Session: 01-05 Inlet Distortion and Engine Operability I

Paper Number: 128870

128870 - Coupled Design of Multi-Component Distortion-Generating Devices for Aircraft Engine Ground Tests – Part II: Experimental Characterization in a Closed-Loop, High Speed Test Rig 

Next generation aircraft engine configurations, featuring a higher level of engine-airframe integration, are subjected to increased flow distortion levels at the fan inlet. The presence of such non-uniformities should be considered as early as possible in the design cycle, as it can have an impact on the engine performance, operability and vibration. Since testing under realistic distorted inlet flow is crucial in order to evaluate such effects, there is a clear need for devices able to generate complex distortion patterns.  

Part I of this two-part paper presents a numerical methodology enabling to design distortion generating devices capable of reproducing complex steady combined total pressure and swirl angle distortion patterns. The methodology has been applied to generate four different distortion screens: one honeycomb total pressure screen, one swirl vane assembly, and two devices consisting of a coupling of the two components.  

The second part of the paper focuses on the experimental characterization of the distortion screens in the VKI R4 high speed test rig. The closed-loop facility has undergone major design modifications in order to implement the new distortion devices test section and reproduce engine-like flow conditions. The measurements have been carried out by means of stereo-PIV and multi-hole aerodynamic pressure probes. The paper presents in detail the implementation of both measurement techniques with an emphasis on the challenges encountered in their application to a high-speed, highly distorted flow. The independent total pressure and swirl vane screens have been characterized using both measurement techniques, while the coupled devices have been tested only with probe measurements. The cross-comparison between the two techniques allows to discuss the limitations of each technique. Finally, the comparison between the experimental results and the design target patterns is presented and discussed, in order to provide a detailed assessment of the design method as well as identify potential methodology improvements.

Presenting Author: Elissavet Boufidi Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics

Presenting Author Biography: Elissavet Boufidi is a Research Engineer in the Turbomachinery and Propulsion department of the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics . She received her PhD from the Université Catholique de Louvain and the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics in 2021, on the development of measurement methods for turbulence measurements in complex flows. She holds a Research Master from the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (2015) and a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2014).

Authors:

Elissavet Boufidi Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics
Manas Madasseri Payyappalli Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics
Julissa Grondin Cenaero
Michaël Leborgne Cenaero
Lieven Baert Cenaero
Alexandre Gouttière Cadence Design Systems Belgium
Donavan Dieu Cadence Design Systems Belgium
Dirk Wunsch Cadence Design Systems Belgium
Tony Spriet Safran Aircraft Engines
Jérôme Talbotec Safran Aircraft Engines
Fabrizio Fontaneto Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics