Multiscale Software Tool for Controls Prototyping in Supersonic Combustors

The project objective is to develop an integrated, hierarchical design tool for simulation of unsteady flows and prototyping of flow control strategies in high-speed combustors. An advanced simulation environment will be used to allow full accounting of the interaction of sensor-controller-actuator-combustor dynamics, in an active flow control loop. Combustor subcomponents such as sensors and actuators will be modeled using high accuracy reduced scale component models (RSCM) capable of reproducing the salient dynamics of their full-scale counterparts. Phase I research has resulted in a preliminary version and a functional framework for a virtual prototyping software environment of sensor-controller actuator systems for general flow control. We have demonstrated the feasibility of the concept of performing mixed-level, dynamic system flow and control analysis including the dynamics of sensor, controller and actuator response. Phase II work will focus on generalization of the proposed methodologies with emphasis on further controller improvements, system-based dynamics and hardware development. A drag-and-drop GUI containing a comprehensive sub-components software library will be finalized. The design tool will be validated on flow/combustion control for a selected combustor systems and mission profiles of interest to the Air Force. A hardware prototype will be built to Air Force Specification and tested at their facilities.