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This paper describes a computational engineering level assessment tool developed for the design and optimization of thermal management systems for advanced hypersonic and supersonic aircraft. The tool, entitled Vehicle Integrated Thermal MAnagement Code (VITMAC), simulates the coupled thermal response of the aircraft's active cooling systems, structures, fuel tanks, and engines. The tool simulates either the steady-state or transient thermal-hydraulics along coolant flow paths (distributions of mass flow rate, pressure, and temperature) together with the temperature of surrounding airframe and engine structures. A homogeneous multiphase model with a binary gas phase mixture simulates slush hydrogen in the cryotank, and includes the use of a secondary-gas ullage pressure control. A graphical user interface which enables the user to quickly construct and analyze various thermal management schemes has also been developed and incorporated into VITMAC.

An engineering thermal management computational tool capable of performing component, subsystem, and system level thermal management assessment, design and optimization is the subject of this paper. The Vehicle Integrated Thermal MAnagement Code (VITMAC) simulates the coupled aircraft active cooling system thermal-hydraulics, associated airframe structure thermal response, and vehicle internally/externally generated heat loads. The formulation allows for predicting both the steady-state and transient thermal-hydraulic parameters along the coolant flow paths, as well as the temperature of the surrounding airframe/engine structures, to render the distributions of mass flow rate, pressure, and temperature of the operating fluids throughout the aircraft. Steady-state and transient illustrative examples are presented in this paper to demonstrate code capabilities. These examples show the coupling between the coolant-side thermal-hydraulics and structure-side thermal response.