Unique Operating Conditions Analysis of Turboshaft Engines Based on Nonlinear Integrated Model

Abstract

The unique mission of the helicopter compared to the fixed-wing aircraft introduces challenges to the aerodynamic stability of the turboshaft engine. Thus, the assessment of the availability of stability margin for special operating conditions in the envelope of this equipment is required to guarantee flight safety. In this paper, a rapid nonlinear complete engine method is developed to investigate the effect of helicopter ground-effect operation and high-altitude hovering on aerodynamic stability by considering factors including inlet distortion and component matching. Research indicated that the most dangerous point of stability margin in a unique section of the flight envelope is high altitude hovering, with about a 16.7% reduction in available stability margin compared to standard ground test conditions. This paper also investigates the effects of typical helicopter ground effects on a turboshaft engine and shows that the stability margin will be reduced by a maximum of 1.43% in hovering if the influence of ground effects in the flight envelope is not considered in the design.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Science and Technology Major Project (2017-II-0004-0016).

Notes on contributors

Yujie Zhao

Yujie Zhao is a doctoral candidate at the Research Institute of Aero-Engine, Beihang University, Beijing, China. Her research focuses on aerodynamic stability and airworthiness of aeroengines.

Xizhen Song

Xizhen Song is a faculty member and Master’s tutor in the Department of Fluid Mechanics and Engineering (Key Laboratory of Aero Engines), School of Energy and Power Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China.

Zhiping Li

Zhiping Li is a Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the Research Institute of Aero-Engine, Beihang University, Beijing, China. He is a Senior Visiting Scholar at the University of Victoria, Canada. His long-term research is on non-constant flow mechanisms, aerodynamic stability, and new concepts of distributed dynamics in impeller machines.

Xingyu Zhu

Xingyu Zhu is a Doctoral Candidate at the Research Institute of Aero-Engine, Beihang University, Beijing, China. He is mainly engaged in the research of aero-engine model and flow stability.

Xinqian Zheng

Xinqian Zheng is a Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at School of Aerospace Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. He is a Visiting Scholar at Princeton University, AIAA Associate Fellow, and Associate Editor of ASME Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power and Aerospace Science and Technology.