National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Small Business Innovation Research 2001 Program Solicitation

CHAPTER 8.2.2

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8.2.2 Turbomachinery: Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology
NASA Installation: Glenn Research Center

The Center of Excellence for turbomachinery refers to turbine driven systems for propulsion, power generation, and energy conversion. These systems include rotating and related components and associated enabling technologies. Propulsion plays a critical role in enabling advanced aircraft designs and concepts required to achieve dramatic improvements in efficiencies of operations. Both overall cycle pressure ratio and turbine inlet temperature levels that can be achieved limit today's engine designs. Innovative, technological increases in both parameters are required to make improvements in performance and efficiency as well as minimizing global climate impact.

The ultra-efficient engine technology (UEET) program addresses local air quality concerns by developing technologies to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 70 percent at landing and takeoff (LTO) conditions from the 1996 International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. UEET also addresses potential ozone depletion concerns by providing combustor technologies that will not enable discernible aircraft impact on the ozone layer during cruise operation (up to a 90 percent reduction). Additionally, the UEET program addresses the potential of climate impact on long term aviation growth by providing critical propulsion technologies for a dramatic increase in efficiency to enable reductions of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions based on an overall fuel savings goal of about 15 percent for large subsonic transport or as much as 8 percent for supersonic and/or small aircraft.

In general, UEET will require innovative technologies that will enable:

• Turbomachinery aerodynamic loading improvement (30 to 50 percent) relative to current best practices
• Increased turbine rotor inlet temperature capability (3100^o F) for performance with commercial engine life
• Engine weight reduction (20-25 percent) relative to current best practices
• Reduced cooling requirement (15 to 25 percent) relative to current best practices
• Cruise nitrogen oxide (NOx) production comparable to Landing/Takeoff NOx reduction
• Supersonic cruise nitrogen oxide (< 4 gm NOx/kg of fuel burned)

Innovations sought include:

• Propulsion Systems Integration and Assessment: Innovative tools that will enable rapid assessments of total conceptual systems and the systems' potential for meeting the Program goals. In addition, tools that can determine the levels of aerosols and particulates emitted from propulsion systems in order to determine health risk levels. Innovative tools that can aide the High Fidelity System Simulations that will be performed incorporating UEET technologies to better understand complex component interactions.
• Emissions Reduction: Innovative, low emissions, combustor concepts and technologies that will produce cleaner burning combustors to offset the increased NOx produced by the future, more fuel efficient engines with higher pressure ratios and temperatures. Novel combustion control approaches that will contribute to ultra-low levels of NOx production.
• Highly Loaded Turbomachinery: Revolutionary turbomachinery technologies for increased performance and efficiency that enable fuel burn (CO2 emissions) reductions of up to 15 percent. Inventive turbo-machinery technologies for lighter-weight, reduced-stage cores, low-pressure (LP) spools, and propulsors for high-performing, highly-efficient, and environmentally-compatible propulsion systems. Specifically, revolutionary concepts for significantly increased aero loading, trailing edge wake control, and higher cooling effectiveness. Innovative fan technologies that will reduce weight and increase efficiency while satisfying noise constraints.
• Revolutionary physics-based models for flow control, cooling, and particulate formation to understand the concepts and to design component hardware for rig test demonstrations of fan, core compressor, and HP/LP turbine systems.
• Materials and Structures for High Performance: Advanced high temperature materials that will enable high-performance, high efficiency, and environmentally compatible propulsion systems. Technologies for high temperature, highly durable, and lightweight materials and structures for engine systems.
• Propulsion-Airframe Integration (PAI): Development of advanced technologies to yield lower drag propulsion system integration with the airframe for a wide range of vehicle classes. Innovative tools that can aide the determination of optimum nacelle placement and optimum shaping to both the nacelle and the airframe to minimize drag. Inventive tools that can aide in active flow control.
• Intelligent Propulsion Controls: Revolutionary, autonomous, propulsion system designs which allow the control system, independent of pilot interaction, maximize performance across the particular mission profile while at the same time minimize environmental impact. Such a control system could also adjust system characteristics so as to maximize individual component life and, therefore, improve propulsion system life and safety.
• Technologies that include innovative, high temperature sensors that can measure gaseous emissions, exit gas temperatures, monitor combustion instabilities, as well as make noninvasive measurements of boundary layers to monitor separation.
• Inventive control logic to enable the minimization of combustor gaseous emissions, minimization of the combustion exit gas pattern factor, minimization of clearances between rotating and stationary hardware.

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