US20210372434A1 - Gas turbine engine with partial inlet vane - Google Patents
Gas turbine engine with partial inlet vane Download PDFInfo
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- US20210372434A1 US20210372434A1 US17/402,702 US202117402702A US2021372434A1 US 20210372434 A1 US20210372434 A1 US 20210372434A1 US 202117402702 A US202117402702 A US 202117402702A US 2021372434 A1 US2021372434 A1 US 2021372434A1
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Images
Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04D29/00—Details, component parts, or accessories
- F04D29/40—Casings; Connections of working fluid
- F04D29/52—Casings; Connections of working fluid for axial pumps
- F04D29/54—Fluid-guiding means, e.g. diffusers
- F04D29/541—Specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
- F04D29/542—Bladed diffusers
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02C—GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS
- F02C7/00—Features, components parts, details or accessories, not provided for in, or of interest apart form groups F02C1/00 - F02C6/00; Air intakes for jet-propulsion plants
- F02C7/04—Air intakes for gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants
- F02C7/042—Air intakes for gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants having variable geometry
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02C—GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS
- F02C7/00—Features, components parts, details or accessories, not provided for in, or of interest apart form groups F02C1/00 - F02C6/00; Air intakes for jet-propulsion plants
- F02C7/04—Air intakes for gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants
- F02C7/045—Air intakes for gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants having provisions for noise suppression
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02C—GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS
- F02C7/00—Features, components parts, details or accessories, not provided for in, or of interest apart form groups F02C1/00 - F02C6/00; Air intakes for jet-propulsion plants
- F02C7/04—Air intakes for gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants
- F02C7/047—Heating to prevent icing
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04D29/00—Details, component parts, or accessories
- F04D29/40—Casings; Connections of working fluid
- F04D29/52—Casings; Connections of working fluid for axial pumps
- F04D29/54—Fluid-guiding means, e.g. diffusers
- F04D29/541—Specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
- F04D29/542—Bladed diffusers
- F04D29/544—Blade shapes
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04D29/00—Details, component parts, or accessories
- F04D29/40—Casings; Connections of working fluid
- F04D29/52—Casings; Connections of working fluid for axial pumps
- F04D29/54—Fluid-guiding means, e.g. diffusers
- F04D29/56—Fluid-guiding means, e.g. diffusers adjustable
- F04D29/563—Fluid-guiding means, e.g. diffusers adjustable specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04D29/00—Details, component parts, or accessories
- F04D29/58—Cooling; Heating; Diminishing heat transfer
- F04D29/582—Cooling; Heating; Diminishing heat transfer specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
- F04D29/584—Cooling; Heating; Diminishing heat transfer specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps cooling or heating the machine
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04D29/00—Details, component parts, or accessories
- F04D29/58—Cooling; Heating; Diminishing heat transfer
- F04D29/582—Cooling; Heating; Diminishing heat transfer specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
- F04D29/5853—Cooling; Heating; Diminishing heat transfer specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps heat insulation or conduction
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04D29/00—Details, component parts, or accessories
- F04D29/66—Combating cavitation, whirls, noise, vibration or the like; Balancing
- F04D29/68—Combating cavitation, whirls, noise, vibration or the like; Balancing by influencing boundary layers
- F04D29/681—Combating cavitation, whirls, noise, vibration or the like; Balancing by influencing boundary layers especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
- F05D—INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS
- F05D2260/00—Function
- F05D2260/96—Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise
- F05D2260/961—Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise by mistuning rotor blades or stator vanes with irregular interblade spacing, airfoil shape
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y02T50/00—Aeronautics or air transport
- Y02T50/60—Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft
Definitions
- the application relates generally to gas turbine engines and, more particularly, to inlets for turbofan engines.
- Typical transonic fans for turbofan engines have a rather high relative tip Mach number, for example approximately 1.5. This usually leads to shock losses and boundary layer separation, which reduce fan tip efficiency, and accordingly reduce the overall efficiency of the fan.
- the tip section of the fan blade leading edge being the least structurally supported area of the blade, is generally most at risk of damage, for example due to foreign object damage (FOD).
