Over-wing integration of ultra-high bypass ratio engines: A coupled wing redesign and engine position study

Journal article, 2023

The integration of next-generation high-bypass turbofan engines poses a major challenge to the aeronautical industry due to the larger fans necessary to achieve more fuel-efficient engines. The limited space underneath the wings and the strict ground clearance constraints bring the necessity to investigate solutions other than the conventional under-wing mounted engines. Over-wing installed nacelles have the potential to solve the ground clearance issue and, in addition, might reduce ground noise due to acoustic shielding from the wing. Nevertheless, a strong and complex coupling between aerodynamics and propulsion is the result of such integration choice, and traditional design practices may result in configurations with prohibitively high drag penalties.
This paper presents a novel wing redesign method, specifically developed for over-wing mounted engines. The wing is reshaped to recover the spanwise lift distribution of the clean airframe (wing-body) configuration, for a single aisle airliner at a cruise condition. The wing redesign is conducted along with an engine position sensitivity study, in which the wing is reshaped for different engine axial and vertical positions. The coupling between propulsion and aerodynamics is thoroughly investigated, as well as the interaction and interference effects between the wing, pylon, and nacelle. Moreover, the best over-wing solution is compared to a baseline under-wing mounted nacelle. Results show that, by applying the developed method, an overall drag reduction of 17.65 counts, or 6.4%, was obtained, compared to the initial over-wing configuration, comprising the original wing and baseline engine position. Nonetheless, the best over-wing nacelle design is still 5.58 counts, or 2%, higher in overall drag compared to the baseline under-wing mounted nacelle case.