AMBEC was a multidisciplinary project based on a combination of extensive experimental studies and advanced numerical simulation. Therefore, the AMBEC team was particularly focused on the planning and implementation of the following technical activities.
• Development of a comprehensive test matrix to study flow distribution and heat transfer phenomena in the bearing chamber in a hot environment. This matrix specified parameters like oil and air flow rates, temperature, rotation speed, and chamber wall roughness, outlining 129 test points.
• Design, manufacturing and commissioning a test vehicle and test bench for conducting planned multi-parametric studies. Special attention was given to selecting appropriate instrumentation for temperature, oil-air mixture flow rate, and oil film thickness measurements, crucial for understanding multiphase processes in the bearing chamber. Manufacturing of the test vehicle and bench components started in October 2019, with the AMBEC test bench becoming operational in June 2021.
• Development of the methodology able to reliably predict the heat transfer phenomena and the fluid flow distribution in the aero-engine bearing chambers. In this regard, a wide range of studies on multiphase flow characteristics and heat transfer phenomena in the bearing chamber were analysed; advanced two-phase modelling of thermal and hydraulic processes in the bearing chamber and a deep analysis of the modelling results and test data were carried on. As a result, an understanding of the physical phenomena in the bearing chamber and the methodology adaptation were achieved.
• Running an intensive experimental campaign in line with the developed test matrix and using the test vehicle and rest bench produced to generate the data for validating numerical simulations and refining the AMBEC methodology. Unfortunately, only 80% of planned test points were studied due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and AMBEC test vehicle damage by the Russian missile attack.
Thanks to these activities, the following project results were generated:
• State-of-the-art experimental facility for bearing chamber processes studies
• Understanding of physical phenomena in bearing chamber that depend on geometrical and operation parameters
• Experimentally-validated methodology able to calculate heat transfer processes and fluid distribution in different zones of bearing chamber.
Project results were disseminated at international conferences (11th EASN Virtual International Conference, ASME Turbo Expo 2021, ASME Turbo Expo 2020, XXV International Congress of Propulsion Engineering) and in three peer-reviewed publications in conference proceedings (open access provided by the publisher or via Zenodo repository). All project publications are stored on the project website (www.ambec.eu).
Project results will be further exploited by the AMBEC Topic Manager (SAFRAN) for the development and TRL5-6 maturation of the Ultra high propulsive efficiency (UHPE) Demonstrator in the frame of Clean Sky 2 Engines ITD. Also, they will be exploited by the AMBEC partners for their business activities development (Ivchenko and Motor Sich) and further internal, contractual or publicly funded research (KhAI).
