Boundary Layer Ingestion Intakes

Designing aeroengines based on Boundary Layer Ingestion (BLI) shows promising potential for both increased engine efficiency and reduced aircraft drag, thus significantly decreasing fuel consumption. However, the peculiarities of the boundary layer flow (significant distortion and swirl) introduce a challenge to the design of the aeroengine components (fans etc.). Thus, an intake design optimized to straighten the swirling flow is an important addition towards the feasibility of a BLI aeroengine.

In LFMT, BLI intakes are investigated experimentally. Specific attention is paid to the setup of a test rig for pressure measurements, accompanied by appropriate instrumentation and the calibration thereof.

Then, the following aspects are investigated:

• Characterization of BLI aeroengine intakes.
• Effects of S-shaped geometries.
• Effects on overall performance.