EVA: A Tool for EnVironmental Assessment of Novel Propulsion Cycles

Abstract

This paper presents the development of a tool for EnVironmental Assessment (EVA) of novel propulsion cycles implementing the Technoeconomical Environmental and Risk Analysis (TERA) approach. For nearly 3 decades emissions certification and legislation has been mainly focused on the landing and take-off cycle. Exhaust emissions measurements of NOx, CO and unburned hydrocarbons are taken at Sea Level Static (SLS) conditions for 4 different power settings (idle, descent, approach and take-off) and are consecutively used for calculating the total emissions during the ICAO landing and take-off cycle. With the global warming issue becoming ever more important, stringent emissions legislation is soon to follow, focusing on all flight phases of an aircraft. Unfortunately, emissions measurements at altitude are either extremely expensive, as in the case of altitude test facility measurements, or unrealistic, as in the case of direct in flight measurements. Compensating for these difficulties, various existing methods can be used to estimate emissions at altitude from ground measurements. Such methods, however, are of limited help when it comes to assessing novel propulsion cycles or existing engine configurations with no SLS measurements available. The authors are proposing a simple and fast method for the calculation of SLS emissions, mainly implementing ICAO exhaust emissions data, corrections for combustor inlet conditions and technology factors. With the SLS emissions estimated, existing methods may be implemented to calculate emissions at altitude. The tool developed couples emissions predictions and environmental models together with engine and aircraft performance models in order to estimate the total emissions and Global Warming Potential of novel engine designs during all flight phases (i.e. the whole flight cycle). The engine performance module stands in the center of all information exchange. In this study, EVA and the described emissions prediction methodology have been used for the preliminary design analysis of three spool high bypass ratio turbofan engines. The capability of EVA to radically explore the design space available in novel engine configurations, while accounting for fuel burn and global warming potential during the whole flight cycle of an aircraft, is illustrated.