Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ACOC (Integrated Air Cooling Oil Cooled System)
Período documentado: 2018-07-16 hasta 2020-01-15
The development of aerospace heat exchanger technology stagnated for many years as designers and manufacturers were limited by the constraints of conventional manufacturing processes. However, the evolution of new processes such as high-speed machining and additive manufacturing are removing constraints imposed by conventional manufacturing processes and are enabling the design and manufacture of innovative heat exchangers. By utilising advanced manufacturing techniques such as high speed machining and additive manufacturing, aerospace heat exchangers can become smaller, lighter, and more efficient.
As technology has developed and the limitations of conventional manufacturing process are removed, the demand on aerospace thermal management products has increased rapidly. Thermal dissipation requirements have increased and space availability has decreased. Moreover, environmentally aware consumers and growing legislation are forcing aircraft manufacturers to develop quieter and more fuel efficient aircraft. These demands are driving products such as heat exchangers to become lighter, smaller, more efficient and easier to integrate within other systems of the aircraft. By increasing the efficiency of heat exchangers, aero-engine fuel efficiency will be improved which subsequently reduce the carbon footprint to benefit our society and help address environmental challenges today's generation face.
HS Marston Aerospace, a Collins Aerospace organisation, is one of the world’s leading suppliers in heat transfer and fluid management products for the military and commercial aerospace markets and electronics industries. The organisation boasts an impressive 275 year history and has provided aerospace products for over 100 years. Under the framework of the H2020 programme, HS Marston Aerospace set out to develop an innovative Air Cooled Oil Cooler heat exchanger for Safran Helicopter Engine’s TurboProp demonstrator. The objective was to deliver an innovative heat exchanger that utilised the freedom offered by advanced manufacturing techniques in order to help reduce overall system weight, reduce fuel consumption, and improve reliability and safety. Additionally, the project will aim to reduce waste material through the manufacturing process, decrease the development time of future products, and sustain engineering jobs within the European Economic Area.
As technology has developed and the limitations of conventional manufacturing process are removed, the demand on aerospace thermal management products has increased rapidly. Thermal dissipation requirements have increased and space availability has decreased. Moreover, environmentally aware consumers and growing legislation are forcing aircraft manufacturers to develop quieter and more fuel efficient aircraft. These demands are driving products such as heat exchangers to become lighter, smaller, more efficient and easier to integrate within other systems of the aircraft. By increasing the efficiency of heat exchangers, aero-engine fuel efficiency will be improved which subsequently reduce the carbon footprint to benefit our society and help address environmental challenges today's generation face.
HS Marston Aerospace, a Collins Aerospace organisation, is one of the world’s leading suppliers in heat transfer and fluid management products for the military and commercial aerospace markets and electronics industries. The organisation boasts an impressive 275 year history and has provided aerospace products for over 100 years. Under the framework of the H2020 programme, HS Marston Aerospace set out to develop an innovative Air Cooled Oil Cooler heat exchanger for Safran Helicopter Engine’s TurboProp demonstrator. The objective was to deliver an innovative heat exchanger that utilised the freedom offered by advanced manufacturing techniques in order to help reduce overall system weight, reduce fuel consumption, and improve reliability and safety. Additionally, the project will aim to reduce waste material through the manufacturing process, decrease the development time of future products, and sustain engineering jobs within the European Economic Area.
At the start of the project a benchmarking study of advanced manufacturing technologies was completed to identify areas where innovations could be realised within the design and manufacture of heat exchangers. A list of potential technologies were compared and ranked against conventional technologies to determine which technology could be exploited to improve the performance of a next generation heat exchanger. Advanced manufacturing technologies such as high speed machining and additive layer manufacturing were found to offer the most scope for increasing design and manufacturing freedom of heat exchangers.
