Propulsion system simulation

Design and optimize the complete internal combustion engine, including controls, and study integration with fuel injection subsystems, engine thermal management, electrical devices and powertrain components. You can also investigate alternative engine architectures and concepts.

Read about internal combustion engine system simulation

The Simcenter systems gas turbine solution allows you to assess the performance for a broad range of operating points, assess fuel consumption and study the impact of ambient conditions on thrust and power. Starting from a dedicated gas turbine performance tool, you can evaluate the on-design and off-design performance of multiple engines, such as single or multiple spool turbofans, turbojets and turboshafts. You can perform cycle parametric studies on engine configuration. And finally, the library allows you to simulate engine hybridization (adding an electric generator, a battery or a fuel cell) and how that might impact fuel consumption.

Control the operating temperature of gas turbine blades and extend their life. Understanding the cooling performance of the internal flow channels is critical to creating an optimal design. It is not practical to simulate all design options for channel designs in 3D. The 1D flow and thermal solvers provide upfront insight into the performance of the flow channels and heat transfer surfaces of a turbine blade.

Optimize the bleed air from the compressor for cooling the secondary air system of a gas turbine and improve the efficiency and performance of the engine. The advanced simulation capabilities provide the ability to get early insight into the flow characteristics in the cavities between rotor and stator and the minimum pressure and airflow required to minimize hot gas ingestion and maximize the life of the gas turbine.

Optimize the hydrodynamic performance of your ship propulsion system by simulating multiple powertrain configurations, such as conventional, hybrid or electric battery, under different scenarios. Integrate your engine model and controls into the full ship architecture to estimate fuel consumption and NOx emissions for different load cases. Find the right compromise between accuracy and simulation time by coupling your Simcenter system simulation model with data from CFD calculations.

Challenge the performance of your space propulsion system by analyzing its transient behavior, during start-up and shut-down for instance. Simcenter enables you to optimize the engine performance by assessing different architectures of the complete engine and by evaluating various technologies for the different subsystems, like actuators, or their electrification. You can develop advanced controllers relying on predictive engine models, and evaluate the performance along missions by coupling the propulsion system with flight dynamics.