Numerical investigation of the effect of the opening mode on the pressure relief process of engine nacelle

Abstract

The pressure relief door (PRD) is a vital structure to ensure the safety and reliability of the engine. This paper established a zero-dimensional transient simulation mathematical model to study the plenum compartment pressure threshold and maximum opening angle effects on the nacelle pressure relief process under different opening modes. Then, a computational fluid dynamics model verified by experimental literature data was used to simulate the nacelle pressure relief process and to determine the influence of two different opening modes on the force and discharge characteristics of the PRD. The results of this study show that different opening modes strongly impact the nacelle pressure relief process. Reducing the nacelle compartment pressure threshold of the PRD opening can reduce the time required for the pressure relief process to reach the equilibrium stage. Reducing the maximum opening angle may increase the nacelle compartment pressure during the equilibrium stage. In addition, under the same nacelle compartment pressure thresholds and maximum opening angles, the pressure relief process under the vertical opening mode can reach a lower nacelle compartment pressure during the pressure relief equilibrium stage compared to that under the horizontal opening mode. Therefore, the vertical opening mode is better than the horizontal opening mode. This paper provides two lower calculation costs and high accuracy research models for studying the nacelle pressure relief process.