Towards a machine learning based design for fouling of an axial turbine vane

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is increasingly used during the design phase of turbomachinery. Reducing the cost of such computations is one of the major challenges in the industrial field. The multi-physics phenomena and the multidisciplinary interactions needed for the design of the engine components are difficult to be faced with the classical design methods. In addition, the interest of manufacturers and operators of turbomachines in the increase in performance when degradation processes occur is growing. In the aeronautical sector degradation is among the most critical issues, as it can lead to the in-flight shutdown of the engine. In a bid to tackle these big problems, new design methods based on approximation techniques have been developed. These techniques are called surrogate models and are currently the most used design methods for the aerodynamic design of aircraft engines. In this work, the assessment of a surrogate surface built for the purpose of optimizing an HPT vane in degrading conditions is performed. Using machine learning and statistical techniques, a sensitivity analysis is conducted in order to reduce the problem dimensions. The results of the sensitivity analysis are used for a study of the surrogate, with the purpose of obtaining design guidelines when deterioration effects are considered in the design phase. The main outcome of this study is a map, that outlines the best design zone defined by the combination of the most influential parameters.