NASA, through its Glenn Research Center, has developed several software tools aimed at predicting the noise generated by aircraft engines, a key challenge in designing quieter propulsion systems.
Among these tools is JeNo, a jet noise prediction code that uses Lilley’s acoustic analogy and aerodynamic solutions derived from a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model. JeNo calculates the far-field spectral sound density produced by axisymmetric jets and has been validated for unheated subsonic and mildly supersonic jets. This software is available through NASA’s software catalog.
Another software, MGBK, preceded JeNo and was used to analyze noise trends of complex exhaust nozzles, particularly to evaluate the benefits of chevrons—serrated edges on turbofan nozzles that help reduce noise on many commercial aircraft.
The V072 software, based on simplified models, is used to study tonal noise arising from rotor/stator interactions in fans, assisting in optimizing design parameters such as blade count and rotor-stator spacing.
Finally, TFaNS further advances tonal noise prediction of rotor/stator interactions by accounting for acoustic coupling effects between blade rows as well as sound propagation to the far field.
These software tools, the result of extensive aerodynamic and acoustic modeling research, are made available to support the aerospace industry in designing more efficient and quieter engines.