- FOD foreign object damage
- an aircraft engine comprising: a propulsive fan mounted for rotation about an axis, the propulsive fan having fan blades; an inlet for directing ambient air to the propulsive fan, the inlet having an inlet wall surrounding an inlet flow path, the inlet wall extending axially from an upstream end to a downstream end adjacent the propulsive fan, the inlet wall at the downstream end surrounding an annular portion of the inlet flow path bordered radially inwardly by an annular inner wall, a radial distance between the inlet wall and the annular inner wall adjacent the propulsive fan defining a downstream height of the inlet flow path; and a plurality of vanes circumferentially spaced around the inlet, each of the vanes extending radially inwardly from the inlet wall, each of the plurality of vanes having an airfoil cross-section including a pressure wall and a suction wall extending chordwise between a leading edge and a trailing edge, a maximum
- a gas turbine engine comprising: a propulsive fan including an array of circumferentially spaced blades configured for rotation, each of the blades extending radially between a root and a tip with a maximum radial dimension between the root and the tip defining a maximum blade span; an annular inlet including: an axially extending wall, the wall having an upstream wall portion extending axially upstream from the fan blades, the upstream wall portion defining an inlet flow path for directing air to the fan, and a plurality of vanes circumferentially spaced around the inlet, each of the vanes extending radially inwardly from the upstream wall portion, a maximum radial distance between a tip of each of the vanes and the upstream wall portion defining a maximum height of the vane, the maximum height of each of the vanes being at most 50% of the maximum blade span.
- a method of reducing a relative Mach number at tips of fan blades of a gas turbine engine comprising: directing a flow of air to the fan blades through an inlet flow path having a downstream radial height adjacent the fan blades, including: swirling the flow of air upstream of the blade tips within an annular outer portion of the inlet flow path, the annular outer portion extending a radial distance from a wall surrounding the inlet flow path, the radial distance being at most 50% of the downstream radial height; and allowing the flow of air to flow freely within a remaining central portion of the inlet flow path.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a gas turbine engine
- FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of part of a fan and inlet of a gas turbine engine such as shown in FIG. 1 , in accordance with a particular embodiment;
- FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of part of a fan and inlet of a gas turbine engine such as shown in FIG. 1 , in accordance with another particular embodiment;
- FIGS. 4 a and 4 b are schematic top views of vanes of the inlet, in accordance with particular embodiments.
- FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of vanes of the inlet with a heating system, in accordance with particular embodiments, shown with part of the fan.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a gas turbine engine 10 of a type preferably provided for use in subsonic flight, generally comprising in serial flow communication a propulsive fan 12 through which ambient air is propelled, a compressor section 14 for pressurizing the air, a combustor 16 in which the compressed air is mixed with fuel and ignited for generating an annular stream of hot combustion gases, and a turbine section 18 for extracting energy from the combustion gases.
- a propulsive fan 12 through which ambient air is propelled
- a compressor section 14 for pressurizing the air
- a combustor 16 in which the compressed air is mixed with fuel and ignited for generating an annular stream of hot combustion gases
- a turbine section 18 for extracting energy from the combustion gases.
- the fan 12 has at least one rotor 20 , the rotor 20 including an array of circumferentially spaced blades 22 configured for rotation about a central longitudinal axis 11 of the engine 10 .
- the engine 10 has an inlet 24 directing the ambient air to the fan 12 .
- the inlet 24 generally includes an annular inlet lip 26 and an inlet wall 28 .
- the inlet 24 has a central longitudinal axis 13 .
- the central longitudinal axis 13 of the inlet 24 corresponds to the central longitudinal axis 11 of the engine 10 .
- the two axes 11 , 13 may be offset from one another.
- the inlet wall 28 includes upstream and downstream wall portions 32 , 34 .
- the downstream wall portion 34 surrounds the fan blades 22 so that the fan blade tips 36 are located in proximity of the inlet wall 28 , and surrounds the flow path through which the fan blades 22 rotate.
- the upstream wall portion 32 extends axially upstream from the downstream wall portion 34 , and surrounds the inlet flow path 30 through which the air passes to reach the fan blades 22 .
- the upstream wall portion 32 thus has an upstream end 38 at the inlet lip 26 and a downstream end 40 at the transition with the downstream wall portion 34 , adjacent the fan 12 .
- the inlet flow path 30 is annular at least at the downstream end 40 , bordered on its inner side by an annular inner wall 42 which in a particular embodiment is defined in part by the nose cone.
- each fan blade extends radially between a root 44 (defining part of the inner wall 42 ) and the blade tip 36 , with a maximum radial dimension between the root 44 and the tip 36 defining a maximum blade span S max , which in the embodiment shown is located at the leading edge 46 of the fan blade 22 .
- the flow path 30 has a downstream height H adjacent the fan 12 defined radially between the inlet wall 28 and the inner wall 42 .
- the maximum fan blade span S max is defined at the leading edge 46 thus adjacent the downstream height H
- the maximum fan blade span S max and the downstream height H have values that are close to one another.
- Other configurations are also possible.
- the inlet 24 further includes an array of vanes 50 circumferentially spaced therearound.
