Exergy Balance Extension to Rotating Reference Frames: Application to a Propeller Configuration

Abstract

The exergy analysis has already proved to be of interest for aerospace applications, with the possibility to analyze new types of configurations. It is of particular interest when a pertinent thrust/drag breakdown is not possible and when significant thermal exchanges take place in the control volume. In addition, this method allows to link the different contributions of the exergy terms to physical phenomena in the flow, improving the understanding of the sources of losses degrading the performance of the system under study. The applications and results obtained in a fixed frame of reference have thus motivated the improvement and extension of the exergy balance to more complex flows. This paper aims at presenting an extension of the exergy balance to rotating frames of reference for the analysis of rotating components of the propulsion system (e.g. propeller, turbomachine or helicopter rotor blades). The newly developed theoretical development is summarized, and an application to a numerical simulation of a propeller is presented. Results are discussed in terms of both physical interpretation and numerical accuracy.