NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Collections About News Help Login
Back to Results
Optimization of Air-Breathing Engine ConceptThe design optimization of air-breathing propulsion engine concepts has been accomplished by soft-coupling the NASA Engine Performance Program (NEPP) analyzer with the NASA Lewis multidisciplinary optimization tool COMETBOARDS. Engine problems, with their associated design variables and constraints, were cast as nonlinear optimization problems with thrust as the merit function. Because of the large number of mission points in the flight envelope, the diversity of constraint types, and the overall distortion of the design space; the most reliable optimization algorithm available in COMETBOARDS, when used by itself, could not produce satisfactory, feasible, optimum solutions. However, COMETBOARDS' unique features-which include a cascade strategy, variable and constraint formulations, and scaling devised especially for difficult multidisciplinary applications-successfully optimized the performance of subsonic and supersonic engine concepts. Even when started from different design points, the combined COMETBOARDS and NEPP results converged to the same global optimum solution. This reliable and robust design tool eliminates manual intervention in the design of air-breathing propulsion engines and eases the cycle analysis procedures. It is also much easier to use than other codes, which is an added benefit. This paper describes COMETBOARDS and its cascade strategy and illustrates the capabilities of the combined design tool through the optimization of a high-bypass- turbofan wave-rotor-topped subsonic engine and a mixed-flow-turbofan supersonic engine.
Document ID
19960047100
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Patnaik, Surya N. (Ohio Aerospace Inst. Cleveland, OH United States)
Lavelle, Thomas M. (NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH United States)
Hopkins, Dale A. (NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
August 1, 1996
Subject Category
Structural Mechanics
Report/Patent Number
NASA-TM-107303
NAS 1.15:107303
E-10227-3
Report Number: NASA-TM-107303
Report Number: NAS 1.15:107303
Report Number: E-10227-3
Accession Number
96N32874
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: RTOP 505-63-53
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

Related Records

There are no records associated with this record.
No Preview Available