Optimization Design of the NUAA-PTRE: A New Pre-Cooled Turbine Engine Adapting to 0~5 Mach Number

Abstract

A model of a NUAA-PTRE pre-cooled air turbine engine was established. The design point parameters of the engine were optimized, including the pressure ratio, air flow rate of the compressor, efficiency, throat area, and efficiency of the turbine. The air flow rate at the engine operating point was 142.73 kg/s. High performance of the key components under a wide range of working conditions was realized after optimization. To achieve the indicators of the overall scheme, adaptability studies of key components were conducted. A three-stage variable geometry design was applied to the inlet. The pre-cooler was optimized with a power-to-weight ratio of over 100 kW/kg and a compactness of 278 m2/m3. The built-in rocket gas generator and dual-component injector were developed, and the combustion and heat transfer processes were simulated. The overall optimization design of the NUAA-PTRE and the adaptive design of the components were completed, and high performance of the engine in a wide range of flight conditions at Ma 0~5 and altitude 0~25 km was achieved.

Keywords

• space transportation system
• NUAA-PTRE
• pre-cooled air turbine engine
• pre-cooler
• endothermic hydrocarbon fuel
• optimization design