A Cfd Assessment Of Engine Core Zone Casing Heat Transfer

A systematic CFD investigation was conducted to assess the core zone (CZ) casing heat transfer of a large civil aircraft engine. Three key engine operating conditions, maximum takeoff (MTO), cruise (CRZ) and ground idle (GI) were analyzed. Steady flows were assumed. Turbulence was simulated using the realizable k-epsilon model in conjunction with the scalable wall function. Buoyancy effect was taken into account. Radiation was calculated using the discrete ordinate (DO) model. It was shown that the forced convection heat transfer dominates in most of the casing surface in the core zone, and radiation is of second importance in general. However, in some areas where both convection and radiation heat transfer are weak but the latter is relatively greater in magnitude than the former, radiation heat transfer could thus become dominant. In addition, the overall impact of radiation on casing heat transfer increases from MTO to CRZ and GI conditions, as the strength of engine load decreases. The overall effect of buoyancy on casing heat transfer is small, but could be noticeable in some local areas where flow velocity is low. The insight into heat transfer features on the engine core zone casing supported by quantified CFD evidences is the first in the public domain, as far as authors are aware.