Optimized thermodynamic cycle design of low infrared turbofan engine with central cone film cooling system

An innovative method for rapid calculation of engine infrared signatures was proposed and integrated into the component-level model. Subsequently, the multiple-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm was utilized to optimize the infrared characteristics and fuel economy under the constraint of constant thrust during high-altitude penetration state. According to the Pareto solution sets, the exhaust system’s infrared radiation intensity decreased by 6 % to 23 % compared with the baseline engine while keeping the fuel consumption rate unchanged. When designing thermodynamic cycle parameters, a higher pressure ratio is beneficial for reducing infrared characteristics. The combination of high bypass ratio and high turbine inlet total temperature would strike a compromise between fuel economy and low infrared performance. Reducing the bypass ratio and turbine inlet total temperature while decreasing the nozzle throat area would further decrease the infrared radiation intensity of the exhaust system, but also lead to an increase in infrared radiation from jet flow, while enlarging the nozzle throat area would have the opposite effect. These findings have important implications for the development of more efficient designs and contribute to the advancement of thermal management.