Gas Turbine Engines

Research in gas turbine engines at the Aerospace Research Center encompasses topics in jet propulsion and power generation. As leaders in this specialized field, ARC researchers use their expertise to drive engine improvements to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions and enhance performance and safety.

Advancing efficiency

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The number of aircraft in service around the globe is increasing. Because of this, advancements in engine efficiency have a significant impact on carbon emission reduction and cost savings across industries.

The gas turbine teams at ARC are experts in developing solutions using high-tech simulations, structural modeling and high-fidelity experimental test environments. From addressing common issues to one-off projects, researchers’ solutions are widely implemented in industrial and military applications.

Current initiatives:

  • Aerodynamics: Improvements through realistic measurements, flow control solutions, and better simulation methods
  • Blade damping: Improved functionality and understanding of friction dampers and other damping technologies
  • Boundary Layer Ingestion: Modeling inlet flow distortion and the aerodynamic excitation of fan blades
  • Deposition: Developing a physics-based modeling framework for the accumulation of particulate in engine components
  • Film Cooling: Development of new cooling schemes and measurements of cooling performance in realistic environments
  • Internal Heat Transfer: Measurement and modeling of heat transfer taking place inside turbine cooling channels
  • Reduction in maintenance needs: Improvements focus on reducing the length of time between service and reducing service need
  • Reduced order modeling: obtaining accurate solutions with significantly less computational time
  • TURBO: Continued development of an advanced computational fluid dynamics code

Solution-focused technology development

ARC’s trailblazing work in gas turbine research has evolved to become the gold standard in solution-focused technology development. Unique, comprehensive experimental facilities with large turbine capabilities, clearance for export-controlled work and collaboration opportunities within the broad university campus emphasize ARC’s vast expertise. Future work includes computational and simulation enhancements, expansion of hybrid electric air vehicle projects and growth of facilities.

Would you like to discuss partnership? Reach out to Randall Mathison as a first point of contact to discuss ideas and opportunities.

Industry Collaboration

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A multi-year agreement established the Pratt & Whitney Center of Excellence for Blade Tip Rubs in ARC’s Gas Turbine Laboratory. The lab’s activities began with the development of an innovative high-temperature rig in which turbine engine blade tip rub experiments can be conducted.

UAS + Jet Engines

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The breadth of ARC’s laboratories has enabled an ongoing industry-based research project focused on determining the severity of damage from jet engine ingestion of UAS.

Molten Particle Impact Model

The High Temperature Deposition Facility in the Turbine Aerothermodynamics Lab has pushed the bounds of the temperatures that can be studied for gas turbine engine fouling. Significant achievements have been made modeling molten deposition of particulate in engine relevant conditions.