ICD rig begins test operations at DLR in Cologne

Under the European Clean Sky 2 research program, long-term partners MTU Aero Engines, German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)), and GKN Aerospace Engine Systems, Sweden have joined forces to enhance an engine’s compression system and make it lighter. The new technologies could already go into the next generation of geared turbofan engines. At the DLR site in Cologne, the test campaign on the ICD rig has now officially kicked off.
ICD stands for Inter Compressor Duct and is the name of the transition channel between the low- and high-pressure compressors. The goal is to precisely fine-tune the interaction of the low-pressure compressor, ICD and high-pressure compressor to identify and leverage new potential for even more fuel-thrifty engines. An important step in this direction is the systematic mapping of the flow conditions in short, steep transition channels (ICDs). To this aim, an entirely new wind-tunnel test rig was built at DLR Institute of Propulsion Technology in Cologne, MTU’s Center of Competence (CoC) for propulsion systems. In a next step, three different ICD configurations will be tested over the course of next year. Based on the ICD rig test results obtained, a two-shaft test rig will be designed in 2019 and built one year later. From 2021 on, the low- and high-pressure compressors will be tested together as one entity.
Launched in 2014, the Clean Sky 2 technology program is part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 Framework Program for Research and Innovation and is slated to run through 2024. It is the successor to Clean Sky 1, the European Union’s largest-ever aeronautics research program. The overall objective is to make aviation even cleaner and more efficient. MTU is one of 16 lead partners and is responsible for the ICD test rig that has now begun test operations, plus an engine demonstrator. Core partners are the DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt) and GKN Aerospace Engine Systems.