Steady State Simulation Program of Aero-Engine Thermal Management System

In order to study the aero-engine thermal management systematically, a steady state simulation program is developed based on the Python language. Through the analysis of the mass and energy transmission characteristics, the overall system can be divided into four subsystems: the main flow channel subsystem (including the compressor, the combustor, the turbine and etc.), the fuel subsystem, the lubricating oil subsystem and the air subsystem. And there is a strong coupling of the working parameters between these four subsystems. The control equations of the flow and heat transfer of each subsystem are established based on the mass conservation principle, the momentum conservation principle and the energy conservation principle. Further, the efficient solving algorithms of the subsystems are proposed, which can guarantee the accuracy and convergency of the solutions. With the joint simulation of these four subsystems, the steady state operating parameters of the whole aero-engine thermal management system can be obtained. The accuracy of the steady state simulation program is validated by the experimental results of an actual turbofan engine. The calculation process can provide some ideas for the subsequent software development.