Course Catalogue

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The course presents the principles of gas turbine propulsion systems for aircraft. Throughout the course, the overall procedure and methodology for designing a propulsion device is presented, starting from the aircraft concept and the associated engine requirements, through to the performance analysis of the thermodynamic cycle and the aero-thermal design of the engine components.

2 lectures per week

1 studio/workshop session per week

Mandatory Entry Requirements

None

Recommended Entry Requirements

ENG2053-Thermodynamics 2; ENG3042-Propulsion & Turbomachinery (or equivalent).

None

None

50% Written Exam

50% Set Exercise: assignment to assess an engine design for a proposed aircraft

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The aims of this course are to:

■ provide an introduction to the overall design process for aerospace gas turbines from the initial concept based on the aircraft requirements through to meeting certification requirements;

■ introduce key aspects of the thermodynamic cycle design and performance characteristics of aerospace propulsion systems, including key design variables, parametric investigation of performance and off design analysis;

■ introduce key aspects of the design and limitations of aero-thermal components, including compressors, turbines and combustion systems.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ apply mathematical analysis to gas turbine thermodynamic systems, rigorously and accurately;

■ describe and apply the basic measures of performance for aerospace gas turbine engines and evaluate aircraft mission criteria to determine the appropriate propulsion configuration;

■ describe and apply the overall design process for a gas turbine from initial concept to testing for certification;

■ calculate the necessary performance requirements for the propulsion system from the aircraft mission criteria and describe the key factors and parameters that determine and influence the overall engine design and performance;

■ complete a detailed analysis of the thermodynamic cycle of a modern aerodynamic gas turbine to meet specific performance requirements and apply the appropriate analysis procedure to optimise the thermodynamic cycle and engine configuration for both design and off-design conditions;

■ evaluate the aero-thermal design of the turbomachinery components (compressors; turbines) and elucidate the associated design problems and limitations of these components.

Students must attend the degree examination and submit at least 75% by weight of the other components of the course's summative assessment.