An Enhanced Off-Design Performance Model for Single Stage Fans

Abstract

Modern high bypass turbofan engines have single stage fans with a low hub-tip radius ratio. The fan map is a very important element for off-design performance simulations. Such a map consists of tables with corrected mass flow, pressure ratio and efficiency for a range of corrected spool speeds. Applying the data read from a fan map to both the core and the bypass stream is inaccurate because the transonic flow field of the bypass stream is very different to the subsonic flow field of the core stream. A better approximation of reality is to use a hybrid map with total mass flow, bypass pressure ratio and efficiency. Constant factors are employed to derive the core stream pressure ratio and efficiency. For more accurate simulations two maps may be employed, one for the core and another one for the bypass stream. The total mass flow of the fan is the same in these two maps while pressure ratio and efficiency are different for the two streams. The data for each point in this so-called “Split Map” are valid for a pre-defined bypass ratio. This paper describes an alternative to the split map methodology which takes the variability of the bypass ratio into account in a different way. The hypothesis is that the overall fan performance is not affected by variations in bypass ratio. The fan performance map is completed by an additional table with core stream efficiency. This enhanced map is used as follows. When scaling the map, the bypass ratio as well as the pressure ratio and efficiencies for the core and bypass streams are known. Assumed values for fan tip speed, hub-tip radius ratio and fan inlet Mach number yield the core stream velocity triangle. The rotor blade exit flow angle from this triangle remains the same in all other operating conditions. The core flow velocity triangle analysis with known rotor blade exit angle yields the work done on the core stream during off-design. The pressure ratio is calculated from this work and the efficiency read from the core stream efficiency table mentioned above. Finally, the bypass stream pressure ratio and efficiency are calculated from the overall map and the core stream data applying the actual bypass ratio.