Session: Modeling and Simulation

Paper Number: 111795

111795 - Modelling of the Entire Aircraft Fuel System Through Simulink for Accurate Performance Evaluation 

The fuel system of aircraft gas turbine engines plays a vital role, throughout all flight phases, in storing and controlling the fuel to be injected into the combustion chamber of the engine. It comprises several components including a storage tank, hoses, pumps, check valves, filters, actuators, a fuel metering unit (FMU), and fuel injector nozzles. The FMU, which is composed of a bypass valves, a servovalve, a pressurizing valves, and a shutoff valve, is of great importance to finely adjust the fuel flow rate delivered to the injector nozzles. In light of the dearth, in the scientific literature, of comprehensive simulation models of both the FMU and the entire aircraft  fuel system, the goal of this paper is to provide an accurate simulation model of the entire fuel system of typical aircraft gas turbine engines. The model integrates established equations to simulate all the above-mentioned hydraulic components. Firstly, the layout of the fuel system is introduced. Then, a description of the computational model, implemented in Simulink, is conducted. Afterwards, the simulation results obtained via open and closed-loop controls are presented and discussed. The model can be employed by both manufacturers and researchers to assess the fuel system performance under different operating conditions and component geometries.

Presenting Author: Francesco Sciatti Polytechnic University of Bari

Presenting Author Biography: N/A