- Each vane 50 extends radially inwardly from the upstream wall portion 32 .
- the vanes 50 are partial vanes, i.e. they do not extend completely across the inlet flow path 30 .
- the vane tips 52 are thus radially outwardly spaced from the central longitudinal axis 13 , and, for embodiments where the vanes 50 extend in an annular section of the flow path 30 , as shown, also radially outwardly spaced from the inner wall 42 .
- each vane 50 can be defined as the radial distance between its tip 52 and the upstream wall portion 32 at the base of the vane 50 .
- the height h of the vane is constant along the axial direction, i.e. from the leading edge 54 to the trailing edge 56 of the vane 50 , and accordingly the maximum height h max of the vane 50 is defined by the vane height h at any axial location.
- the height h of the circumferentially spaced partial vanes 150 varies along the axial direction, i.e. between the leading edge 154 and the trailing edge 156 of the vane 150 .
- the irregular height h allows for an optimisation of the vane weight with respect to the performance gain provided by the presence of the vanes 150 .
- the maximum radial distance between the vane tip 152 and the upstream wall portion 32 at the base of the vane 150 defines the maximum height h max of the vane 150 .
- the maximum height h max is shown as being located at the leading edge 154 , other configurations are also possible.
- the maximum height h max of each vane 50 , 150 is at most 50% of the downstream height H of the flow path 30 . In a particular embodiment, the maximum height h max of each vane is at most 25% of the downstream height H of the flow path 30 .
- the maximum height h max of each vane 50 , 150 is at most 50% of the maximum blade span S max . In a particular embodiment, the maximum height h max of each vane 50 , 150 is at most 25% of the maximum blade span S max .
- vanes 50 , 150 are schematically depicted in FIGS. 2-3 has having a straight tip 52 , 152 , alternately, the vane tips 52 , 152 may have a different shape, e.g. rounded or curved, whether concave or convex.
- the vanes 50 , 150 have a relatively small aspect ratio, which is defined as the ratio between the maximum height hmax of the vane 50 , 150 and a chord length c (extending between the leading edge 54 , 154 and trailing edge 56 , 156 , see FIG. 4 b ), thus as h max /c.
- the aspect ratio h max /c is about 0.5; in another embodiment, the aspect ratio h max /c is 0.5 or lower.
- the vanes 50 , 150 are irregularly spaced apart around the circumference of the inlet 24 ; a circumferential distance between a first vane and an adjacent vane is thus different from a circumferential distance between that first vane and the opposed adjacent vane.
- the first vane A is shown in full lines, and the position shown in dotted lines represents the position at equal circumferential distance S from the two adjacent vanes B, C. It can be seen that the intermediate first vane A is offset away from one of the adjacent vanes B by a distance ⁇ S, so as to be located a distance S+ ⁇ S from that adjacent vane B and S- ⁇ S from the other adjacent vane C.
- ⁇ S is about 5% of S; in another embodiment, ⁇ S is 5% or less of S.
- the irregularly spaced vanes 50 , 150 include embodiments where the ⁇ S for all the offset vanes is the same, embodiments where the circumferential spacing between the vanes of three (3) or more pairs of the vanes is different from one another, and embodiments where all the vanes have different circumferential spacing from one another. In a particular embodiment, the irregular circumferential spacing of the vanes 50 , 150 miss-tunes the interaction between the vane wake and the fan rotor 20 , which may lead to reduction of rotor dynamic stress and fan tone noise.
- vanes 50 , 150 are regularly spaced apart around the circumference of the inlet 24 , i.e. each vane 50 , 150 is spaced a same circumferential distance S from the adjacent vanes 50 , 150 .
- the vanes 50 , 150 have different stagger angles from one another.
- the stagger angle is defined as the angle between the chord c (extending from the leading edge 54 , 154 to the trailing edge 56 , 156 ) and the direction of flow F, corresponding here to the central longitudinal axis 11 .
- one of the vanes D has a stagger angle ⁇ 1 while the adjacent vanes E, F have a different stagger angle of ⁇ 2 .
- the adjacent vanes D, E, F are angled in the same direction with respect to the direction of flow F, one vane D being more or less angled than the others E, F.
- ⁇ 1 and ⁇ 2 are defined in the same direction and have a difference of 1 degree.
- the irregular stagger may lead to reduction in rotor dynamics stress and fan tone noise, and/or reduction of flutter in the fan blades 22 .
- the vanes 50 , 150 all have a same stagger angle.
