High fidelity model of a transient turbine facility for off-design aerothermal testing

The aim of this project is the modeling of the CT3 compression tube facility at the von Karman Institute. This typology of short duration wind tunnel is used to perform aero-thermal investigations of engine components. The transient nature of the test allows to simultaneously reproduce the actual engine Reynolds and Mach numbers and the gas-to-wall temperature ratio. The facility has been modeled using an object-oriented program called Ecosimpro. The components are the implementation of quasi-1D balance equations, and the connections between them represent boundary conditions. The model obtained simulates the complete test, in test and off-test phases, including a detailed model for the turbine operation in nominal and off-design conditions. The simulations have been validated through the comparison with experimental data. Therefore the model represents a useful tool to predict the operation of the wind tunnel during the complete run and to explore alternative test configurations. The high level of detail of the model, and the capability to reproduce the operation of the turbine in extreme conditions, consent to simulate the operation in a wide range of configurations. This approach is essential to test components for extreme engine regimes, like windmilling or unsteady operation.