Stage de master

ICARE project: Innovative Concept of Airframe

integRated Engine
Europe faces a formidable challenge in reducing both energy consumption and pollutant emissions.
The improvement of pure fuel-based propulsive systems approaches its limits (in terms of thermal and
propulsive efficiencies). The integration of the propulsive system also faces some limitation due to the
business organization itself: by considering the engine as equipment, the capabilities of integration
within the aircraft are limited, resulting in additional drag losses.

The project ICARE proposes to investigate the design of a hybrid (turboelectric) propulsive system,
with a particular care to the integration of engines within the airframe, see Fig. 1(a). The advantage of
such architecture is to combine very high thermal efficiency (one big gas turbine to generate
electricity) and high propulsive efficiency (high bypass ratio due to largely distributed propulsion).
Indeed, the project targets an ambitious reduction by 40% of the fuel consumption for a generic short-
range single aisle aircraft (e.g. A320 Neo). Two kind of propulsive systems will be studied: 1) a ultra
high-by pass ratio engine, moderately integrated in the airframe, consisting in a mechanical
transmission with up to three fans per engine and 2) a fully integrated engine with a single gas turbine
producing the electric power to run a large number of fans (more than 10) corresponding to a
massively distributed propulsive system.

However, embedded turbofans, located within the airframe, are subject to boundary layers ingestion,
resulting in potential additional penalty on the fan efficiency. The aim of the training is thus to study
integration effects in a configuration as shown in Fig. 1(b). Numerical simulations based on 3D
Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations will be used to study the effect of parameters such as
boundary layer thickness and momentum on the fan efficiency. The trainee should demonstrate the
feasibility of such innovative concepts and propose optimized integrated designs.

Candidate: engineer school and/or Master with a background on fluid dynamics and aeronautics. Good
skills in numerical simulation, turbomachinery and/or aerodynamics are assets. The trainee will be
integrated in the Department of Aerodynamics, Energetics and Propulsion of ISAE. A good capability
to work in a multidisciplinary team will be necessary. She (he) will have in charge the valorisation of
her (his) work through reports, scientific papers for conference and/or journals and oral presentations.
Meeting with industrial partners (Airbus and Snecma) are expected.

Contacts:Sbastien.Duplaa@isae.fr(0561198926)andNicolas.Gourdain@isae.fr(05.61.33.92.55)

Fig. 1: Overview of (a) AIRBUS advanced aircraft design with turboelectric propulsive system
and (b) airframe-integrated propulsive system with boundary layer ingestion.