- the vanes 50 , 150 are configured to direct the incoming flow F of upstream air into the direction of rotation R of the fan blades 22 . More particularly, from FIGS. 4 a and 4 b , it can be appreciated that the incoming flow F is redirected from a direction F to a direction F′ having a circumferential component pointing in the direction of rotation R of the fan blades 22 . It can also be appreciated that the pressure side of the vanes 50 , 150 faces the same side as that of the pressure side of the fan blades 22 .
- the stagger angle is selected so that the exit angle of the flow or swirl induced in the flow by the vanes 50 , 150 reduces the relative Mach number at the fan blade tips 36 to a value of Mach 1.3 or less, and in an embodiment to a value of at least Mach 1.2 and at most Mach 1.3.
- such a flow speed provides for an optimal balance between the gain in fan blade efficiency obtained through reduction of the shock losses, and the losses (e.g. friction losses) introduced by the presence of the vanes 50 , 150 in the flow path 30 , such as to improve the overall efficiency of the fan 12 .
- the relative Mach number at the fan blade tips 36 is thus reduced by swirling the flow of air upstream of the fan blade tips 36 within an annular outer portion of the inlet flow path 30 , i.e. the annular portion of the flow path 30 containing the vanes 50 , 150 , while allowing the flow of air to flow freely within the remaining central portion of the inlet flow path 30 , i.e. the vane-free portion of the inlet flow path 30 .
- the vanes 50 , 150 whether irregularly or regularly staggered, have a stagger angle ⁇ 1 , ⁇ 2 which is 20 degrees or less adjacent the upstream wall portion 32 .
- the stagger angle ⁇ 1 , ⁇ 2 is from 10 to 15 degrees adjacent the upstream wall portion 32 .
- the vanes 50 , 150 are pivotally retained to the inlet wall 28 such that the stagger angle is variable, for example for adjustment with respect to the flow conditions in the inlet 24 .
- the variable stagger allows for an improvement in stall margin at part-design speed by closing the variable vanes, and/or an increase in fan choke flow at over speed by opening the variable vanes.
- the inlet 24 further includes a heating system 60 in heat exchange relationship with the vanes 50 , 150 .
- the heating system 60 may include one or more conduits circulating a heated fluid (e.g. air, oil) around the upstream wall portion 32 radially outwardly of the inlet flow path 30 , positioned in heat exchange relationship with the vanes 50 , 150 , for example by being adjacent to the upstream wall portion 32 and in axial alignment with the vanes 50 , 150 .
- the height h of the vanes 50 , 150 is sufficiently small for the heat from the heating system 60 to effectively travel from the upstream wall portion 32 directly through the material of the vanes 50 , 150 up to vane tips 52 , 152 .
- the heating system 60 includes one or more passages for circulating the heated fluid disposed inside the vanes 50 , 150 , such as to help transfer the heat from the heated fluid across the height h of the vanes 50 , 150 .
- the vanes may have an irregular height h while being circumferentially irregularly spaced apart with different stagger angles and in heat exchange relationship with the heating mechanism.
- the vanes 150 have an irregular height h, an irregular spacing, a same stagger angle, and are in heat exchange relationship with the heating system 60 . Any other combination is possible.
- the addition of the partial vanes 50 , 150 upstream of the fan 12 allows to improve basic performances of the fan 12 without changes to the rest of the engine 10 and/or to the cycle of the engine 10 , which may provide for a performance enhancement which is relatively simple to implement.
- the vanes 50 , 150 are designed by first selecting the vane exit angle so that the relative Mach number at the fan blade tips 36 is at a desired value.
- the vane exit angle is less than 20 degrees at the upstream wall portion 32 , preferably from 10 to 15 degrees at the upstream wall portion 32 , and is selected to obtain a relative Mach number at the fan blade tips 36 of at least 1.2 and at most 1.3.
- the turning of the fan blades 22 is then adjusted so that the pressure ratio at the blade tips 36 is maintained. This may include, for example, an increase in camber at the fan blade tips 36 .
- the vane maximum thickness and thickness at the leading edge of the vanes 54 , 154 are then selected based on foreign object damage (FOD) considerations, as the vanes 50 , 150 are exposed to foreign objects penetrating the inlet flow path 30 .
- the vanes 50 , 150 are further configured to provide FOD and/or ice sheet damage protection to the fan blade tips 36 , for example by selecting a spacing between the vanes 50 , 150 which is smaller than the dimension of a foreign object (e.g. bird) that needs to be deflected away from the blade tips 36 . Accordingly, the presence of the vanes 50 , 150 may allow the fan blade tips 36 to be thinner, which may increase the fan tip efficiency.
- the vane height h is selected to minimize the friction losses introduced by the presence of the vanes 50 , 150 in the flow path 30 while being sufficient to obtain the desired Mach number at the fan blade tips 36 .
