And I couldn’t agree more as the post on How to create a quick gif in Matlab? is getting quite a lot of hits these days. So here’s one more animated gif for anyone and everyone who is interested to re-learn the nomenclature of a gas turbine blade.

Gas Turbine Blade Nomenclature

And if you are wondering about the title of the post, you should read this….

One of the differences between amateur and professional software development is whether you’re writing software for yourself or for someone else. It’s like the difference between keeping a journal and being a journalist.

People who have only written software for their own use have no idea how much work goes into writing software for others. You have to imagine a thousand things a user might do that you would never do. You have to decide which of these things you will accommodate, and which you will disallow. And when you decide to disallow an action, you have to decide how to do so while causing minimal irritation to the user.

If you develop software and are into engineering, I strongly recommend John’s blog.

The creation of Fortran may rank as the single most important event in the history of computer programming: Finally, scientists (and others) could tell the computer what they wanted it to do, without having to descend into the netherworld of machine code. Although modest by modern compiler standards—Fortran I consisted of a mere 23,500 assembly-language instructions—the early compiler was nonetheless capable of surprisingly sophisticated computations. As Backus himself recalls in a recent history of Fortran I, II, and III, published in 1998 in the IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, the compiler “produced code of such efficiency that its output would startle the programmers who studied it.”

Interestingly being in aeronautical/aerospace industry, I have encountered most of the algorithms listed there. Do read the PDF report and see how many of them you have encountered?

So very true.

So if you want to learn more about gas turbine thermal barrier coating, then the videos by the national academies at vimeo.com are awesome.

Thermal Barrier Coatings in Gas Turbine Engines: The role of Fracture of Metal/Ceramic Interfaces Part 3
by The National Academies

This videos are lectures delivered by Prof. John W. Hutchinson of Harvard University.

There are these three PowerPoints that I prepared along with my 2+ year old daughter. She loved making and using it. And along the way she learnt counting and about colours!!

Click on the pictures to download the slides.

These PowerPoint’s were prepared on a lazy Sunday in Derby while munching home made pizza!! Still remember the fun we had!!

Your presentation at ISABE 2011 in Gothenburg was entitled “Aero engines of the 21st century: evolution or revolution?”. Which will it be?

“The answer is both. We know what needs to be done to pursue the path that we have taken in the past and we are doing it: more efficient components, lighter and stronger materials. But when you recognise you’re reaching an asymptote, if you want to introduce more performance potential in your propulsion systems, there must be a revolutionary ingredient. Composite materials capable of engine stress and temperature levels are one example, moving to unducted architectures is another and there are others beyond that.”

Read the full interview at Aero Magazine [pdf]

What’s your view, will aero engine of 21st century be evolution or revolution?

One nice quote from the magazine

A technology or invention is not an innovation until it is on the market. Implementation is everything.

Also read..
The RB3025 Rolls-Royce future concept engine

And i found this good pdf titled understanding winglet technology [PDF]. Very good and easy to understand for a non technical person.

Have a read, 7 pages of simple explaination of the winglet technology. Worth a read if you are interested in airplane technology.

1. Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Phase-II
2. Naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA, Navy), Phase-I
3. Aero-engine Kaveri
4. Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) System
5. Long Range Surface- to-Air Missile (LR- SAM)

The following are some of the reasons for delay in completion of the above projects:-
(i) Ab-initio development of the state-of-the-art technologies.
(ii) Technical/technological complexities.
(iii) Non-availability of infrastructure/test facility in the country.
(iv) Non-availability of critical components/equipment/materials and denial of technologies by the technologically advanced countries.
(v) Enhanced user’s requirements or change in specifications during development.
(vi) Increase in the scope of work.
(vii) Non-availability of trained/skilled manpower.
(viii) Extended/long-drawn user trials.
(ix) Failure of some of the components during testing.
(x) Technology Denial Regimes.

This information was given by Minister of Defence Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Dr. K.P. Ramalingam and Shri Upendra Kushwaha in Rajya Sabha today.

Source: pib.nic.in

The reasons 3,5,6 and 8 are almost as if Mr. A K Anthony is talking about my teams projects.

The engine for Airbus’ new A350 XWB jetliner made its successful maiden flight on 18 February, 2012. Installed on the A380 flying testbed aircraft, the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB powerplant demonstrated its performance and fuel efficiency during an airborne evaluation of more than five hours.

Source: airbus

Read more about it here

And most efforts in this regards goes to getting newer materials and alloys.

In this light, I am following development of aluminum lithium.

A couple of days back one of my favorite aviation blog had a post on this very material. You can read the full post here.

Here’s an extract on aluminum lithium alloys from the post.

Lower the weight of an airplane by up to 10% vs. composite-intensive planes;

Lower the cost to manufacture, operate and repair planes by up to 30% vs. composite-intensive planes, and at significantly lower production risk;

Allow for a 12% increase in fuel efficiency, on top of the 15% from new engines; and deliver passenger comfort features equivalent to composite-intensive planes, such as higher cabin pressure, large windows and higher humidity.

