Turbofan

This project was a whitepaper design study that I did for myself to explore the potential of an ultra-high bypass turbofan engine with a hybrid combustion chamber.  For this project, I did a full-up thermal cycle analysis, CAD modeled all the components, and completed a first pass structural analysis of the parts using hand calculations and static FEA.This was an interesting project for me because it was the first fully analyzed engine that I designed, and, because it was only a design study, I could choose to go with potentially expensive design features that I normally would not be able to pursue.

The intent of the design was to develop an engine that could be used at extremely high altitudes intermittently for station keeping or low-thrust primary propulsion.  The combustion chamber assembly was designed to incorporate gaseous oxygen supplementation.  The engine was a two-spooled engine with the inner spool mounted to the underside of the bypass duct.  This layout would have allowed for easy core and combustion system modifications during the test program.

Michael Fuchs Hybrid Turbine Engine Study

The design intent of this engine was to develop a simple turbofan upgrade that could be added to a basic turbojet core that I previously developed.

This engine was built on the gas-generator core of my previous kerosene centrifugal turbojet.  I machined the aft fan out of a single alloy steel plate with a pressed in (and radially pinned) stainless steel inner turbine.  The furthest aft fan bearing assembly was total-loss water cooled with a small amount of pressurized water.

Overall, the engine ran well and worked as a two-spool turbofan.  At the end of testing, fan turbine thermal distortion caused the fan turbine and fan hub to separate causing fan imbalance.