Design and Test of a Semi-Passive Flow Control Device for Inlet Distortion Suppression

Advanced turbine engines often operate with reduced stability margin to increase performance. Aircraft engine temperature and pressure inlet distortion have a major effect upon the stability of the compression system. Suppression of inlet distortion can provide a greater stability margin for the engine, thereby reducing operability restrictions on the engine by allowing closer operation to the stability limit. SMI has designed and tested a semi-passive distortion suppression system. The system uses flow injection to modify temperature and pressure inlet distortion. The prototype system was tested on a Honeywell T55 compressor rig. This paper presents both the design of the system and the test results. The test results show that this semi-passive distortion suppression system was able to reduce the surge margin degradation caused by the presence of pressure or temperature distortion. Special design considerations for this type of system are discussed, based upon the results of the prototype test. It is shown that distortion control can be a viable addition to the design of an aircraft engine.