Session: 04-35: Combustion Modeling III

Paper Number: 78586

78586 - Development of an Open-Source Autonomous CFD Meta-Modeling Environment for Small-Scale Combustor Optimization – Part II 

This work presents an improved open-source autonomous CFD meta-modeling environment (OpenACME) for small-scale combustor design optimization. OpenACME couples several object-oriented programming open-source codes for CFD-assisted engineering design meta-modeling. OpenACME is fully automated and can be used in PC workstations or HPC clusters. OpenACME uses a global metaheuristic optimization algorithm based on multiple-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA). The specific algorithm utilized in this work is the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II). An initial design population is first computed with Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) and subsequent iterations generate offspring based on tournament mating, uniform crossover, and polynomial mutation. OpenACME is capable of computing multiple parallel CFD design points concurrently, speeding up the meta-simulations. The CFD are based on steady, incompressible, three-dimensional simulations with multi-phase k-w SST RANS and “frozen” flamelet progress variable (FFPV) combustion model. There are fifteen design variables. There are three meta-simulations. One includes conjugate heat transfer and the others neglect it. The first two meta-simulations optimize for combustion efficiency (eta), pattern factor (PF), critical linear area factor (A_critical), and total pressure losses (TPL). The latter excludes A_critical from the objective functions. The meta-simulations report Pareto Frontier from which optimum designs can be selected based on thermodynamic cycle requirements. The best designs for each of the meta-simulation is based on subsequent NSGA-II iterations following the initial LHS population. Conjugate heat transfer provides the most realistic liner temperature and combustor performance. A_critical is still recommended as a cost function when liner durability is a concern. OpenACME demonstrated to be a viable tool for combustor design optimization

Presenting Author: Alejandro Briones University of Dayton Research Institute

Presenting Author Biography: He has more than fourteen years of experience in modeling, simulation, and optimization of gas turbine engine combustors. Areas of interests include combustion physics, multiphase flows, conjugate heat transfer, and optimization. He is currently a Senior Research Engineer for the University of Dayton Research Institute.

Authors:

Alejandro Briones University of Dayton Research Institute
Brent Rankin Air Force Research Laboratory