Session: 14-03: Internal Air System: Rim Seal, Clearances and Leakage Flow

Paper Number: 152208

A Co-Simulation Approach for Transient Thermal Clearance Analysis of a Gas Turbine Whole Engine Model 

Turbomachinery analysis is an interdisciplinary field involving many different phenomena including but not limited to fluid flow, heat transfer, and structural mechanics. In order to utilize the most optimal workflows in each of these fields, engineers often use different in-house or commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software tools depending on the physics being analyzed. 

When the different physics interact, manual operations to transfer data between software tools require customized scripts and can take many iterations to yield a converged result. The industry typically relies on automation scripts to facilitate this process. Such scripts require constant maintenance, as well as extensive verification and validation efforts.   

In this paper, we highlight a co-simulation workflow that eliminates manual file transfer, reduces design turnaround time, and allows for more design iterations. This approach involves a co-simulation between a FE-based Thermo-Mechanical analysis of a gas turbine whole engine model (WEM) and a 1D flow model representing the secondary flow paths. The models are connected using the Functional Mock-up Interface (FMI) industry standard. 

First, we will describe the WEM and the 1D flow models and define the co-simulation interfaces that will enable the exchange of data. In particular, we will focus on the 3D thermo-mechanical transient responses that have an impact on the 1D flows which then also influence the solid temperatures. Through the results obtained, we will describe the benefits of this approach over conventional approaches in the gas turbine industry today. 

Presenting Author: Hussein Daou Maya HTT

Presenting Author Biography: Hussein Daou has a Master degree in Aerospace Engineering from McGill University. He has been working with Maya HTT for over 10 years, with a focus on Turbomachinery simulation applications. From the start he has been involved in development of the simulation products and has worked in close collaborations with numerous Turbomachinery companies in developing and evolving the software tools and capabilities. Currently, his role is a Product Owner in the Thermal-Multiphysics team, focusing on Turbomachinery thermal solver applications.

Authors:

Hussein Daou Maya HTT
Chris Barnes Rolls-Royce plc
Jeff Medema Rolls-Royce Corporation
Florian Sanchez Maya HTT