Design of a Rich Internet Application for Gas Turbine Engine Simulations

Abstract

Modeling the performance and emissions characteristics of gas turbine engines can involve sequentially solving multiple thermodynamic states of a representative fluid flowing through the engine, evaluating cycle performance, and evaluating the chemical equilibrium of the fluid at select states. The states are defined by the combination of specified thermodynamic conditions, process assumptions derived from established theory of gas turbine engines, and thermodynamic properties of the representative fluid. Internet based applications such as TEST allow experienced analysts to structure and evaluate thermodynamic models of gas turbine engines and separately evaluate the chemical equilibrium of air-fuel mixtures to predict exhaust emissions. Although the TEST thermodynamic and chemical equilibrium data retrieval is automated, analysts are required to first structure the system model. The Internet based software described in this paper allows analysts to combine the modeling of performance and emissions characteristics of gas turbine engines without the need to first structure a model, broadening the range of potential analysts beyond the thermodynamic and chemical equilibrium communities. The software presented in this work combines a visually rich and Internet based interface to input specifications and display results, a communication mechanism to obtain Internet based thermodynamic and chemical equilibrium data, and a solution architecture to autonomously interpret user inputs and Web based data and model engine parameters. This software also allows analysts to modify the model complexity, accounting for irreversibilities and auxiliary devices such as regenerators, reheaters, and intercoolers as required. Data reduction features such as graphical representation of parametric studies and combustion product distribution are also available within the software.