Following this study, HS Marston Aerospace began the design of three ACOC heat exchanger concepts using different technologies. The first ACOC heat exchanger was designed as a ‘baseline’ and utilised conventional plate-fin technology. The second ACOC utilised ‘laminate’ technology where the heat exchanger is built up layer by layer using components produced by high speed machining and the final heat exchanger utilises additive manufacturing. The three design concepts were taken to Preliminary Design standard and evaluated to determine which heat exchanger technology would be most suitable for delivery onto Safran Helicopter Engine’s TurboProp demonstrator. Whilst the additive manufactured ACOC offered benefits over the other two ACOC concepts, the detailed design and qualification testing could not be completed in time to support the TurboProp demonstrator. Therefore, the laminate ACOC concept was selected as this technology still offered significant benefits over conventional technology. When compared to heat exchangers produced using conventional techniques, the laminate technology provides the opportunity to design ACOC’s with increased performance, reduced weight, and improved reliability.
A detailed design of the Laminate ACOC was completed. In parallel with this design activity, sub-scale prototypes were manufactured and a manufacturing review was held to ensure all risks and issues had been addressed prior to commencing the manufacturing of the Laminate ACOC heat exchangers. Following the completion of the manufacturing review and a Critical Design Review, six laminate ACOC heat exchangers were manufactured. The design reviews, risk reviews, and manufacturing reviews held between HS Marston Aerospace and its suppliers throughout the project lead to a successful manufacturing phase where all six Laminate ACOC’s were manufactured without issue. The qualification tests completed by HS Marston Aerospace were all passed first time and the Laminate ACOC’s installed on Safran HE’s TurboProp demonstrator have also run successfully!
Following this study, HS Marston Aerospace began the design of three ACOC heat exchanger concepts using different technologies. The first ACOC heat exchanger was designed as a ‘baseline’ and utilised conventional plate-fin technology. The second ACOC utilised ‘laminate’ technology where the heat exchanger is built up layer by layer using components produced by high speed machining and the final heat exchanger utilises additive manufacturing. The three design concepts were taken to Preliminary Design standard and evaluated to determine which heat exchanger technology would be most suitable for delivery onto Safran Helicopter Engine’s TurboProp demonstrator. Whilst the additive manufactured ACOC offered benefits over the other two ACOC concepts, the detailed design and qualification testing could not be completed in time to support the TurboProp demonstrator. Therefore, the laminate ACOC concept was selected as this technology still offered significant benefits over conventional technology. When compared to heat exchangers produced using conventional techniques, the laminate technology provides the opportunity to design ACOC’s with increased performance, reduced weight, and improved reliability.
A detailed design of the Laminate ACOC was completed. In parallel with this design activity, sub-scale prototypes were manufactured and a manufacturing review was held to ensure all risks and issues had been addressed prior to commencing the manufacturing of the Laminate ACOC heat exchangers. Following the completion of the manufacturing review and a Critical Design Review, six laminate ACOC heat exchangers were manufactured. The design reviews, risk reviews, and manufacturing reviews held between HS Marston Aerospace and its suppliers throughout the project lead to a successful manufacturing phase where all six Laminate ACOC’s were manufactured without issue. The qualification tests completed by HS Marston Aerospace were all passed first time and the Laminate ACOC’s installed on Safran HE’s TurboProp demonstrator have also run successfully!
At the start of the project it was expected that the ACOC would contribute to the delivery of a TurboProp demonstrator that achieved a reduction in system weight, reduced fuel consumption and improved fuel efficiency, reduced noise, and an improvement in reliability and safety. These impacts and objectives would be achieved by applying advanced manufacturing techniques to the ACOC. Furthermore, it was also expected that the project would sustain design and engineering jobs in high-value-added activities in Europe, reduction in the amounts of waste material, and a reduction in aircraft component development time. By delivering an innovative Laminate ACOC that successfully passed qualification testing and Safran HE’s ground engine test, the project has contributed to achieving all of the impacts listed above. As the manufacturing and testing of the Laminate technology was completed successfully throughout this project, the technology is now being presented to HS Marston’s customers for use on new platforms.