Abstract
Am aircraft engine including an axially extending inlet wall surrounding an inlet flow path. A radial distance between the inlet wall and the inner wall adjacent the fan defines a downstream height of the inlet flow path. A plurality of vanes are circumferentially spaced around the inlet, each of the vanes extending radially inwardly from the inlet wall, a maximum radial distance between a tip of each of the vanes and the inlet wall defining a maximum height of the vane. The maximum height of the vane is at most 50% of the downstream height of the flow path. In another embodiment, the maximum height of the vane is at most 50% of the maximum fan blade span. A method of reducing a relative Mach number at fan blade tips is also discussed.
Description
- The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/151,666 filed Oct. 4, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/493,785 filed Sep. 23, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,378,554 issued Aug. 13, 2019, the entire contents of these applications being incorporated herein by reference.
- The application relates generally to gas turbine engines and, more particularly, to inlets for turbofan engines.
- Typical transonic fans for turbofan engines have a rather high relative tip Mach number, for example approximately 1.5. This usually leads to shock losses and boundary layer separation, which reduce fan tip efficiency, and accordingly reduce the overall efficiency of the fan.
- Moreover, the tip section of the fan blade leading edge, being the least structurally supported area of the blade, is generally most at risk of damage, for example due to foreign object damage (FOD).
- In one aspect, there is provided an aircraft engine comprising: a propulsive fan mounted for rotation about an axis, the propulsive fan having fan blades; an inlet for directing ambient air to the propulsive fan, the inlet having an inlet wall surrounding an inlet flow path, the inlet wall extending axially from an upstream end to a downstream end adjacent the propulsive fan, the inlet wall at the downstream end surrounding an annular portion of the inlet flow path bordered radially inwardly by an annular inner wall, a radial distance between the inlet wall and the annular inner wall adjacent the propulsive fan defining a downstream height of the inlet flow path; and a plurality of vanes circumferentially spaced around the inlet, each of the vanes extending radially inwardly from the inlet wall, each of the plurality of vanes having an airfoil cross-section including a pressure wall and a suction wall extending chordwise between a leading edge and a trailing edge, a maximum radial distance between a tip of each of the vanes and the inlet wall defining a maximum height of each of the plurality of vanes, the maximum height being at most 50% of the downstream height of the inlet flow path, and wherein the plurality of vanes are oriented to induce a swirl to an incoming flow about the axis of the propulsive fan in a direction of rotation of the propulsive fan.
- In another aspect, there is provided a gas turbine engine comprising: a propulsive fan including an array of circumferentially spaced blades configured for rotation, each of the blades extending radially between a root and a tip with a maximum radial dimension between the root and the tip defining a maximum blade span; an annular inlet including: an axially extending wall, the wall having an upstream wall portion extending axially upstream from the fan blades, the upstream wall portion defining an inlet flow path for directing air to the fan, and a plurality of vanes circumferentially spaced around the inlet, each of the vanes extending radially inwardly from the upstream wall portion, a maximum radial distance between a tip of each of the vanes and the upstream wall portion defining a maximum height of the vane, the maximum height of each of the vanes being at most 50% of the maximum blade span.
- In a further aspect, there is provided a method of reducing a relative Mach number at tips of fan blades of a gas turbine engine, the method comprising: directing a flow of air to the fan blades through an inlet flow path having a downstream radial height adjacent the fan blades, including: swirling the flow of air upstream of the blade tips within an annular outer portion of the inlet flow path, the annular outer portion extending a radial distance from a wall surrounding the inlet flow path, the radial distance being at most 50% of the downstream radial height; and allowing the flow of air to flow freely within a remaining central portion of the inlet flow path.
