WO2021242463A2 - Aéronef à décollage et atterrissage verticaux avec système de propulsion fluidique - Google Patents

Aéronef à décollage et atterrissage verticaux avec système de propulsion fluidique Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2021242463A2
WO2021242463A2 PCT/US2021/029400 US2021029400W WO2021242463A2 WO 2021242463 A2 WO2021242463 A2 WO 2021242463A2 US 2021029400 W US2021029400 W US 2021029400W WO 2021242463 A2 WO2021242463 A2 WO 2021242463A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
wing
lift
aircraft
ejector
thrust
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2021/029400
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
WO2021242463A3 (fr
WO2021242463A9 (fr
Inventor
Andrei Evulet
Original Assignee
Jetoptera, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Jetoptera, Inc. filed Critical Jetoptera, Inc.
Priority to AU2021278813A priority Critical patent/AU2021278813A1/en
Priority to EP21813001.1A priority patent/EP4143086A4/fr
Publication of WO2021242463A2 publication Critical patent/WO2021242463A2/fr
Publication of WO2021242463A9 publication Critical patent/WO2021242463A9/fr
Publication of WO2021242463A3 publication Critical patent/WO2021242463A3/fr

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64C—AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
    • B64C3/00—Wings
    • B64C3/32—Wings specially adapted for mounting power plant
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64C—AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
    • B64C23/00—Influencing air flow over aircraft surfaces, not otherwise provided for
    • B64C23/005—Influencing air flow over aircraft surfaces, not otherwise provided for by other means not covered by groups B64C23/02 - B64C23/08, e.g. by electric charges, magnetic panels, piezoelectric elements, static charges or ultrasounds
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64C—AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
    • B64C29/00—Aircraft capable of landing or taking-off vertically, e.g. vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft
    • B64C29/0008—Aircraft capable of landing or taking-off vertically, e.g. vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft having its flight directional axis horizontal when grounded
    • B64C29/0041—Aircraft capable of landing or taking-off vertically, e.g. vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft having its flight directional axis horizontal when grounded the lift during taking-off being created by jet motors
    • B64C29/0066—Aircraft capable of landing or taking-off vertically, e.g. vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft having its flight directional axis horizontal when grounded the lift during taking-off being created by jet motors with horizontal jet and jet deflector
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64C—AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
    • B64C3/00—Wings
    • B64C3/38—Adjustment of complete wings or parts thereof
    • B64C3/44—Varying camber
    • B64C3/50—Varying camber by leading or trailing edge flaps
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64D—EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
    • B64D27/00—Arrangement or mounting of power plants in aircraft; Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants
    • B64D27/02—Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants
    • B64D27/16—Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants of jet type
    • B64D27/18—Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants of jet type within, or attached to, wings

Definitions

  • the lift generated from an ordinary airfoil results from the airflow condition around the airfoil and the geometry of said airfoil.
  • the lift of the airfoil can be controlled; the goal is to maximize lift generation with compact and light wings.
  • Wings are in general growing larger for better efficiency and made of composites to keep the weight in check.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates a top perspective view of an aircraft according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the aircraft illustrated in FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 3 illustrates in exploded view of a wing and ejector assembly of the aircraft illustrated in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 4 illustrates a top partial cross-sectional perspective view of the wing and ejector assembly of the aircraft illustrated in FIG. 1 including a turbine and compressor assembly;
  • FIG. 5 illustrates a top plan view of an aircraft according to an alternative embodiment
  • FIG. 6 illustrates a top perspective view of an aircraft according to another alternative embodiment
  • FIGS. 7-9 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the invention.
  • An embodiment combines features that augment both thrust and lift by embedding thrusters/ejectors in a lift generating device such as a wing or other aerodynamic surface.
  • a lift generating device such as a wing or other aerodynamic surface.
  • Such ejectors may be embedded on, for example, the top surface of the wing.
