Propulsion Systems

Engineers rely on MathWorks products to design fuel controls for launch vehicles, jet engines, and other propulsion systems that meet rigorous fuel-efficiency and performance requirements. With MATLAB, Simulink, and Stateflow® they can work in one environment to simulate the effect of design changes on the entire system, and quickly visualize and analyze engine-test results.


Integrate Fuel-System and FADEC Design

With MathWorks tools engineers integrate all key components of propulsion systems—fuel networks, electrical systems, and hydraulic systems—with complex control designs for engines. They model pilot and sensor inputs for their Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) systems, and model logic and control algorithms that the FADEC uses to manage fuel flow. They then perform design tradeoffs, such as throttle activity versus control accuracy and dynamic response, before committing to an implementation using handwritten or generated flight code.


Leverage Experimental Data in Fuel-Slosh Analysis

Engineers use MATLAB and Simulink to understand fuel-slosh effects on the stability of spacecraft during maneuvers. They combine first-principles models with empirical models to analyze the nutation effect of fuel-slosh on spinning spacecrafts.