- Reference is now made to the accompanying figures in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a gas turbine engine; -
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of part of a fan and inlet of a gas turbine engine such as shown inFIG. 1 , in accordance with a particular embodiment; -
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of part of a fan and inlet of a gas turbine engine such as shown inFIG. 1 , in accordance with another particular embodiment; -
FIGS. 4a and 4b are schematic top views of vanes of the inlet, in accordance with particular embodiments; and -
FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of vanes of the inlet with a heating system, in accordance with particular embodiments, shown with part of the fan. -
FIG. 1 illustrates agas turbine engine 10 of a type preferably provided for use in subsonic flight, generally comprising in serial flow communication apropulsive fan 12 through which ambient air is propelled, acompressor section 14 for pressurizing the air, acombustor 16 in which the compressed air is mixed with fuel and ignited for generating an annular stream of hot combustion gases, and aturbine section 18 for extracting energy from the combustion gases. - The
fan 12 has at least onerotor 20, therotor 20 including an array of circumferentially spacedblades 22 configured for rotation about a central longitudinal axis 11 of theengine 10. Theengine 10 has aninlet 24 directing the ambient air to thefan 12. Theinlet 24 generally includes anannular inlet lip 26 and aninlet wall 28. Theinlet 24 has a centrallongitudinal axis 13. In the embodiment shown, the centrallongitudinal axis 13 of theinlet 24 corresponds to the central longitudinal axis 11 of theengine 10. Alternately, the twoaxes 11, 13 may be offset from one another. - Referring to
FIG. 2 , theinlet wall 28 includes upstream anddownstream wall portions downstream wall portion 34 surrounds thefan blades 22 so that thefan blade tips 36 are located in proximity of theinlet wall 28, and surrounds the flow path through which thefan blades 22 rotate. Theupstream wall portion 32 extends axially upstream from thedownstream wall portion 34, and surrounds theinlet flow path 30 through which the air passes to reach thefan blades 22. Theupstream wall portion 32 thus has anupstream end 38 at theinlet lip 26 and adownstream end 40 at the transition with thedownstream wall portion 34, adjacent thefan 12. Theinlet flow path 30 is annular at least at thedownstream end 40, bordered on its inner side by an annularinner wall 42 which in a particular embodiment is defined in part by the nose cone. - It can be seen that each fan blade extends radially between a root 44 (defining part of the inner wall 42) and the
blade tip 36, with a maximum radial dimension between theroot 44 and thetip 36 defining a maximum blade span Smax, which in the embodiment shown is located at the leadingedge 46 of thefan blade 22. Theflow path 30 has a downstream height H adjacent thefan 12 defined radially between theinlet wall 28 and theinner wall 42. In the embodiment shown, as thefan blade tips 36 extend in close proximity of theinlet wall 28, thefan blade roots 44 form part of theinner wall 42, and the maximum fan blade span Smax is defined at the leadingedge 46 thus adjacent the downstream height H, the maximum fan blade span Smax and the downstream height H have values that are close to one another. Other configurations are also possible. - Still referring to
FIG. 2 , theinlet 24 further includes an array ofvanes 50 circumferentially spaced therearound. Eachvane 50 extends radially inwardly from theupstream wall portion 32. Thevanes 50 are partial vanes, i.e. they do not extend completely across theinlet flow path 30. Thevane tips 52 are thus radially outwardly spaced from the centrallongitudinal axis 13, and, for embodiments where thevanes 50 extend in an annular section of theflow path 30, as shown, also radially outwardly spaced from theinner wall 42. - The height h of each
vane 50 can be defined as the radial distance between itstip 52 and theupstream wall portion 32 at the base of thevane 50. In the embodiment show inFIG. 2 , the height h of the vane is constant along the axial direction, i.e. from the leadingedge 54 to thetrailing edge 56 of thevane 50, and accordingly the maximum height hmax of thevane 50 is defined by the vane height h at any axial location. - In an alternate embodiment shown in
FIG. 3 , the height h of the circumferentially spacedpartial vanes 150 varies along the axial direction, i.e. between the leadingedge 154 and thetrailing edge 156 of thevane 150. In a particular embodiment, the irregular height h allows for an optimisation of the vane weight with respect to the performance gain provided by the presence of thevanes 150. The maximum radial distance between thevane tip 152 and theupstream wall portion 32 at the base of thevane 150 defines the maximum height hmax of thevane 150. Although the maximum height hmax is shown as being located at the leadingedge 154, other configurations are also possible. - In a particular embodiment, both for
vanes 50 with constant height h and forvanes 150 with irregular height h, the maximum height hmax of eachvane flow path 30. In a particular embodiment, the maximum height hmax of each vane is at most 25% of the downstream height H of theflow path 30. - In a particular embodiment, both for
vanes 50 with constant height h and forvanes 150 with irregular height h, the maximum height hmax of eachvane vane - Although the
vanes FIGS. 2-3 has having astraight tip vane tips - The
vanes vane edge trailing edge FIG. 4b ), thus as hmax/c. In a particular embodiment, the aspect ratio hmax/c is about 0.5; in another embodiment, the aspect ratio hmax/c is 0.5 or lower. - Referring to
