Investigation of the influence of engine displacement along the aircraft wing on the propagation of a condensation trail

Abstract

With the publication of this article, the authors continue their research into the interaction of vortex and condensation trails behind aircraft, which has begun in the previously published articles in the Civil Aviation High Technologies of the Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation. This paper presents the investigation results of the influence of engine displacement along the A320 aircraft wing on the development and propagation of a contrail. It should be clear that a contrail is a product of aviation fuel combustion in the engine and represents condensed moisture in the form of ice crystals, which is formed under certain conditions of the atmosphere. As numerous studies and observations have shown, contrails can affect the heat exchange processes in the atmosphere and deteriorate the environment contributing to the greenhouse effect. This is especially true for the areas where numerous airways pass. It was noted that inboard engine displacement or, vice versa, outboard affects the development and propagation of a contrail. Therefore, when forming the aerodynamic configuration of the future aircraft, designers should take this aspect into account. The fact is that a wake vortex, which is formed behind the aircraft, impacts the contrail in different ways, depending on the engine proximity to the vortices, trailing from the airframe. Let us point out that a wake vortex is the area of the disturbed airflow behind the aircraft, generated as a result of its movement. A contrail, interacting with a vortex one, dissipates in the atmosphere, and the substances, composing a contrail, lose their concentration. It is also significant that a contrail, interacting with a wake vortex, can reveal its structure and visualize the wake vortex propagation and decay processes. In this paper, a special computational software application, based on the discrete vortex method, was used to study the influence of engine displacement along the A320 aircraft wing on the development and propagation of a contrail. When calculating the characteristics of a wake vortex, it takes into consideration the aircraft weight, speed and altitude, flight configuration, ambient conditions, axial velocity in the vortex core and some other factors. This complex passed the required testing and the state registration. A variety of activities was undertaken to validate and verify the developed complex, confirming the operability of its programs and the reliability of the results obtained. The results obtained allow us to understand how engine displacement along the A320 aircraft wing influences the contrail development and propagation.