With this software you can investigate how a turbine (or jet) engine produces thrust by changing the values of different engine parameters. If you are an experienced EngineSim user, you can use a slightly different version of the program which does not include these instructions.

Recently (2013), there have been several security patches added to the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). As a result of the security patches, EngineSim does not always perform as it did in the past. Since you have downloaded this version of the program, you may experience some of these problems. One patch does not allow the display of .gif images from a local directory. So you will not be able to see the engine animations in Tunnel Test Mode or any of the component pictures on the output panel at the lower right. We will continue to monitor these changes to the JRE and modify the code as necessary.

This program is designed to be interactive, so you have to work with the program. There are several different types of widgets that you use to work with the program.

1. There are a variety of choices which you must make regarding the analysis and the display of results by using a choice box. A choice box has a descriptive word displayed and an arrow at the right of the box. To make a choice, click on either the arrow or the current choice word, hold down, and drag to make your selection. The new selection is indicated by a change in the word. A recent security patch has changed the way that choice boxes operate. This can result in a condition where you can't change from Imperial to Metric units. To overcome this problem, we have included an Override option on the choice boxes on the control panel. If you get stuck, click on Override then click on your choice; it will then work correctly.
2. The current values of the design variables are presented to you in text boxes. By convention, a white box with black numbers is an input box and you can change the value of the number. A black box with yellow or red numbers is an output box and the value has been computed by the program. To change the value in an input box, select the box by moving the cursor into the box and clicking the mouse, then backspace over the old number, enter a new number, then hit the Enter key on your keyboard. You must hit Enter to send the new value to the program.
3. For most input variables you can also use a slider located next to the input box. Click on the slider bar, hold down and drag the slider bar to change values, or you can click on the arrows at either end of the slider. If you experience difficulties when using the sliders to change variables, simply click away from the slider and then back to it. If the arrows on the end of the sliders disappear, click in the areas where the left and right arrow images should appear, and they should reappear.
4. Some graphics decisions are selected by pushing buttons. To push a button, move the cursor over the button and click the mouse.

SCREEN

The program screen is divided into four main parts:

1. On the top left side of the screen is a graphic of the engine you are designing or testing. In the Design Mode, the drawing is a schematic, while in Tunnel Test Mode the drawing is an animation.
2. On the upper right side of the screen are choice buttons which control the analysis. You can select the type of analysis, the type of output to be displayed, and the units to be used in the calculations. You will always see the overall engine performance displayed as thrust, fuel flow, airflow, and computed engine weight.
3. On the lower right side of the screen are the results of engine performance calculations. The output can be presented as numerical values of certain parameters, graphs of engine performance, or as photos of the engine parts with descriptions of their purpose. You select the type of output displayed by using the red choice button labeled "Output:" on the upper right panel.
4. On the lower left side of the screen various input panels are displayed. You can select the input panel by clicking on the name or the component in the graphic at the upper left. Limits are established for the variables in the program. If you click on "Limits" on the schematic, you will invoke a special input panel that allows you to reset those limits. You must push the blue "Submit" button to send your changes to the program.

ENGINE DESIGN PROCESS:

You can choose from four different types of engines: a simple turbojet, a jet with afterburner, a turbofan engine, or a ramjet. Selections are made on the graphics window by clicking on the engine name. The chosen engine is shown in yellow. Depending on the engine type, different input panels appear at the lower left.

The design process begins by selecting the design Flight Conditions. The Flight input panel lets you change the Mach number, airspeed, altitude, pressure, temperature, and throttle and afterburner settings. There are several different combinations of these variables available for input using the choice button on the input panel. The pressure and temperature are computed as functions of the altitude by using a Standard Day atmospheric model.

Design variables for each engine component can also be varied. The variables include the Inlet (pressure recovery), Fan (pressure ratio, efficiency, and bypass ratio), Compressor (CPR, compressor efficiency), Burner (fuel,maximum temperature, efficiency, pressure ratio), Turbine (turbine efficiency) and Nozzle (maximum temperature, efficiency, A8/A2). As you choose a different component the part of the engine being affected is highlighted in the graphic by changing from its default color to yellow. And a new input panel will appear at the lower left. If you change the Output Display to Photos you can view an actual photograph and description of each engine part.

Engine Size can be specified by either the frontal area or the diameter. As the engine size changes, the grid background changes in proportion to the size. The distance between any two grid lines is 1 foot.

MATERIALS INPUT

The program will calculate an average weight of the engine that you design. The thrust to weight ratio of the engine is displayed in the numerical output and is a measure of the efficiency of the engine. The weight depends on the number of stages in the compressor and turbine, the diameter (frontal area) of the engine, and the component materials. The program begins with standard materials for the components, but you can change the materials and see the effects on weight of the engine. Just push the blue Materials choice button on any component input panel. You can also select to define your own material by choosing My Material from the menu. Just type in your own values for material density and temperature limit.

The program will check the temperature throughout the engine design against the material limits. If you exceed a limit, a flashing warning will occur in the schematic. You can see the temperature limits by choosing Graphs in the Output display of the control panel. Then select Temperature as the type of graphics display. (For the afterburner and the ramjet, the graphical temperature limits are based on the flow temperature, not on the material temperature, and are slightly higher than the material limits. Cooling airflow is often used along the walls of these components to keep the material temperature within limits.)

CONTROL PANEL CHOICES: Mode, Units, Output Display

The program works in two modes: Design or Tunnel Test Mode. In the Design Mode, you can change design variables including the flight conditions, the engine size, the inlet performance, the turbo machinery compressor and turbine performance, the combustors or burner performance, or the nozzle performance. For a turbofan engine design you can also vary the fan performance and the bypass ratio. In Design Mode, any change in an input parameter produces a new engine design. You have to be very careful when drawing conclusions about the effects of input variables on performance because you are not comparing the effects on the same engine.

In Tunnel Test Mode you can vary only the flight conditions and you can not change any of the component design parameters except the throttle setting. The values of some of the parameters like inlet recovery and nozzle area may change according to choices that you made during design. In Tunnel Test Mode you are evaluating the off-design performance of the engine model which you specified in Design Mode. In Tunnel Test mode, you can load models of existing turbine engines for comparison with your design. You can always reload your design to continue testing. In Design Mode, you can use the existing engine models as good starting points for your design.

The calculations can be performed in either Metric or Imperial (English) units. You can always return to the default conditions by pushing the red Reset button on the control panel.

GRAPHICAL OUTPUT