Kord Technologies, Inc. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N171-034

Description

The development of a multi-physics particle library that adequately models solid to liquid transition exhibited by particles such as sand and volcanic glass is proposed. The effect of particle ingestion in aircraft and helicopter engines has negative impacts on their performance and durability that lead to multiple issues such as enhanced corrosion, build-up and eventual blockage of air pathways, and potential catastrophic failure. One particular problem that has been of recent interest is particle reactivity of sand and volcanic particles. Solid particles are already an issue due to the corrosion they cause to the surface and coatings of the engine blades. Due to the already high combustion temperatures and increasing engine temperatures in state of the art gas turbine engines, these particles can also melt and adhere to engine surfaces such as stators and rotors. High-fidelity simulations that accurately capture the flow and particle physics can greatly aid in the design processes of solving these problems. The proposed modular high-fidelity multi-physics tool can be integrated into a variety of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) software packages.