Assessment of a quantum computing approach for the design of aeronautical refrigerant ejectors

This article aims to assess a quantum annealing algorithm proposed for the evaluation of performance of refrigerant ejectors used in aircrafts environmental control systems to mix two streams at different pressures and temperatures, through the formalization of SAE 1168/6 method in the quadratic unconstrained binary optimization model, including the extension for compressible fluids. The assessment includes the comparison with the traditional analytical methods based on SAE 1168/6 methodology as well as CFD numerical simulations of an existing ejector. The article shows how the behavior of the ejector can be evaluated with different independent approaches, namely experimental tests, analytical iterative and quantum-based methods, and the computational fluid dynamics simulations, with the quantum algorithm achieving reasonable practical results compared with the other methods, thus the article highlights how this method can be effectively implemented to solve thermo-fluid dynamic problems given its advantages and besides its intrinsic limitations.