Design Optimization of Turbofan Engine for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Abstract

Turbofan engines are one of the most widely used jet engines in aircraft propulsion. The word turbofan is derived from turbine fan. The turbofan engine uses the mechanical energy from the gas turbine to drive a large ducted fan to accelerate the air rearwards. As opposed to a conventional jet engine, a turbofan doesn’t rely on the kinetic energy of the exhaust gases to generate thrust but depends on moving large volumes of air that is bypassed from the engine core, resulting in a more efficient engine performance. However, there are no commercially available small-scale turbofans for mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicles which are used for military and civil purposes. That need is either fulfilled by slow propeller driven UAVs or highly inefficient turbojet engines. Our project aims to address this market need in providing efficient small-scale turbofan engines for UAVs.