Variable-Fidelity Toolset for Dynamic Thermal Modeling and Simulation of Aircraft Thermal Management System (TMSs)

ABSTRACT: The primary objective of the proposed effort is to develop a variable-fidelity transient thermal management toolset. Particular emphasis will be given to vapor cycle components with two phase flow analysis capability in the Phase I with expansion to additional components and hardware validation in the Phase II. The toolset will be designed in a modular, drag and drop library in Matlab/Simulink. Components will be modeled from first principles and performance maps with underlying physics being transient for relevant system states. Upon completion of the thermal management component models, an example system will be modeled to verify the approach. Various control strategies will be implemented as a proof-of-concept demonstration of the toolset. Documentation will be provided through html help files integrated directly with the Matlab/Simulink help file system. BENEFIT: As cooling concepts on-board present/future military aircraft continue to advance, the need for dynamic vapor cycle system analysis is apparent. The direct benefit of the Phase I effort will be the development of a variable-fidelity transient thermal management toolset capable of analyzing dynamic vapor compression cycles including two phase flow. The toolset will provide the Air Force and aerospace community with the diverse, robust, and accurate analysis capability needed to investigate present/advanced cooling designs of military aircraft. A proof-of-concept study using a real hardware system will provide the necessary verification of the tool to justify transition into a Phase II and beyond.