  • the thrust augmentation device that may be called an ejector, described in, for example US Patent Application Number 15/256,178, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, uses a pressurized fluid flow, such as compressed air, which otherwise may produce a certain amount of thrust by expansion to atmospheric conditions (entitlement thrust,) but via entrainment of ambient air and energy transfer, generates more thrust and therefore augments the entitlement thrust.
  • a pressurized fluid flow such as compressed air
  • the ejector can be made non-round in shape, and given shapes that are similar to the upper surface of airfoils, which makes it easy to embed into said airfoil.
  • the fluidic propulsive system (FPS) thruster/ejector may be attached to a vehicle (not shown), such as, for non-limiting example, a UAV or a manned aerial vehicle such as an airplane.
  • a plenum is supplied with hotter-than-ambient air (i.e., a pressurized motive gas stream) from, for example, a combustion-based engine that may be employed by the vehicle.
  • This pressurized motive gas stream is introduced via at least one conduit, such as primary nozzles, to the interior of the ejector. More specifically, the primary nozzles are configured to accelerate the motive fluid stream to a variable predetermined desired velocity directly over a convex Coanda surface as a wall jet.
  • primary nozzles provide adjustable volumes of fluid stream.
  • This wall jet serves to entrain through an intake structure secondary fluid, such as ambient air, that may be at rest or approaching the ejector at non-zero speed.
  • secondary fluid such as ambient air
  • the nozzles may be arranged in an array and in a curved orientation, a spiraled orientation, and/or a zigzagged orientation.
  • the mix of the stream and the air may be moving purely axially at a throat section of the ejector.
  • a diffusing structure such as diffuser
  • the mixing and smoothing out process continues so the profiles of temperature and velocity in the axial direction of ejector no longer have the high and low values present at the throat section, but become mote uniform at the terminal end of diffuser.
  • the temperature and velocity profiles are almost uniform.
  • the temperature of the mixture is low enough to be directed towards an airfoil such as a wing or control surface.
  • intake structure and/or terminal end may be circular in configuration.
  • intake structure, as well as terminal end can be non-circular and, indeed, asymmetrical (i.e,, not identical on both sides of at least one, or alternatively any-given, plane bisecting the intake structure).
  • the intake structure can include first and second lateral opposing edges wherein the first lateral opposing edge has a greater radius of curvature than the second lateral opposing edge.
  • the terminal end may be similarly configured.
  • An embodiment of the present invention combines the two elements. It brings together a thrust augmentation of, for example, 2.0, with a lift augmentation and enables the airfoil to have aggressive angles of attack without stall, at least 1.5 times lift enhancement achieved through the combination of boundary layer ingestion and blown jet surface.
  • the combination can enable STOL and maneuverability of aircraft beyond current capabilities of separate systems.
  • the stream emitted by the ejector can be used for lift generation by directing it straight to a thin airfoil (e.g., a trailing edge surface of the wing disposed aft of the exit plane of the ejector) for lift generation.
  • a thin airfoil e.g., a trailing edge surface of the wing disposed aft of the exit plane of the ejector
  • the portion of the wing receiving the jet efflux stream can generate more than 50% higher lift for the same wingspan compared to the case where the wingspan is solely washed by the airspeed of the aircraft air.
  • the lift becomes more than 45% higher than the original wing at aircraft airspeed, including a density drop effect if a pressurized exhaust gas from a turbine was used, for instance.
  • FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an aircraft 100 according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Aircraft 100 includes a fuselage 101 to which are attached forward canard wings 102 and tail fin 103.
  • Aircraft 100 further includes a pair of primary wings 104 attached to the fuselage 101 and in which are embedded ejectors 105.
  • the size of each ejector 105 is progressively smaller as they are positioned from the fuselage 101 to the tips of wings 104.
  • wings 104 include recesses 106 configured to receive and accommodate ejectors 105 as well as serve as aerodynamic surfaces fore and aft of each ejector.
  • aircraft 100 may further include a gas turbine 107 and compressor 108 that distributes compressed air throughout the interior of the wing 104 and to the ejectors 105 via conduits 109, which are illustrated in FIG. 3.
