Improving processes through new solutions

Several aerospace companies have implemented new engineering software products into their work processes to improve efficiency and productivity.

In an effort to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions, engineers at the NASA Glenn Research Center have begun developing a new swirler device for jet engines. The swirler mixes fuel and air within the engine to optimize combustion. To develop the swirler, engineers are using a NASA-developed code, called the National Combustion Code (NCC), along with Pro/ENGINEER CAD/CAM software, a CFDGEOM mesh generator for creating solid models, and an EnSight Gold high-end visualization tool. The NCC is better suited for turbulence testing than normal CFD code because it includes features designed specifically for the task, including a massively parallel flow solver, advanced chemistry modules, unstructured grids, and turbulence-chemistry models that depict how the air and fuel mixture affects chemical reaction rates.

Concern over aircraft engine emissions has been slowly mounting over the last several years, while efforts to improve fuel efficiency have been prompted by operators seeking to reduce costs. The new swirler design, called a Lean Direct Injection Combustion System, lowers NOx, the principal pollutant from jet fuel, by 50 to 70%. Lower NOx emissions are the result of a smaller recirculating flow field within the combustion system. The flow fields are analyzed through simulations depicting the turbulence within a 3-D swirler prototype.