If you are interested in this aluminum alloy which is increasing seeing uses in aircraft including the Rafale and space shuttle external tanks, read this PDF report.

And if you are interested in a short history of composites in civil aircraft then click the link below.

History of Composites in civil aircraft [PDF]

Today morning when nothing new turned up, I headed to Google. And Google led me to this pdf from the year 1987.

The pdf contains a lecture by Jean-Claude Hironde, Rafale program manager on design optimization for a family of multi role combat aircraft.

Rafale plays as the central protagonist in this fascinating report. The technical report uses design of multi-role combat aircraft design process as an example throughout the lecture.

It’s essentially a technical talk about the conception of Rafale, gives you an insight on what were the various design decisions made by the engineers when Rafale was still on paper. Fascinating stuff, if you don’t mind the rough, illegible  scanning job.

Must weekend read if you are interested in combat aircrafts!!

The Birth of Rafale [pdf]

Probably that’s why I choose gas turbine propulsion as the my specialization.

Yesterday a google search landed me to this MIT courseware on thermodynamics.

Instantly liked the content. A good resource for anyone who wants to self learn thermodynamics and propulsion.

Thermodynamics and propulsion

This is the start page of my browser now and I am using it to rekindle my back-to-basic goal!!

Back then we were doing engineering simulations and physical tests in tandem. We ran physical tests on the recuperator and tested micro gas turbine simultaneous as the simulation models ran in fluent and ansys.

As a new graduate then, every activity was fun and exciting.

Gas turbines are complex systems and engineering simulations are increasingly paying a vital role in their design and development.

Here’s how engineering simulations are helping.

Read the full 22 page report here [PDF].

It has aviation. Its about India’s Republic Day and it has one of my favorite bollywood number.

Takeoff to Bollywood! A Dance Crew surprises passengers after boarding of a Finnair flight to Delhi to celebrate India’s Republic Day on January 26th 2012.

Enjoy

Thanks finnair

Here’s a longer BBC documentary on Building of a Jumbo Jet Gas turbine Engine.

Just under 53minutes, this documentary goes behind the making of the most advanced aviation machines around.

So grab your popcorn. Sit back and enjoy!!

Happy Holidays!!

Blades and aerofoils are like atoms for the aerospace industry. They are everywhere.

With my back to basics theme of last month, I went back and reviewed the blade and it’s nomenclature.

This PowerPoint below explains the blade nomenclature of a blade. Posting it here in the hope that it might be helpful to someone.

download it from here

Here’s the video of the powerpoint, in case you do not like to download.

Update: Watch this in a better way with this animated Gif

The above report suggests that purely on technical terms, Eurofigher is ahead in MMRCA race.

“There are a number of cost and strategic considerations which still have to be looked at, but in purely technical terms, Eurofighter is ahead,”

The Eurofighter is more expensive than its competitors in upfront costs but the Typhoon consortium is confidant that it will be cheaper than it’s competitors over the life of it’s deployment.

The report adds “Winning the contract would be a jobs boost not just for BAE Systems’ Warton plant in Lancashire but also the Rolls-Royce factory in Bristol, where its EuroJet 200 engines are built. It would also benefit 300 small and medium enterprises throughout Britain.”

One can’t discount any of these. Each one is important.

The art of gas turbine design is to balance these 3 elements.

Ministry of defence is to open bids for medium range multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) contract on 4th November. Every eyes on the two fighters who will be battling it out for the lucrative contract of 126+ fighter planes from Indian army.

Eurofighter consortium has Typhoon, while French firm Dassault has Rafale.

Its the classic French Vs English fight and will be fought on little details.

Typhoon is powered by EJ200 gas turbine engine and Rafale with M88-2.

Here’s a head to head comparison between the two power plants.

Component wise, EJ200 has the advantage of lower HP compressor stages. But Ej200 is longer and heavier than M88-2.

Thrust wise EJ200 has more bang than M88-2. M88-2 beats Typhoon at fuel consumption.

M88-2 operates at higher turbine inlet temperature meaning less turbine life.

Each of this engine has their own advantage and disadvantage.  But ultimately the decision might be based on the offset than the technical.

All I can say is may the best Fighter win!!

Don’t forget to watch this Eurofighter Typhoon Vs Dassault video.

And Don’t forget to check the interesting discussion going on here

What’s your views?

Sources:

Het is heel moeilijk om kleine turbines te maken. Ontwikkelaars krijgen met extreme spanningen en temperaturen te maken  in rotors  en lagers. De wetten van de hydrodynamica blijken niet toepasbaasbaar voor  kleinere schaal.  Dus een een gasturbine met een vermogen van 1-15 kW die lange tijd meegaat, efficient in gebruik is en alle soorten brandstoffen kan opnemen, is nog ver van realiteit. Een energiecentrale  aan huis waarmee we ons eigen energie kunnen opwekken,  is precies wat we nodig hebben.