FIG. 4a , in a particular embodiment, thevanes inlet 24; a circumferential distance between a first vane and an adjacent vane is thus different from a circumferential distance between that first vane and the opposed adjacent vane. The first vane A is shown in full lines, and the position shown in dotted lines represents the position at equal circumferential distance S from the two adjacent vanes B, C. It can be seen that the intermediate first vane A is offset away from one of the adjacent vanes B by a distance ΔS, so as to be located a distance S+ΔS from that adjacent vane B and S-ΔS from the other adjacent vane C. In a particular embodiment, ΔS is about 5% of S; in another embodiment, ΔS is 5% or less of S. The irregularly spacedvanes vanes fan rotor 20, which may lead to reduction of rotor dynamic stress and fan tone noise. - In an alternate embodiment, the
vanes inlet 24, i.e. eachvane adjacent vanes - Referring to
FIG. 4b , in a particular embodiment, at least some of thevanes edge edge 56, 156) and the direction of flow F, corresponding here to the central longitudinal axis 11. It can be seen that one of the vanes D has a stagger angle θ1 while the adjacent vanes E, F have a different stagger angle of θ2. Although shown here as being oriented in different directions, in another embodiment the adjacent vanes D, E, F are angled in the same direction with respect to the direction of flow F, one vane D being more or less angled than the others E, F. In a particular embodiment, θ1 and θ2 are defined in the same direction and have a difference of 1 degree. In a particular embodiment, the irregular stagger may lead to reduction in rotor dynamics stress and fan tone noise, and/or reduction of flutter in thefan blades 22. - In an alternate embodiment, the
vanes - Still referring to
FIGS. 4a and 4b , it can be appreciated that thevanes fan blades 22. More particularly, fromFIGS. 4a and 4b , it can be appreciated that the incoming flow F is redirected from a direction F to a direction F′ having a circumferential component pointing in the direction of rotation R of thefan blades 22. It can also be appreciated that the pressure side of thevanes fan blades 22. - In a particular embodiment, the stagger angle is selected so that the exit angle of the flow or swirl induced in the flow by the
vanes fan blade tips 36 to a value of Mach 1.3 or less, and in an embodiment to a value of at least Mach 1.2 and at most Mach 1.3. In a particular embodiment, such a flow speed provides for an optimal balance between the gain in fan blade efficiency obtained through reduction of the shock losses, and the losses (e.g. friction losses) introduced by the presence of thevanes flow path 30, such as to improve the overall efficiency of thefan 12. - In use, the relative Mach number at the
fan blade tips 36 is thus reduced by swirling the flow of air upstream of thefan blade tips 36 within an annular outer portion of theinlet flow path 30, i.e. the annular portion of theflow path 30 containing thevanes inlet flow path 30, i.e. the vane-free portion of theinlet flow path 30. - In a particular embodiment, the
vanes upstream wall portion 32. In a particular embodiment, the stagger angle θ1, θ2 is from 10 to 15 degrees adjacent theupstream wall portion 32. - In a particular embodiment, the
vanes inlet wall 28 such that the stagger angle is variable, for example for adjustment with respect to the flow conditions in theinlet 24. In a particular embodiment, the variable stagger allows for an improvement in stall margin at part-design speed by closing the variable vanes, and/or an increase in fan choke flow at over speed by opening the variable vanes. - Referring to
FIG. 5 , in a particular embodiment, theinlet 24 further includes aheating system 60 in heat exchange relationship with thevanes heating system 60 may include one or more conduits circulating a heated fluid (e.g. air, oil) around theupstream wall portion 32 radially outwardly of theinlet flow path 30, positioned in heat exchange relationship with thevanes upstream wall portion 32 and in axial alignment with thevanes vanes heating system 60 to effectively travel from theupstream wall portion 32 directly through the material of thevanes vane tips longer vanes heating system 60 includes one or more passages for circulating the heated fluid disposed inside thevanes vanes - It is understood that any of the variations shown and discussed can be used in combination with one or more of the other variations shown and discussed. For example, the vanes may have an irregular height h while being circumferentially irregularly spaced apart with different stagger angles and in heat exchange relationship with the heating mechanism. In a particular embodiment, the
vanes 150 have an irregular height h, an irregular spacing, a same stagger angle, and are in heat exchange relationship with theheating system 60. Any other combination is possible. - In a particular embodiment, the addition of the
partial vanes fan 12 allows to improve basic performances of thefan 12 without changes to the rest of theengine 10 and/or to the cycle of theengine 10, which may provide for a performance enhancement which is relatively simple to implement. - In a particular embodiment, the
vanes fan blade tips 36 is at a desired value. In a particular embodiment, the vane exit angle is less than 20 degrees at theupstream wall portion 32, preferably from 10 to 15 degrees at theupstream wall portion 32, and is selected to obtain a relative Mach number at thefan blade tips 36 of at least 1.2 and at most 1.3. - The turning of the
fan blades 22 is then adjusted so that the pressure ratio at theblade tips 36 is maintained. This may include, for example, an increase in camber at thefan blade tips 36. - The vane maximum thickness and thickness at the leading edge of the
vanes vanes inlet flow path 30. In a particular embodiment, thevanes fan blade tips 36, for example by selecting a spacing between thevanes blade tips 36. Accordingly, the presence of thevanes fan blade tips 36 to be thinner, which may increase the fan tip efficiency. - The vane height h is selected to minimize the friction losses introduced by the presence of the
vanes flow path 30 while being sufficient to obtain the desired Mach number at thefan blade tips 36. - The above description is meant to be exemplary only, and one skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed. Modifications other than those expressly mentioned which fall within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of a review of this disclosure, and such modifications are intended to fall within the appended claims.
