Integrated Energy and Thermal Management for Aero-engine Hybrid Power Systems

Submission Deadline: 10 January 2027 View: 35 Submit to Special Issue

Guest Editor(s)

Assoc. Prof. Zhenzong He

Email: hezhenzong@nuaa.edu.cn

Affiliation: College of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China

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Research Interests: integrated energy and thermal management, hybrid power technology, heat transfer

Dr. Song Wei

Email: weiway@nuaa.edu.cn

Affiliation: College of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), Nanjing, China

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Research Interests: secondary air system, rotating cavity flow, heat transfer

Dr. Le Kang

Email: le.kang@nuaa.edu.cn

Affiliation: College of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), Nanjing, China

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Research Interests: new-energy propulsion systems, aircraft–engine integrated design, multidisciplinary optimization, and whole-aircraft energy and thermal management

Summary

Aero engines, known as the "heart" of aircraft, will continue to evolve toward a high thrust-to-weight ratio for military aircraft and a low specific fuel consumption for civil aviation aircraft. This development requires an increased compressor pressure ratio and higher turbine inlet temperature in the thermodynamic cycle, leading to an overall temperature rise within the engine. The conflict between the rising turbine inlet temperature and the extraction of cooling air will become increasingly prominent. Meanwhile, the reduction in the quality and heat absorption capacity of cooling air caused by the elevated compressor pressure ratio further exacerbates this contradiction, imposing extremely stringent technical challenges on the thermal protection of hot-end components as well as the start-up and operation support systems. Establishing an integrated energy and thermal management system for aero-engine, exploring the rational matching and utilization of limited heat sinks, and developing cascade utilization technology that combines and complements fuel heat sinks and cooling air have become essential pathways to advance aero engine technology.

Therefore, to address the heat sink and energy demands arising from the future development of aero engine technologies, it is imperative to implement overall coordinated management of engine energy and heat at the full-engine level. An integrated design method covering the generation, collection and transmission, storage and utilization, as well as dissipation of heat and mass flow shall be established, and a cascade utilization strategy for heat sinks shall be formulated, so as to realize the optimal distribution and dynamic management of heat and mass at the overall engine level.

This special issue aims to collect high-quality research achievements focusing on the integrated energy and thermal management of aero-engine power systems. Papers presenting innovative research methods, theoretical frameworks and case studies are highly encouraged, so as to provide theoretical references and practical insights for the full-chain technical improvement of aero-engines throughout design, research, development and verification.

Topics of interest include the following:
· Architecture Generation Technology for Integrated Energy-Thermal Management System of Aeroengine
· Dynamic Regulation and Control of Aeroengine Integrated Energy-Thermal Management System
· Aero-engine Hybrid Power Technology
· Aeroengine Full-Engine Performance Analysis Technology
· Application of Artificial Intelligence in Aeroengine Integrated Energy-Thermal Management

We invite researchers and professionals from academia, industry, and government to submit original research articles, review papers, and case studies that explore innovative approaches to the integrated energy and thermal management for aero-engine power systems.

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