Propulsion Systems Performance and Design

2015-2016 Partial Exam n.1

NAME:
THEORY
Please answer the questions 1-4 with True or False and provide a short justification for your answer. Wrong
answers, correct answers with wrong motivation and blank answers will not be attributed points. An answer
without justification will be considered blank.
1. For an engine with TR=1.0 the thrust lapse is a decreasing function of the freestream Mach number.

2. If the exhaust nozzle of a turbojet engine is working in the underexpanded regime (i.e. p9 > p0 ) the
additional static thrust contribution provides a higher specific thrust than in the case of matched nozzle,
thus resulting in higher efficiency.

Master in Aeronautical Engineering

March 7th , 2016

Propulsion Systems Performance and Design

2015-2016 Partial Exam n.1

3. At fixed flight speed, incoming overall mass flow rate and fuel to air ratio of the main burner, turbofan
engines have better overall efficiency than turbojets.

4. Starting from a flight condition where 0 > T R and assuming full throttle, if the aircraft is climbing in
the troposhere at fixed Mach number the turbine inlet temperature should be progressively decreased.

Master in Aeronautical Engineering

March 7th , 2016

Propulsion Systems Performance and Design

2015-2016 Partial Exam n.1

Problem
A non-afterburning mixed flow two-spool turbofan engine is flying at an altitude of 10000m (P0 = 26400P a,
T0 = 223K) at a Mach number M0 = 0.8. The stations nomenclature is sketched in Figure 1. It is known
that the stagnation pressure loss in the air inlet is d = 0.97 and that the total temperature at the exit of the
fan and of the low pressure compressor is Tt13 = Tt2.5 = 318K. The polytropic efficiency of the high-pressure
compressor ecH , of the low-pressure compressor ecL and of the fan ef are the same and equal to 0.88. The high
pressure compressor is providing cH = 8.
The low-pressure turbine (not sketched in figure) drives the low-pressure compressor and the fan, while
the high-pressure turbine drives the high-pressure compressor. The turbine inlet and outlet temperature are
Tt4 = 1500K, Tt5 = 900K.
Bleeds, cooling flows and power offtakes are not included in the present analysis. Consider constant gas
properties throughout the engine ( = 1.4, cp = 1004J/KgK, R = 287J/KgK) and use the data reported in
the table to address the following questions:
1. Determine the fuel-to-air ratio in the burner;
2. Estimate the bypass ratio of the engine;
3. Calculate the stagnation temperature at the exit of the mixer (if you did not solve the previous point,
assume = 4);
4. Assuming for simplicity that the stagnation pressure at the exit of the mixer is the average of Pt5 and Pt13
and that losses in the nozzle are negligible, calculate the exit speed and the thrust of the engine, given
the overall mass flow rate m
0 = 120Kg/s and the nozzle exit area of 0.4m2 .

Figure 1: Sketch of mixed stream turbofan

Master in Aeronautical Engineering

March 7th , 2016

Propulsion Systems Performance and Design

Freestream conditions

P0 , T0 , M0

26400Pa,223K,0.8

Inlet stagnation pressure loss

0.97

Total temperature at fan exit

Tt13

318K

Total temperature at LC exit

Tt2.5

318K

ecL = ef = ecH

0.88

cH

Combustion efficiency

0.995

Burner stagnation pressure loss

0.97

Lower heating value of the reactants

hP R

42.8MJ/Kg

Turbine total inlet temperature

Tt4

1500K

LP Turbine total outlet temperature

Tt5

900K

etH = etL

0.91

Polytropic efficiencies Compressors/fan

High-pressure compressor ratio

Turbines polytropic efficiency

2015-2016 Partial Exam n.1

Master in Aeronautical Engineering

March 7th , 2016