Claims (14)
1. An aircraft engine comprising:
a propulsive fan mounted for rotation about an axis, the propulsive fan having fan blades;
an inlet for directing ambient air to the propulsive fan, the inlet having an inlet wall surrounding an inlet flow path, the inlet wall extending axially from an upstream end to a downstream end adjacent the propulsive fan, the inlet wall at the downstream end surrounding an annular portion of the inlet flow path bordered radially inwardly by an annular inner wall, a radial distance between the inlet wall and the annular inner wall adjacent the propulsive fan defining a downstream height of the inlet flow path; and
a plurality of vanes circumferentially spaced around the inlet, each of the vanes extending radially inwardly from the inlet wall, each of the plurality of vanes having an airfoil cross-section including a pressure wall and a suction wall extending chordwise between a leading edge and a trailing edge, a maximum radial distance between a tip of each of the vanes and the inlet wall defining a maximum height of each of the plurality of vanes, the maximum height being at most 50% of the downstream height of the inlet flow path, and wherein the plurality of vanes are oriented to induce a swirl to an incoming flow about the axis of the propulsive fan in a direction of rotation of the propulsive fan.
2. The aircraft engine as defined in claim 1 , wherein the maximum height of each of the vanes is at most 25% of the downstream height of the flow path.
3. The aircraft engine as defined in claim 1 , wherein the height of each of the vanes varies between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the vane.
4. The aircraft engine as defined in claim 1 , wherein a circumferential spacing between adjacent ones of the vanes is irregular.
5. The aircraft engine as defined in claim 1 , wherein at least some of the vanes have different stagger angles from one another.
6. The aircraft engine as defined in claim 1 , wherein the vanes each have a stagger angle of 20 degrees or less adjacent the inlet wall.
7. The aircraft engine as defined in claim 1 , wherein the vanes are pivotally retained to the inlet wall such that the vanes each have a variable stagger angle.
8. The aircraft engine as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a heating system in heat exchange relationship with the vanes.
9. The aircraft engine as defined in claim 8 , wherein the heating system includes a heated fluid circulated around the inlet wall radially outwardly of the inlet flow path and in heat exchange relationship with the vanes.
10. The aircraft engine as defined in claim 1 , wherein each of the vanes has a chord extending between the leading and trailing edges of the vane, the chord defining a chord length, and a ratio of the maximum height over the chord length is 0.5 or lower.
11. The aircraft engine as defined in claim 1 , wherein the vanes each have a stagger angle selected so that the exit angle of the swirl induced in the incoming flow by the vanes reduces a relative Mach number at a tip of the fan blade tips to a value of Mach 1.3 or less.
12. The aircraft engine defined in claim 1 , wherein the vanes each have a stagger angle selected so that the exit angle of the swirl induced in the incoming flow by the vanes reduces a relative Mach number at a tip of the fan blade to a value of at least Mach 1.2 and at most Mach 1.3
13. The aircraft engine defined in claim 1 , wherein the vanes each have a vane exit angle less than 20 degrees.
14. The aircraft engine defined in claim 13 , wherein the vane exit angle is comprised between 10 degrees and 15 degrees.
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US17/402,702 US20210372434A1 (en) | 2014-09-23 | 2021-08-16 | Gas turbine engine with partial inlet vane |
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US17/402,702 US20210372434A1 (en) | 2014-09-23 | 2021-08-16 | Gas turbine engine with partial inlet vane |
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US17/402,702 Abandoned US20210372434A1 (en) | 2014-09-23 | 2021-08-16 | Gas turbine engine with partial inlet vane |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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EP3026240B2 (en) | 2023-06-28 |
US10378554B2 (en) | 2019-08-13 |
CA2904695C (en) | 2023-05-09 |
EP3026240A1 (en) | 2016-06-01 |
EP3026240B1 (en) | 2017-11-01 |
US20160084265A1 (en) | 2016-03-24 |
CA2904695A1 (en) | 2016-03-23 |
US11118601B2 (en) | 2021-09-14 |
US20190107119A1 (en) | 2019-04-11 |
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