Jeff Defoe, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Automotive and Materials Engineering, has launched a project in collaboration with Turbostream Ltd. and Pratt & Whitney Canada Inc. to optimize jet engine fan technology and reduce environmental impact in aviation.

The three-year project, supported by $690,000 from NSERC, Mitacs, and industry contributions, will fund four graduate students and provide opportunities for several undergraduates in various programs.

“This research is crucial to improving fan efficiency and minimizing environmental impacts for future aircraft in Canada and globally,” Dr. Defoe says.

A key challenge the project will tackle is predicting rotating stall, when unstable airflow in a jet engine fan leads to a significant drop in performance. Addressing it requires high-fidelity, time-resolved simulations, which are computationally expensive. Defoe’s team will explore the trade-offs between accuracy and cost when predicting stall onset, aiming to improve fan and engine efficiency without sacrificing safety.

The research will also examine simplified computer models of fan aerodynamics to predict stall at lower computational costs, particularly under conditions involving inlet flow distortions. Turbostream, software developed by Turbostream Ltd. Employing computational fluid dynamics, will be used to assess these approaches.

“This work is vital to keeping the Canadian aerospace industry competitive,” Defoe says. “It will help reduce the environmental impact of future aircraft while boosting engine performance.”

The project holds the potential to revolutionize jet engine fan design and contribute to global efforts in developing more sustainable aviation technologies, he says, setting the stage for a future of more efficient, environmentally friendly aircraft.