A Probabilistic Evaluation of Turbofan Engine Cycle Parameters for a Mach 1.8 Interceptor Aircraft 2003-01-3056

A supersonic engine for a high Mach interceptor mission is modeled, and the requirements for the engine at different flight conditions are discussed. These include low fuel consumption at a non-afterburning supersonic dash Mach number for interception, and high thrust, both afterburning and non-afterburning, at a high subsonic Mach number for combat engagement. In addition, the engine should have low frontal area and low weight for a given sea level thrust rating. For the design point, the sea level static, standard day non-afterburning thrust is fixed at 20,000 lbs. The primary independent parameters varied in the study are fan pressure ratio, overall pressure ratio, turbine inlet temperature, throttle ratio, and extraction ratio.

A design of experiments (DoE) is set up to vary the independent parameters to produce a meta-model for engine performance, geometry and weight. A simulation environment is established using this meta-model, and a probabilistic analysis is conducted to establish the probability of achieving specified values for performance, weight and frontal area.