MTU has selected GT-SUITE as one of its tools for thermodynamic simulation of important components for its water-enhanced turbofan (WET), which reduces contrails and CO2 and NOx emissions.
By 2035, when powered by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) or hydrogen, a WET based engine could reduce the climate impact of an aircraft by about 80% compared to a gas turbine engine from the year 2000 — making it virtually climate neutral.
The WET propulsion concept uses residual heat from exhaust to achieve a steam generator to vaporise water, which is then injected into the combustor. The water for this is extracted from the exhaust gas by means of a condenser and then separated; GT-SUITE helps to simulate the complex heat exchanges from this operation.
“We are committed to developing technology with the goal of sustainable aviation,” remarked Dr. Jochen Gier, Team Lead of Cooling, Heat Transfer and Combustion at MTU. “After looking at all the available tools, Gamma Technologies’ GT-SUITE was a perfect fit for our complex WET heat exchanger simulations.”
Dimple Shah, President and CEO of Gamma Technologies, said, “Working with organisations like MTU Aero Engines, that push the envelope of engineering to reduce the climate impact and energy use of aviation propulsion is gratifying and aligned with our corporate mission toward a more sustainable world.”