Ruim honderd jaar geleden vond de Zweedse ingenieur De Laval de stoomturbine uit. (alhoewel Mr. Parsons ook wat eer verdient). Om onbekende redenen richtten alle onderzoekingen zich daarna op de ontwikkeling van grote, ja zelfs enorme stoomturbines. Dat kwam vooral omdat  hele grote zuigerstoommachines die generatoren aandrijven, moeilijk  te fabriceren waren. Op dat moment beleefden we  net onze tweede industriele  revolutie; electriciteit.

Enorme geldbedragen en inspanningen  zijn de afgelopen eeuw uitgegeven aan  de ontwikkeling van verbrandingsmotoren (automobielindustrie), gasturbines (straalmotoren, vliegtuigbouwindustrie) en heel weinig aan stoomturbines.  Er zijn maar een handjevol fabrikanten van stoomturbines in de wereld.  Zij bouwen hoofdzakelijk grotere machines  Een bedrijf als Elliot maakt reclame voor kleine stoomturbines: van 500 kW en hoger!

Maar daarin  is nu verandering gekomen. Na vijf jaar onderzoek heeft het  bedrijf Green Turbine een micro stoomturbine ontwikkeld met een electrisch vermogen van 1-15 kW.  Hun 1 kW en 2,5 kW versies  werkende prototypes worden momenteel zorgvuldig getest. zie: www.microturbine.eu

De Green Turbine is niet alleen turbine, maar een compleet dichte turbogenerator. De turbine draait  30.000 toeren, een hoge snelheid  voor dit compacte model dat  licht in gewicht  is  (slechts 7 kg ).

Het nieuwe ontwerp (gepatenteerd)  is gemaakt van moderne materialen zoals kunstof en glassfiber en geeft daarmee uitstekende technische specificaties. De turbine  draait even zuinig als de stoomturbines met hogere kW’s . Vergeleken met gasturbines draait de Green Turbine  geruisloos. Een belangrijk element  is de lage temperatuur van de stoom; 200 graden. Genoeg voor afvalwarmte dus , een duidelijke  bron van energie. Het ontwerp leent zich goed voor lage produktiekosten.

Over de toepasbaarheid van Green Turbine, moet nog goed worden gebrainstormd.  Waar vinden we veel afvalwarmte? Auto’s! bijvoorbeeld. Laat Green Turbine draaien op de hitte van de motor van een hybride auto en bespaar minstens 20% aan branstof . Wat te denken van jachten en kleine schepen?

Micro wkk  (CV- ketels die stroom opwekken) is  ook een duidelijke toepassing.  Werkt beter dan een zware stirling-of gasmotor.

Zonne energie? Vang de zonnehitte op, maak stoom en de turbine draait. Gebruik de lage temperatuur om je huis of je zwembad te verwarmen.

En ja, de afvalwarmte van een brandstofcel of microgasturbine kan ook  de Green Turbine aandrijven. We zijn het kringetje rond.

• Dürre und Wasserkonflikte in Zentralasien, “ohne verstärkte internationale Hilfe wird es für alle Staaten der Region schwierig, den nächsten Winter heil zu überstehen”, so ein Weltbank-Experte. n-tv.de.

• “Mit dem Klimawandel rechnen” – eine optimistische andere Buchbesprechung (wir berichteten am 10. September über ein Lesevergnügen mit bösen Rechenfehlern) von Claudia Kemfert’s “Die andere Klima Zukunft, von Franz Alt, Sonnenseite.

• In Kürze:
“Klimastudie: Rhein droht im Sommer Niedrigwasser” – RP Online.
“Größte Gasturbine der Welt wird getestet” – Welt online über Technologie mit 60% Wirkungsgrad.

• Die Aktion Sponsor des Monats (hier zur Pressemitteilung), bewerben Sie sich bis 22. September.

Here’s are few salient points about the RB3025

The RB3025 concept is Rolls-Royce’s response to Boeing’s RFP on the 777X.

The engines builds on Trent 1000 and Trent XWB technology, but uses a Trent 1000-derived core, lean-burn combustor, composite fan and advanced materials in high-pressure elements of the core.

The RB3025 concept is rated at 99,500lb (440kN).

It has a 337cm (132in) fan diameter for the baseline 407-seat 777-9X, giving the power plant a bypass ratio of 12:1, and – according to Rolls-Royce – a “better than 10%” improvement in fuel burn over the GE90-115B engine and 15% better than its Trent 800.

David Nuttall says Rolls will take the next “year or two” of design work with Boeing to optimize the engine around the conceptual aircraft, requiring roughly six years ahead of a service entry to fully develop a new engine.

Rolls-Royce’s RB3025 engine concept provides a low specific thrust and “excellent” propulsive efficiency, says Nuttall, plus a 62:1 overall pressure ratio which would be the highest OPR in a commercial turbofan engine.

More stories on RB3025 available at the following links.

Boeing 777X Propulsion

Flightglobal magazine’s story on RB3025

Rolls-Royce steps up 3 shaft engine technologies

All Rolls-Royce stories at flightblogger blog