JAXA has chosen a WESTT engine test bench developed by Price Induction to be used as the basis of their work on the study of acoustic signature of turbofan engines. Indeed, the high bypass ratio of the DGEN turbofan and its architecture are representative of that of larger commercial turbofans. The DGEN 380’s small size will enable testing to be led in an anechoic chamber and outdoors in an efficient and affordable manner.
The scope of application of the WESTT product line is not restricted to acoustic studies. Indeed, the ISAE of Toulouse uses its DGEN 380 test engine for improved wind-milling modeling as well as numerical simulation model development while Georgia Tech uses its virtual engine bench for development of distributed architecture on the FADEC and formal methods analysis of the coding. Lastly, the “Control & Dynamics” laboratory at the Glenn Research Center of NASA also acquired this tool by the end of 2013.
Further discussions are under way with other public and private R&D centers on various subjects such as turbo-machinery aerodynamics, material studies, nacelle design, pollutant emissions, bio-fuel characterization or engine control optimization.
The WESTT product line is a diversification activity of French engine manufacturer Price Induction. The WESTT product range is composed of three offers: one for the training of engineering students, one for the training of maintenance crews, and one for research centers. The WESTT products are installed in a dozen of countries and are encountering growing success in the aerospace industry of emerging markets with customers in Brazil, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and China.
