Session: Student Poster Competition

Submission Number: 187020

Combined Thermodynamic and Weight Optimization of Advanced Gas Turbine Designs Under Multi-Point On- and Off-Design Operating Constraints 

Advanced gas turbine concepts, intercooled compression, exhaust-heat recuperation, and rotating-detonation-based reheating, promise significant efficiency improvements. However, conventional design approaches evaluate these technologies at a single operating point, typically cruise, overlooking their behavior across the full flight envelope. Engines optimized for one condition often fail to meet thrust requirements at take-off or during climb, producing designs that are theoretically optimal but operationally infeasible. Furthermore, cycle-enhancing components introduce weight penalties that can offset their thermodynamic benefits when assessed over a complete mission.

 

This work addresses these limitations through a fully equation-based optimization framework. The complete thermodynamic model, component performance correlations, mass and energy balances, weight estimation, and operational constraints, is embedded directly within a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) formulation. This comprehensive approach enables the optimizer to simultaneously select cycle architecture and size design parameters, ensuring that any solution returned is both thermodynamically consistent and operationally viable.

 

Continuous variables define the thermodynamic design (pressure ratio, bypass ratio, turbine inlet temperature, heat-exchanger sizing), while binary variables govern the activation of architectural components (intercooler, recuperator, tertiary duct, reheater, turbine cooling). Off-design performance is captured through operating-line correlations linking component efficiencies to relative spool speeds and throttle settings, replacing the fixed-efficiency assumptions of conventional models.

The methodology enforces thrust constraints at multiple mission segments, take-off, cruise, and excess-power maneuvers, ensuring that optimized designs satisfy operational demands across the entire envelope. A multi-objective formulation balances specific fuel consumption against installed weight, generating Pareto-optimal solutions that quantify the efficiency–weight trade-off.

 

By formulating every physical relationship as an explicit mathematical constraint, this framework provides a systematic pathway to identify propulsion architectures achieving favorable mission-wide performance while remaining feasible across all operating conditions. The mixed-integer nonlinear formulation is solved using a multi-start global search strategy that systematically explores diverse architectural configurations and identifies the optimal combination satisfying all imposed constraints while guaranteeing an appropriate balance between powerplant efficiency and installed weight.

Presenting Author: Carlos Ávila Catalán Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Presenting Author Biography: Carlos Ávila Catalán earned both his Bachelor’s and Master of Science degrees in Aerospace
Engineering from Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC) in Madrid, where he also worked as a
research assistant on projects involving engine modeling and optimization. This early research
experience laid the foundation for his current work as a Ph.D. candidate at URJC.
His doctoral research focuses on the development and optimization of thermodynamic models
for gas turbines, aiming to advance cleaner and more efficient propulsion technologies.
Alongside his thesis, Carlos is actively involved in experimental testing campaigns at the
university’s Supersonic Wind Tunnel (LEAT), where he combines aerodynamic experimentation
with computational modeling to understand better and improve propulsion system
performance.

Authors:

Carlos Ávila Catalán Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
Jorge Saavedra Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
Luis Cadarso Universidad Rey Juan Carlos