Subscale-model and full-scale engine mixed-flow exhaust system performance comparison

Abstract

A full-scale engine test of the NASA/General Electric Company (GE) Energy Efficient Engine (E) was conducted to demonstrate the E engine concept and evaluate its performance. The test program, performed at the GE outdoor engine test facilities in Peebles, Ohio, included a detailed evaluation of the total pressure and temperature profiles at the exit of the mixed-flow exhaust system to determine its mixing effectiveness. Subscale model tests of the same mixed-flow exhaust system had been previously conducted at FluiDyne Engineering Corporation in Minneapolis as part of the GE E mixer aerodynamic technology development program. The scalemodel and full-scale engine nozzle exit survey data and the calculated mixing effectiveness are compared and discussed. The results indicate the effectiveness of the full-scale engine mixing to be 5% higher than that of the scale model as a result of a geometric difference and higher turbulence levels in the engine exhaust flowfield.