Performance and Emission Analysis of Aircraft Engines Under Realistic Conditions ^†

The impact of the aviation sector on the Earth’s atmosphere and climate is not limited to the effects of CO${}_2$ emissions generated by the combustion of hydrocarbon-based fuel in an aircraft engine. It is complemented by other combustion products and non-CO${}_2$ emissions, such as CO, NO${}_{\mathrm{x}}$, unburnt hydrocarbons (UHCs), and soot, as well as the formation of condensation trails (contrails) as a result of emitted H${}_2$O and condensation nuclei. To evaluate the overall atmospheric impact of an aircraft mission, it is necessary to model the aero engine and the combustion chamber in context with the atmospheric conditions over the course of the flight trajectory. Following that rationale, this paper presents the novel multidisciplinary `Modeling and System analysis of Aero Engines’ (MSAE) platform, aiming to evaluate the emission products over the flight trajectory with realistic atmospheric and operative boundary conditions. MSAE comprises an ambient condition model, an aircraft operating model, an aero engine performance model, and a combustion chamber model. The functionality of the individual models as well as their interconnections are demonstrated using the example of an Airbus A320 powered by an International Aero Engines V2500-A1 turbofan engine. Non-CO${}_2$ emissions, including CO, NO${}_{\mathrm{x}}$, UHC, and soot emission indices, can be predicted at a selected operating point. Furthermore, an evaluation of contrail formation for both annually averaged and intraday ambient conditions is conducted, showing the benefit of considering ambient conditions in a finer temporal resolution. The results show the functionality of the presented MSAE platform and the necessity of performance and emission analysis under realistic conditions.