. Among them, the outlet static pressure is reduced by up to 88.32%, and the outlet static temperature is reduced by up to 32.12%. This evidently improves the working environment of the combustor while reducing the thermodynamic and aerodynamic loads at the outlet. In particular, the diverging nozzle does not affect the supersonic characteristics of the outlet airflow, and on this basis, the Mach number becomes coincident and enhanced. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Friendly Gas Turbines)
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