Performance Analysis and Optimization of a Gas Turbine Cycle Integrated with an Internal Combustion Wave Rotor

Abstract

In an effort to answer the current needs for more performing and energy efficient gas turbine engines, unsteady pressure gain devices are currently under great focus. This article describes the performance analysis of a novel turbine engine utilizing an internal combustion wave rotor. The performance of this engine is compared to that of a conventional engine, first using its original bypass ratio—fan pressure ratio configuration, and then an optimized configuration. The novel cycle engine is found to be more efficient, reducing specific fuel consumption by approximately 37 per cent for the non-optimized condition, whereas the optimized engine has a potential for reducing by about 40 per cent the fuel needed for a typical long-range aircraft mission. This high potential reduction in fuel consumption encourages more detailed studies based on more sophisticated models, taking into account cycle losses, emissions, and transient behaviours.

Performance experiments with a gas wave ejector equipped with curved channels and an analysis of the influence of channel angles

“…Currently, wave rotor technology has been successfully applied in the gas turbine top cycle, [9][10][11] gas expansion refrigeration cycle, [12][13][14] and some other elds. [15][16][17] As an important component of wave rotor technology, GWEs have been investigated by several scientic research institutions, as shown in Fig. 2.…”

Design of a Pulsing Flow Driven Turbine

“…Many researchers have shown that integrating pressure gain combustion (PGC) into gas turbine engines (GTEs) has the potential to increase GTE efficiency and reduce fuel consumption [1][2][3]. Petters and Felder [4] modeled a turbofan with an embedded PGC combustor.…”

“…This potentially counteracts the benefit of using PGC. While it is promising that PGC can be integrated into a gas turbine engine without a measurable decrement, the gains predicted by Jones and Paxson [5] and others [1][2][3][4] have not yet be realized. If the predicted gains cannot be realized, there is no reason to use PGC over conventional combustion technology.…”

Validation of a Numerical Quasi-One-Dimensional Model for Wave Rotor Turbines With Curved Channels

“…The application range for wave rotors outlined by literature is diverse. The bulk of early studies focused on pressure exchangers with straight passage profiles for gas turbine topping cycles [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] and supercharging devices for internal combustion engines [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. In recent years the application to refrigeration cycles [17][18][19] and pressure-gain combustors [20][21][22] has come into the focus of consideration.…”