October 13, 2025 | Scale-resolving simulations for innovations in turbomachinery design

Faster and more reliable engine development through targeted high-fidelity simulation

Next-generation climate-friendly engines through transformation of industrial design processes
To develop environmentally friendly aircraft engines more quickly, the Sci-Fi Turbo project is improving simulation methods used to design engines virtually.

In the EU project Sci-Fi-Turbo, which is led by the DLR Institute of Propulsion Technology, we are working together with GE Aerospace and several international partners to develop high-precision simulations for the virtual engine. Our goal is to integrate scale-resolving simulations into standard industrial design workflows in order to significantly reduce the development times for new engines.

Scale-resolved simulations (SRS) are much more accurate than the old industry standard, RANS. This makes things more certain and allows us to make reliable predictions, even for completely new designs and very new engine ideas. As these simulations are very time-consuming, we are combining SRS with machine learning in the European research project Sci-Fi-Turbo. This means that information from a few high-resolution SRS can be easily added to standard simulations.

Representative cascade test cases confirm our approach

  • SRS significantly improves aerodynamic accuracy.
  • Targeted SRS effectively guides optimisations towards better solutions.
  • Hybrid SRS-RANS workflows with ML metamodels enable a balance between cost and accuracy.

To show how this can be used in industry, we are currently transferring the methods to 3D components. We will then test them at our institute to see if they work. For this project, we can use lots of different types of expertise at the Institute of Propulsion Technology. This includes the high-precision SRS solver TRACE and the optimisation framework AutoOpti. It also includes data-driven modelling approaches and decades of R&D know-how in the field of propulsion systems.

Sci-fi turbo opens up enormous potential for technology transfer in European aviation

Sci-Fi-Turbo has the potential to greatly benefit the European aviation industry. Using high-precision SRS helps to develop new engine ideas more quickly and reduces testing costs. This means that new technologies can be brought to market much more quickly. This is an important step towards making engines that are more reliable and quicker to develop.

Sci-Fi-Turbo Live Seminar Series

Faster and more reliable engine development through targeted high-fidelity simulation

Sign up here

The series comprises invited talks on a range of topics related to use of scale resolving simulations (ILES, LES, DNS) for aerodynamic optimization. The series is run as part of the Sci-Fi-Turbo project, which aims to revolutionise the aero engine design process by advancing and integrating high-order scale-resolving simulations and optimization methodologies into standard industrial workflow.

Contact

Annabel Brückmann

Public Relations
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Institute of Propulsion Technology
Linder Höhe, 50679 Köln
Tel: +4922036015080

Dr.-Ing. Georgios Goinis

German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Institute of Propulsion Technology
51147 Köln

Dr.-Ing. Michael Bergmann

German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Institute of Propulsion Technology
51147 Köln