Numerical Modelling of Aerospace Propulsion

A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310). This special issue belongs to the section "Aeronautics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 940

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
CFD Team, Mineral Resources, CSIRO (The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), Private Bag 10, Clayton South, VIC 3169, Australia
Interests: metallurgy flows; multiphase flows; mixing flows; combustions; explosions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advancements in computational technology and propellant combustion modeling are making simulations of propulsion systems for aircraft and rockets increasingly feasible. However, large-scale, detailed simulations of propulsion are necessary to provide designers with critical information about the propulsion system components early in the design process within design environments. This Special Issue, titled Numerical Modelling of Aerospace Propulsion, aims to advance numerical modeling for aerospace propulsion systems to reduce the time required to analyze these systems and facilitate more efficient propulsion designs. We are seeking research on numerical algorithms, computational fluid dynamics, efficient computational approaches, and physics-based combustion models for gas, liquid, and solid propellants in modeling propulsion. Works on numerical-aided designs and novel propulsion system designs are also welcome.

Dr. Thien Xuan Dinh
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • propulsion modelling algorithms
  • combustion modelling of gas/liquid/solid propellant
  • computational fluid dynamics for propulsion
  • numerical-aid-design propulsion
  • open-source code for propulsion

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

31 pages, 4893 KB  
Article
Improvements in Robustness and Versatility of Blade Element Momentum Theory for UAM/AAM Applications
by Myungsik Tai, Wooseung Lee, Dahye Kim and Donghun Park
Aerospace 2025, 12(8), 728; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12080728 - 15 Aug 2025
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Abstract
This study proposes an improved formulation of the blade element momentum theory (BEMT) to enhance its robustness and versatility for urban/advanced air mobility (UAM/AAM) applications. A new velocity factor was introduced to eliminate numerical singularity issue under low inflow velocity conditions. The BEMT [...] Read more.
This study proposes an improved formulation of the blade element momentum theory (BEMT) to enhance its robustness and versatility for urban/advanced air mobility (UAM/AAM) applications. A new velocity factor was introduced to eliminate numerical singularity issue under low inflow velocity conditions. The BEMT framework was further extended and modified to account for non-axial inflow and descent flight conditions. The proposed approach was validated for an isolated propeller case by comparing the results with wind tunnel test data and the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based on both the overset mesh and sliding mesh methods. The improved BEMT provided reliable accuracy even in low inflow velocity conditions where basic BEMT fails to converge, and yielded reasonable performance predictions with respect to the sliding mesh results. The practicality of the method was confirmed through further application studies such as analyzing on the tilt propeller of single-seated UAM along its mission profile and constructing a propeller performance database for the lift and propulsion propellers of a lift and cruise type 5-seated UAM. The improved BEMT exhibited satisfactory engineering-level accuracy for various flight conditions, with prediction errors within 14% of the CFD results. The results and observations indicate that the proposed BEMT framework is suitable for use in the early design stages, performance analysis, and construction of a performance database, for distributed propulsion aircraft, such as eVTOL and UAM/AAM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical Modelling of Aerospace Propulsion)
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25 pages, 7850 KB  
Article
A Novel Curve-and-Surface Fitting-Based Extrapolation Method for Sub-Idle Component Characteristics of Aeroengines
by Yibo Cui, Tianhong Zhang, Zhaohui Cen, Younes Al-Younes and Elias Tsoutsanis
Aerospace 2025, 12(6), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12060538 - 14 Jun 2025
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Abstract
The component characteristics of an aeroengine below idle speed are fundamental for start-up process simulations. However, due to experimental limitations, these characteristics must be extrapolated from data above idle speed. Existing extrapolation methods often suffer from insufficient utilization of available data, reliance on [...] Read more.
The component characteristics of an aeroengine below idle speed are fundamental for start-up process simulations. However, due to experimental limitations, these characteristics must be extrapolated from data above idle speed. Existing extrapolation methods often suffer from insufficient utilization of available data, reliance on specific prior conditions, and an inability to capture unique operating modes (e.g., the stirring mode and turbine mode of compressor). To address these limitations, this study proposes a novel curve-and-surface fitting-based extrapolation method. The key innovations include: (1) extrapolating sub-idle characteristics through constrained curve/surface fitting of limited above-idle data, preserving their continuous and smooth nature; (2) transforming discontinuous isentropic efficiency into a continuous specific enthalpy change coefficient (SECC), ensuring physically meaningful extrapolation across all operating modes; (3) applying constraints during fitting to guarantee reasonable and smooth extrapolation results. Validation on a micro-turbojet engine demonstrates that the proposed method requires only conventional performance parameters (corrected flow, pressure/expansion ratio, and isentropic efficiency) above idle speed, yet successfully supports ground-starting simulations under varying inlet conditions. The results confirm that the proposed method not only overcomes the limitations of existing approaches but also demonstrates broader applicability in practical aeroengine simulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Numerical Modelling of Aerospace Propulsion)
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