The Application of Computational Fluid Dynamic Analysis to Jet Engine Inlet Flow Quality

Damaging phenomena, such as the development of an inlet vortex, can occur on jet engines during various operational conditions on a taxiway. These vortices are anchored to the ground and extend into the inlet of the jet engine, and can have adverse effects on the engine by the lifting of debris into the engine and potentially damaging internal components. To analyze the flow effects caused by vortices, an engine simulator, a scale model of a jet engine, was operated at varying adverse operational conditions to understand which conditions will generate vortices. The engine simulator was run in a free field environment and at a height simulating the engine over a taxiway. The experimental mass flow results were compared to a computational model in Fluent, an existing computational fluid dynamic (CFD) program, which predicted the flow around the engine simulator. The preliminary results showed the correct flow structures for the free field environment. The free field CFD model was then adjusted to simulate the operating conditions of the engine over the taxiway. The CFD results produced a vortex forming from the ground to the engine. This information will provide a strong foundation and framework to build and expand the use of computational modeling in jet engine test simulations.No embarg