Jamie Bennet
GE Aerospace developed a computational fluid dynamics software that could be paired with the Department of Energy’s supercomputer, Frontier, to support engine development.
The company said Saturday it conducted simulations on Frontier using the software to evaluate the performance of a novel open fan engine architecture, which is showing promise in helping reduce carbon emissions from commercial aircraft.
GE’s experimental engine architecture is part of the CFM Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines program. CFM RISE is led by CFM International, a joint venture between GE and French firm Safran Aircraft Engines. Its goal is to discover next-generation engine technologies that consume 20 percent less fuel and produce 20 percent lower CO2 emissions compared to existing fuel-efficient engines.
GE needed Frontier in order to simulate in detail the noise levels and air movement of fan engines. Frontier was created by Hewlett Packard Enterprise and commissioned by DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It has a processing power of 37,000 graphics processing units, or billions of operations per second.
“Together with the U.S. Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we are showing supercomputing to be a revolutionary tool for designing aircraft engines for a once-in-a-generation step change in improved fuel efficiency — critical for helping the aviation industry toward its target of net zero CO2 emissions by 2050,” said Mohamed Ali, vice president and general manager of engineering for GE Aerospace.
