PERFORMANCE BENEFITS OF A FAN ON BLADE – FLADE – FOR A VARIABLE CYCLE ENGINE

Paper in proceeding, 2022

Variable cycle engines promise to enable adaptive cycles that give close to optimal performance over a wide range of conflicting mission requirements, such as low altitude high speed flight and supercruise still providing excellent range. Modelling such engines pose challenges for general purpose software since variable geometry gas paths modify the underlying set of equations being solved. It is possible to use multiple engine models transferring design data between the models. This, however, creates a high risk for inconsistency and modelling error. It is more attractive if the solutions obtained could be determined using the same model. In this work an in-house software was developed to model an Adaptive Cycle Engine (ACE). This development was used to show how variable cycle mode switches can be integrated into general purpose performance tools. The variable cycle engine uses a FLADE, which is a "fan on blade" component, to extend its range and to provide improved subsonic performance. The individual impact of the components, its effect on propulsion performance parameters and in the engine installation were analyzed as the main results. The contribution from this paper is thus two-fold, firstly the paper goes ahead and proposes new methods for the simulation of mode switching in generic performance tools by introducing dynamic equation systems. Secondly, the paper then studies the FLADE component and its potential performance benefits if added to a conventional turbofan architecture.