The first component in an aircraft gas turbine engine is the compressor, which raises the pressure of the air flowing through the engine. The efficiency of the engine is strongly dependent on the quality of the compressor flow. Blade vibration caused by the flow can lead to premature engine failure. A good design now requires very large investments for testing because the flows that occur in compressors are not now adequately predictable. A goal of the center is to be able to predict the complex turbulent flow in an entire compressor, determine the compressor performance under all possible operating conditions, and investigate flow-driven blade vibration problems, thereby dramatically reducing the need for costly testing.

The second element in the engine is a combustor into which fuel is sprayed and burned to produce hot gas. Well-controlled turbulent combustion is important for minimizing pollution. The engine performance increases significantly when the secondary cooling air used to keep the combustor from melting is minimized. Accurate simulations of the turbulence and chemical reactions should lead to new configurations that would operate safely with reduced emissions and improved engine performance.

The final stage of a gas turbine engine is the turbine itself, which extracts power from the hot gas emerging from the combustor. The hot turbulent flow requires that the turbine blades be cooled. With more accurate simulation capabilities, the amount of cooling required can be reduced, leading to higher engine efficiency.

The turbine power is used to run the compressor and the fan, which moves most of the air that propels the airplane. The fan, which is what one sees looking into the front of a modern aircraft engine, is itself a large low-pressure compressor, and its design is critical to good aircraft performance. New simulation-based methods for high-performance fan design will also result from the center.

Aircraft engines are a relatively mature technology, and so new improvements come very hard; but still they are crucial. A few percent improvement in the performance of the engine can make the difference in airplane purchases, which are a critical factor in the US balance of payments.