On the Water Enhanced Turbofan Concept: Part B - Flow Path and Mass Assessment

Abstract

Aviation is responsible for a growing portion of global greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change. The Water-Enhanced Turbofan (WET) is a promising concept for reducing the climate impact of aviation in terms of CO2 and Non-CO2 effects. The innovative thermodynamic cycle with a quasi-closed water circuit increases overall efficiency and reduces emissions. However, one challenge is the size and mass of the propulsion system in terms of installation and fuel burn penalties. This work deals with the estimation of the flow path and system mass on conceptual level. A comparison is made between a WET and a conventional geared turbofan architecture to assess the difference in integration space and mass. Compared to a geared turbofan architecture, the model predictions for the WET concept show an increase of only 36 % in engine length and 84 % in bare engine mass. These conceptual design results indicate that the WET concept could be feasible in terms of integration space and system mass. Additionally, the impact of the bypass ratio and overall pressure ratio on dimensions, mass and fuel burn are discussed.