Automated Synthesis of Propulsion-Power-Thermal Architectures

ABSTRACT: To engineer the next generation of aerospace systems will require investigation into novel propulsion system architectures that are designed with consideration of the power and thermal management systems.This paradigm shift from the traditional watershed design process to an integrated systems design process will be enabled by the development of new early stage analysis and design tools.PC Krause and Associates (PCKA) proposes to develop a propulsion architecture rapid synthesis and evaluation (PARSE) tool.The PARSE tool will 1) automatically synthesize propulsion architectures, 2) evaluate performance of candidate architectures, and 3) searches the design space of potential architectures to identify the optimal architecture for a given mission and set of constraints.This will be accomplished by a 2 stage co-design process which optimizes both the architecture performance and architecture design.The advantage of this methodology is that it enables the comparison of different architectures on the basis of their best case performance.To overcome the long execution time of the 2 stage optimization, PCKA will utilize their FastSim and Distributed Heterogeneous Simulation tools to enable distributed computing.For Phase I of this proposal PCKA will develop the PARSE tool and demonstrate its effectiveness through a representative simulation case study.; BENEFIT: The near term commercial opportunities targeted by this SBIR are DoD agencies and prime contractors working on next generation aerospace system design.The PARSE tool offers several benefits, including (1) a systematic process for automatically synthesizing propulsion architectures, (2) a 2 stage co-design process which simultaneously optimizes the architecture design and operation, and (3) enhanced insight into why an architecture performs the best for a chosen mission and set of constraints.Together, these features will enable designers to find novel propulsion architectures that can satisfy mission requirements, as well as constraints imposed by the power and thermal management systems.In addition to the direct benefits to the DoD, there is potential for application, with minor adaptation, to other markets, such as NASA.