HEAVYCOPTER

Contribution to optimisation of heavy helicopter engine installation design

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Goals. The proposal describes the methodology to be used for engine installation design optimization in heavy helicopters. Specific objectives of such activity are the following: i) to set up of a comprehensive and fully automatic optimal design tool, integrating the software suitable for engine intallation analysis and in-house multi-objective optimization algorithms already developed by the applicant; ii) to apply such tool for the efficiency improvement of engine installation components based on the boundary conditions given by the manufacturer, in order to achieve a significant reduction in the engine installation losses.

Methodology. Objectives will be achieved by means of a dedicated programming and simulation activity, where the software tools available at the consortium premises for the design and analysis of engine installation performance will be interfaced together and with the optimization tool proposed by the applicant. The result will be a robust procedure where only the initial geometry importation and paremetrization will be carried out off-line, while meshing, geometrical/grid manipulation, as well as CFD analyses will form an automatic loop.

Expected results. a) Final optimized geometries of engine installation components will be provided according to the design objectives and constraints defined by the Topic Manager. Benefits of the final optimized geometries will be determined. b) A quantification of overall margins of improvement with respect to the baseline configuration will be provided. c) Recommendations for the ultimate design and manufacturing of practical engine installation systems will be provided.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Air flow into and out of a helicopter engine affects engine efficiency and stability. Novel simulation software will now aid designers in optimising intake and exhaust geometries for enhanced performance.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

The EU's Joint Technology Initiative (JTI) Clean Sky is the most ambitious aeronautical research programme ever launched in Europe. Its focus is on reducing noise and emissions associated with air transport with a dedicated section devoted to rotorcraft. The EU-funded project 'Contribution to optimisation of heavy helicopter engine installation design' (HEAVYCOPTER) aided this effort with dedicated programming and simulation tools aimed at improving the engine integration in a heavy helicopter.

The quality of air flow delivered to the engine has important consequences for engine efficiency, fuel consumption and emissions.

Scientists developed fully automatic optimisation design tools to enhance the efficiency of engine intake and exhaust systems as well as the engine aerodynamics.

These tools optimised intake geometry for reduction of total pressure losses and minimisation of inlet flow distortion during hover and forward flight.

Optimising exhaust system shape helped reduce engine back pressure, the exhaust pressure at the outlet and balanced the flow of hot and cold air for efficient cooling of the engine bay.

Reduced back pressure decreases the load on the turbine, thus increasing the engine's efficiency to power the helicopter.

In addition, HEAVYCOPTER tools consider parameters affecting aerodynamic performance.

This includes heating of the tail boom that houses the tail rotor, air inflow to the rotor and re-ingestion of hot gases during engine idling on the ground.

The tools combine algorithms for engine installation analysis with those for optimisation. The software imports initial geometry and parameters supplied by the manufacturer offline. It then conducts meshing, geometrical/grid manipulation and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses with both commercial and open-source CFD solvers. The user is presented with benefits of the final optimised geometries as well as margins for improvement with respect to the baseline configuration. The optimised geometries are checked for compliance to facilitate industrial prototyping.

HEAVYCOPTER tools enabled significant improvements in engine installation performance by optimising intake and exhaust shape while controlling flow distortion, total pressure losses and flow separation. Commercialisation will bring us a step closer to achieving the Clean Sky goals for greener rotorcraft.