CFD in Collaborative, Multidisciplinary Design of Propulsion Systems and Stationary Gas Turbines
Abstract
The development of modern propulsion systems and stationary gas turbines requires a tightly integrated multidisciplinary environment in which geometry generation, simulation, and analysis interact consistently. Within the DLR Virtual Engine ecosystem GTlab, the CFD suite TRACE is integrated to realize a seamless workflow from parametric design to results analysis. The presented prototype addresses key challenges of collaborative work: different disciplines require discipline-specific geometries, large CFD datasets place a heavy load on central data servers, and TRACE simulations must be executed efficiently on remote HPC clusters. By means of remote processing, remote HDF5 access, flexible geometry post-processing pipelines, and the use of standardized STEP exports with metadata (including surface names for boundary conditions), a scalable workflow for mesh generation, setup, simulation, and analysis is established. The integration of the TRACE suite, including pre- and post-processing and automated embedding of results into the central data hub, demonstrates how collaborative, data-driven CFD workflows can significantly accelerate and improve the consistency of multidisciplinary design of future turbomachinery.
Full text
TRACE User Conference 2025 2025/11/27 Martin Siggel, Matthias Schuff, Marius Messerschmitt German Aerospace Center CFD IN COLLABORATIVE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY DESIGN OF PROPULSION SYSTEM AND STATIONARY GAS TURBINES Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT
Gas Turbine Laboratory Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT AI-generated image with DALL-E • GTlab = DLR’s Virtual Engine Platform Design, Analysis + Optimization of aircraft engines + stationary gas turbines •Multidisciplinary, Collaborative, Interactive •Central Data Hub + Data Processing •Automation via Workflows •Flexible + modular Framework (OS), extensible via “Modules” (Apps) •Many parts as Open Source Software https://www.gtlab.de https://github.com/dlr-gtlab
Goal: Realization of the Virtual Engine Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT AI-generated image with DALL-E
Multidisciplinary Design AI-generated image with DALL-E Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT
Multidisciplinary Design Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT AI-generated image with DALL-E
Multidisciplinary Design – Thermodynamics Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT AI-generated image with DALL-E
Multidisciplinary Design – Sketching Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT AI-generated image with DALL-E
Multidisciplinary Design – Sketching Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT AI-generated image with DALL-E
Multidisciplinary Design – 3D Geometry Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT AI-generated image with DALL-E
AnalysisSimulationDesign The CFD workflow AI-generated image with DALL-E Geometry PostProcessing & Mesh Generation Setup of Simulation Topologies Simulation Store Results in DMS Result Analysis ClientClient DMS Service & HPC Cluster Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT Parametric Design
AnalysisSimulationDesign The CFD workflow AI-generated image with DALL-E Setup of Simulation Topologies Simulation Store Results in DMS Result Analysis ClientClient DMS Service & HPC Cluster Parametric Design Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT Geometry PostProcessing & Mesh Generation
AnalysisSimulationDesign The CFD workflow AI-generated image with DALL-E Simulation Store Results in DMS Result Analysis ClientClient DMS Service & HPC Cluster Geometry PostProcessing & Mesh Generation Parametric Design Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT Setup of Simulation Topologies
AnalysisSimulationDesign The CFD workflow AI-generated image with DALL-E Simulation Store Results in DMS Result Analysis Client Geometry PostProcessing & Mesh Generation Parametric Design Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT Setup of Simulation Topologies DMS Service & HPC Cluster Client Upload Mesh and Simulation Setup
AnalysisSimulationDesign The CFD workflow AI-generated image with DALL-E Store Results in DMS Result Analysis ClientClient DMS Service & HPC Cluster Geometry PostProcessing & Mesh Generation Parametric Design Setup of Simulation Topologies Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT Simulation
AnalysisSimulationDesign The CFD workflow AI-generated image with DALL-E Result Analysis ClientClient DMS Service & HPC Cluster Geometry PostProcessing & Mesh Generation Parametric Design Setup of Simulation Topologies Simulation Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT Store Results in DMS
AnalysisSimulationDesign The CFD workflow AI-generated image with DALL-E Client Geometry PostProcessing & Mesh Generation Parametric Design Setup of Simulation Topologies Simulation Store Results in DMS Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT Result Analysis Client DMS Service & HPC Cluster Download Result Data
Analysis Client DMS Service & HPC Cluster SimulationDesign The CFD workflow AI-generated image with DALL-E Client Geometry PostProcessing & Mesh Generation Parametric Design Setup of Simulation Topologies Simulation Store Results in DMS Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT Result Analysis
The CFD workflow - challenges Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT AI-generated image with DALL-E 1. Different Simulations (CSM, CFD…) require different Geometries 2. Large data transfers are time consuming / inefficient 3. TRACE simulations should be executed on a HPC system
Geometry Parametrization & Generation AI-generated image with DALL-E Blade Parametrization in Data Hub Multiple Variations Cooling DesignAero Shape Creates Robin Schöffler, Andreas Pahs Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT
TRACE Suite Integration AI-generated image with DALL-E Goal: Speedline Computation ▪Pre-Processing via GMCPLAY ▪Local MPI-parallel TRACE execution ▪Post-Processing via POST ▪GTA Analysis ▪Speedline Plot Generation ▪Result storage into Data Hub Demonstrator Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT
Outlook: Interactive TRACE Post Vision AI-generated image with DALL-E Trace User Conference 2025 - Martin Siggel, DLR-AT
Thank you! Martin Siggel Institute of Propulsion Technology German Aerospace Center (DLR) [email protected]
Impress Topic: CFD in Collaborative, Multidisciplinary Design of Propulsion Systems and Stationary Gas Turbines Presentation during TRACE User Conference 2025 Date: 27.11.2025 Author: Dr. Martin Siggel Institute: Institut of Propulsion Technology – Engine Department Credits: All Images „DLR (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)“