Flowpath Dimensions and Weight Estimate for an Advanced Open Rotor Engine

The open rotor engine has the characteristics of high propulsion efficiency of turboprop engines and high flight speed of turbofan engines, and is an ideal power unit for future civil single-aisle passenger aircraft. This study constructed a program framework for the flowpath dimensions and weight estimation method of the open rotor engine based on the object-oriented programming method, and established the flowpath dimensions and weight estimation model of the open rotor engine. The results show that the established open rotor engine flowpath dimensions and weight estimation model has a high calculation accuracy and can meet the calculation requirements of the design phase. Compared with turbofan engines of the same thrust level, open rotor engines are heavier and longer. The weight of the counter-rotating propfan accounts for 1/3 of the total engine weight. Therefore, although open rotor engines have obvious fuel advantages over turbofan engines, they also bring new problems to aircraft design and engine installation. Thanks to the shortened length of the entire engine, the weight and length of the pusher open rotor engine are both smaller than those of the puller open rotor engine.