Small Heavy Fuel Engine Development Activities that Successfully Led to Goal Performance Accomplishment in Full Engine Testing

This paper covers methodologies used by Honeywell to demonstrate technologies and achieve the performance and cost goals that culminated in the successful completion of the Small Heavy Fuel Engine program as part of the Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engine Turboshaft/Turboprop Phase I engine class. The following points are discussed: a concurrent engineering approach which reduced technical and schedule risk; the use of analytical Design of Experiments in conjunction with advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics models to minimize test time; a test methodology that reduced test risk by utilizing mechanical checkout testing to work out test cell integration issues and light-off/start schedules; the use of uncooled high pressure turbine blades and nozzle vanes to advance the mechanical checkout test schedule; and, the use of a simulated PT shaft to save cost and schedule by enabling back-to-back core-full engine testing.