INSPIRE INSpiring Pressure gain combustion Integration, Research, and Education

ESR 14

Introduction and contact info: 

Name: Sreenath Purushothaman

Work address: DIME, University of Genova, 

Via Montallegro 1, 16145 Genova, Italy

email: Sreenath.Purushothaman@edu.unige.it

PhD project:

Title: PGC propulsion application with part load and dynamic analysis

Short description: The goal of this research work is to study the effects of gas dynamic phenomena in PGC at cycle level and to identify the operational limitations with regards to propulsion application. The effects of gas dynamic cross-interference and the resulting operational instabilities will be studied in order to develop an operational envelop for the PGC gas turbine. The research work would yield a full performance map at variable ambient conditions of a PGC simple cycle gas turbine, consisting of real processes, considering the unsteadiness and possible feedback loops in the gas turbine operation, optimized to get maximum thermodynamic efficiency and specific impulse, and minimum emission. The research would also result in the detailed description of the dynamic performance of the PGC cycle gas turbine and the development of control concepts for the engine.

Supervisors: Prof. Alessandro Sorce, Prof. Alberto Traverso, University of Genova, Italy

Mentor: Dr. Thomas Gaillard, ONERA, France

Planned secondments: 

  • Purdue University, USA – 3 months
  • TUB, Germany – 3 months

Background: 

Sreenath was born in Kerala, India in 1992. He obtained his Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Kerala, India in 2014 and his Masters degree in Aerospace Engineering with specialization in Aircraft Propulsion from Jain University, India in 2017. His Masters degree thesis was on the topic “Studies on Flow Instabilities due to Simulated Supercritical Rayleigh Heat Addition in an Afterburner”, and was done in collaboration with CSIR – National Aerospace Laboratories, India. In 2018, he joined the Centre for Airborne Systems, DRDO, India as a Research fellow in Mechanical & Aerodynamics division. He has worked on several projects involving ergonomic design & structural analysis of aircraft components, and CFD studies on wide body aircrafts for aerodynamics and ice accretion. In September 2021, he joined DIME, University of Genova, Italy, as a Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher under the INSPIRE Project.

Personal interests: 

https://www.dime.unige.it/node/860

http://www.tpg.unige.it/TPG/portfolio-item/sreenath_purushothaman/

Research highlights:

The research activities till date have resulted in the development of a high bypass aircraft engine dynamic model using TRANSEO, the in-house simulation tool of Thermochemical Power Group, UNIGE. The engine performance predictions from the model are validated against experimental data and are presented in Deliverable D5.2. In addition, 0-D & quasi 1-D dynamic models of axial compressors, capable of simulating both steady state and post-stall transient operations, to be used in the integration studies of pressure gain combustion engines have also been developed. Different engine layouts, where pressure gain combustion can be employed, have been explored in collaboration with other ESRs and the most promising layouts have been selected for modelling and performance studies. Current research focuses on the development of dynamic models for reduced order rotating detonation combustor and quasi 1-D centrifugal compressor within the TRANSEO architecture.

ESR1 – Choomanee Runnoo: Experimental investigation of Constant Volume Combustion and its reduced order model – ENSMA (FR), Supervisors: Prof. Marc Bellenoue and Bastien Boust
ESR2 Gregory Uhl: Numerical analysis of the interaction between a Rotating Detonation Combustor and an axial turbine – SAFRAN Tech (FR), Dr. Said Taileb, Prof. Marc Bellenoue, Prof. Thierry Poinsot,
ESR3 Nicola Detomaso: Simulation of CVC combustor – CERFACS (FR), Supervisors: Prof. Thierry Poinsot, , Dr. Davide Laera, Dr. Florent Duchaine
ESR4 Maria Clara de Jesus Vieira: Experimental characterization of ignition events in CVC like conditions – ENSMA (FR), Supervisors: Prof. Julien Sotton, Prof. Marc Bellenoue and Prof. Camille Strozzi
ESR5 Provence Barnouin: Control and impact of RDC wave direction – TUB (DE), Supervisors: Prof. Myles Bohon and Prof. Christian O. Paschereit
ESR6 – Patrick Strempfl: LES of flow and combustion in a rotating detonation engine coupled to a turbine – CERFACS (FR), Supervisor: Prof. Thierry Poinsot
ESR7 – Hongyi Wei: Experimental investigation of rotating detonation combustors including ignition processes and turbine-integration effects – TUB (DE), Supervisors: Prof. Myles Bohon and Prof. Christian O. Paschereit
ESR8Thomas Golliard: Computational aeroacoustics of the exhaust flow for noise assessment and control – KTH (SE), Supervisors: Prof. Mihai Mihaescu, Prof. Anders Dahlkild
ESR9 – Roseline Ngozi Ezekwesili: Deflagration-Autoignition-Detonation transition – TUB (DE), Supervisor: Prof. Myles Bohon and Prof. Marc Bellenoue
ESR10 – Shreyas Ramanagar Sridhara: Numerical modelling and optimization of cooling solutions for PGC concepts – UNIFI (IT), Supervisors: Prof. Antonio Andreini
ESR11- Umberto Sandri: Experimental study of cooling solutions for PGC concepts – UNIFI (IT), Supervisor: Prof. Bruno Facchini, Prof. Antonio Andreini, Dr. Alessio Picchi
ESR12 – Panagiotis Gallis: Unsteady numerical simulation of the interaction between pressure-gain combustors and high-pressure turbine stages – POLITO (IT), Supervisor: Dr. Simone Salvadori
ESR13 – Abhishek Dubey: power plant analysis and cycle thermo-economic optimization – UNIGE (IT), Supervisor: Prof. Alessandro Sorce
ESR14 – Sreenath Purushothaman: propulsion application with part load and dynamic analysis – UNIGE (IT), Supervisors: Prof. Alessandro Sorce, Prof. Alberto Traverso
ESR15 – Gokkul Raj Varatharajulu Purgunan: Full gas dynamic and exergetic analysis of PGC cycles with rotating detonations – TUB (DE), Supervisor: Prof. Panagiotis Stathopoulos