Innovative Compressor/Fan Technologies for Reduction of Fossil Fuel Consumption

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Due to their high power density, turbomachinery compressors and fans will continue to play a major role in energy intensive applications such as aircraft propulsion and climate control. The proposed research in aerodynamics extends three boundaries of compressor and fan technology for reducing fossil fuel consumption in these two areas to address global warming.   The first boundary is stage pressure ratio. A modern aero-engine compressor has a lot of stages for adequate engine pressure ratio. A new counter-rotating non-axial compressor concept patented by the applicant can double the highest achievable pressure rise per stage. The impact would be a radically new, simpler and shorter aero-engine architecture with very few compression stages and potentially 20% lower fuel consumption. Initial studies showed that the high relative inlet flow velocity and short blades of the counter-rotating rotor cause high losses from shocks and tip clearance flow. The proposed research will develop and assess aerodynamic solutions through CFD simulations to address these issues for the concept to work.   The second boundary is fan operation under highly non-uniform inlet flow for a new aircraft architecture called boundary layer ingestion (BLI) that can reduce fuel consumption by 11%. In BLI aircraft, the engines ingest and accelerate the aircraft boundary layer fluid to partially cancel the aircraft's wake for drag reduction. The ingestion of such non-uniform flow causes significant aerodynamic force fluctuation on the fan blades, compromising their structural integrity/longevity, and reduces fan performance and operating envelope. The applicant invented a patentable aerodynamic device upstream of the fan to resolve these issues. After a promising initial assessment, new studies aim to significantly increase the device's effectiveness through 3D shape optimization with numerical simulations and to experimentally validate it.   The third boundary is small mass flow rate that translates into small blades and high rotating speed for turbomachinery compressors, making them uncompetitive relative to volumetric compressors for use in residential heat pumps (HP) despite their much higher efficiency. A novel and patentable centrifugal compressor concept with a special impeller has been proposed by the applicant that combines very low-cost with high efficiency. Flow structures associated with the new impeller causes high losses in the diffuser, limiting the efficiency advantage. The proposed research will devise and numerically assess new diffuser designs to optimize this concept and test a prototype. If successful, the new concept will enable an expansion of HP utilization to cut fossil fuel usage in residential heating.   The proposed research can provide a large competitive edge for Canada's aerospace industry by developing breakthrough aviation technology and highly skilled HQP, as well as help Canada meet its greenhouse gas emissions reduction commitments.