Optimization design analysis of primary surface recuperator for rotorcraft powerplant applications

The growing demand for highly efficient, environmentally friendly aero-engines highlights the incorporation of recuperators into gas turbine systems, which is especially attractive for rotorcraft powerplants, as the majority of their mission time is spent at part load cruise power (typically above 60%) with the non-optimum specific fuel consumption (SFC) characteristic. In this work, a primary surface recuperator (PSR) for the 300kW-class rotorcraft powerplant is considered for optimization by using a Genetic Algorithm (GA). By the very nature of aero-engines application, two different objective optimizations are conducted, aimed at minimizing the recuperator weight or/and reducing pressure drop, maximizing recuperator effectiveness. The geometries of the surface plate remain constant, while three shape parameters work as variables for defined constraints. The optimization process proves that GA is an adequate tool in recuperator design optimization according to the specified objectives. Based on calculation results, potential recuperator designs for aero-engine application are suggested.