Brayton Cycle Analysis of the Effect of Wake Ingestion on Aircraft Range

Abstract

The effect of wake ingestion on the propulsive efficiency of turbojet and turbofan engines has been examined to determine the effect of wake ingestion on jet aircraft range. In a new approach, the Brayton turbine cycle was analyzed to show how wake ingestion affects the thrust and specific fuel consumption of jet engines. It is argued that it is not necessary to add an expression for propulsive efficiency to the Breguet range equation, because the thrust-specific fuel consumption is an explicit function of the inlet Mach number. It is concluded that wake ingestion does not increase the aircraft’s maximum range because it reduces the engine’s maximum thrust.