IMPACT-AE · Intelligent Design Methodologies for Low Pollutant Combustors for Aero-Engines

The environmental benefits of low emissions lean burn technology in reducing NOx emissions up to 80% will only be effective when these are deployed to a large range of new aero-engine applications. While integrating and developing low emission combustion design rules, IMPACT-AE will deliver novel combustor design methodologies for advanced engine architectures and thermodynamic cycles. It will support European engine manufacturers to pick up and keep pace with the US competitors, being already able to exploit their new low emission combustion technology to various engine applications with short turn-around times. Key element of the project will be the development and validation of design methods for low emissions combustors to reduce NOx and CO emissions by an optimization of the combustor aero-design process. Preliminary combustor design tools will be coupled with advanced parametrisation and automation tools. Improved heat transfer and NOx models will increase the accuracy of the numerical prediction. The advanced representation of low emission combustors and the capability to investigate combustor scaling effects allow an efficient optimisation of future combustors targeting a cut of combustor development time by 50%. IMPACT-AE is split into four technical work packages: WP1‘Development of smart design methodologies for clean combustion’ as central WP to deliver the new methodology for combustor design, WP2’Modelling and design of advanced combustor wall cooling concepts’ for combustor liner design definition as key technology area, WP3’Technology validation by detailed flame diagnostics’ to substantiate fuel injector design rules implemented into the design methodology and WP4’Methodology demonstration for efficient low NOx combustors’ will validate the combustor design. The consortium consists of all major aero-engine manufactures in Europe, 7 universities and 3 research establishments with recognised experience in low emission combustion research and 10 SMEs.