Coupled Multi-physics Analysis and Design Optimization of nozzles (COMANDO)

The US Navy faces daunting energy challenges that will further increase in severity, given the ever-increasing global demand for energy, diminishing energy supplies and demand for enhanced environmental stewardship. Additionally, noise is an important issue for the Navy due to the adverse effect it has on personnel and communities around naval air bases and training sites. Military combat aircraft are designed to use high thrust engines with low bypass ratios and afterburners. All these factors lead to greater pressure mismatch at the exit of exhaust nozzles that accelerate noise generation. This provides an opportunity to streamline nozzle design to attain improved efficiency and reduced noise. Hence, IAI is developing COMANDO, a tool for high-fidelity multi-physics based analysis and design optimization framework for advanced exhaust systems. COMANDO combines state of the art nozzle flow modeling techniques and multi-disciplinary optimization under a high performance computing environment to analyze design advanced nozzles. In Phase I, we have proven the feasibility of the approach by developing disciplinary analyses for aerodynamics and structures, coupling them efficiently, and developing a stand-up optimization architecture. In Phase II, we will continue to develop these methods and add acoustic and propulsion system analyses; and develop the full-fledged COMANDO prototype.