Automated Architecture Design and Performance Optimization of Thermal Management Systems for Supersonic Transport Aircraft

Due to aerodynamic heating and heat sink scarcity, Environmental Control Systems (ECS) and Thermal Management Systems (TMS) of Supersonic Transport (SST) aircraft face serious challenges. Current research on TMS for SST remains scarce, necessitating dedicated in-depth exploration. Integrating the heat sink characteristics of SST, this paper adopts an approach based on graph theory for automated architectural design and performance optimization of TMS. This research built a closed-loop framework encompassing automated topology generation, simulation model synchronization, parametric optimization, and comprehensive evaluation. Inspired by the Concorde's TMS architecture, two types of system architectures were established, utilizing fuel and ram-air as primary heat sinks, with cabin exhaust as an optional sink. In total, 520 candidate architectures were generated. Through systematic screening, optimization, and evaluation, 47 feasible solutions, each meeting all system constraints under supersonic cruise terminal phase conditions, were efficiently identified from the initial candidate architectures. Among these, 2 superior configurations with better performance metrics than the Concorde's TMS were selected to recommend optimal parameter configurations. This research broke through the limitations of traditional empirical design methods, offering a comprehensive approach that spans from architecture generation to performance verification for the engineering design of SST thermal management systems.