Thermodynamic and thermoeconomic study of a helicopter engine

This study presents thermodynamic, sustainability, environmental and economic analyses to evaluate the performance of a turboshaft engine (TSE) used in helicopters. Based on the analyses conducted for four different engine operating levels (50% Power, 75% Power, 100% Power, and Maximum Power), the energy efficiencies of the TSE were calculated as 22.22% (50% Power), 25.09% (75% Power), 27.32% (100% Power), and 28.14% (Maximum Power), respectively. The exergy efficiencies were found to be 20.93% for 50% Power, 23.64% for 75% Power, 25.73% for 100% Power, and 26.51% for Maximum Power. Through a thermoeconomic analysis using the Exergy Cost Energy Mass (EXCEM) method, the cost flow of the engine was determined to be 4.26 kWh/$ (50% Power), 5.39 kWh/$ (75% Power), 6.72 kWh/$ (100% Power), and 7.68 kWh/$ (Maximum Power). An analysis at the engine component level revealed that the combustion chamber negatively impacts engine performance due to having the highest exergy destruction. The maximum exergy destruction of the combustion chamber ranged from 1142.13 kW to 2051.50 kW across the varying performance test stages of the engine. Additionally, this study calculated the exergy destruction rate, exergy loss rate, waste exergy rate, exergetic improvement potential, product loss rate, fuel exergy loss rate, environmental impact factor, ecological impact factor, sustainability efficiency factor, exergetic sustainability index, ecological objective function, and ecological sustainability index for the engine and its components. Keywords: Turboshaft engine, Thermodynamic analysis, Thermoeconomic analysis, Sustainability