  • At least one embodiment of the invention provides a lift and thrust augmentation device, combining a lift generating surface 104 approximatively shaped like an airfoil of very aggressive aerodynamic geometry, with ejectors 105 using a source of pressurized fluid such as, for example, air of exhaust gas.
  • the ejectors 105 are geometrically and functionally shaped to conform to said lift generating device such that the combination thereof generates more lift and thrust than the separate airfoil shaped device 104 and ejectors separately.
  • the inlets of the ejectors 105 are optimally placed and distributed along the span on the upper surface of the wing 104 to allow the boundary layer ingestion formed on the leading edge of and streamwise along the wing upper surface to eliminate boundary layer separation and therefore delay or eliminate stall to increased angles of attack.
  • outlets of the ejectors 105 are optimally placed and distributed along the span on the upper surface of the wing 104 to allow the boundary layer to be energized and ejected as wall jets streamwise along the wing’s upper surface to control the lift generation of the upper surface of the wing.
  • a pressurized fluid is supplied through the wing 104 to the ejectors 105 in a fluid network that allows modulation and shut-off of each of the ejectors individually, hence distributing not only thrust but also lift where needed, when needed.
  • a wing such as a light wingfoil could be deployed directly behind the ejector exit plane, immediately after the vehicle has completed the take-off maneuvers and is transitioning to the level flight, helping generate more lift for less power from the engine.
  • the wing need not be as long in wingspan, and for the same cord, the wingspan can be reduced by more than 40% to generate the same lift.
  • this lift L equation (Eq. 1) known by those familiar with the art:
  • S is the surface area of the wing
  • p is the density
  • V is the velocity of the aircraft (wing)
  • CL is the lift coefficient.
  • a UAV with a wingspan of e.g., 10 ft. can reduce the wingspan to merely 6 ft. provided the jet is oriented directly to the wing at all times during level flight, with a wing that is thin and has a chord, camber and CL similar to the original wing.
  • the detrimental impact of temperature on the density is much smaller, if the mixing ratio (or entrainment ratio) is large, and hence the jet is only slightly higher in temperature.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment that provides an alternative to the traditional approach of placing jet engines on the wings of an aircraft to produce thrust.
  • a gas generator 501 produces a stream of motive air for powering a series of ejectors 502 that are embedded in the primary airfoils, such as wings 503, for forward propulsion by emitting the gas stream directly from the trailing edge of the primary airfoils.
  • the gas generator 501 is embedded into the main-body fuselage 504 of the aircraft, is fluidly coupled to the ejectors 502 via conduits 505 and is the sole means of propulsion of the aircraft.
  • Ejectors 502 may be circular or non-circular, have correspondingly shaped outlet structure similar to terminal end 101 and provide, at a predetermined adjustable velocity, the gas stream from generator 501 and conduits 505. Additionally, ejectors 502 may be movable in a maimer similar to that of flaps or ailerons, rotatable through a 180° angle and can be actuated to control the attitude of the aircraft in addition to providing the required thrust. Secondary airfoils 506 having leading edges 507 are placed in tandem with wings 503 and directly behind ejectors 502 such that the gas stream from the ejectors 502 flows over the secondary airfoils 506.
  • the secondary airfoils 506 hence receive a much higher velocity than the airspeed of the aircraft, and as such creates a high lift force, as the latter is proportional to the airspeed squared.
  • the entirety of the secondary airfoils 506 may be rotatable about an axis oriented parallel to the leading edges 507. [0033] In this embodiment of the present invention, the secondary airfoil 506 will see a moderately higher temperature due to mixing of the motive fluid produced by the gas generator 501 (also referred to as the primary fluid) and the secondary fluid, which is ambient air, entrained by the motive fluid at a rate between 5-25 parts of secondary fluid per each primary fluid part.
  • FIG. 6 depicts an alternative embodiment of the present invention featuring tandem wings.
  • a secondary airfoil 1010 is placed directly downstream of the augmenting airfoils 702, 902 such that the fluid flowing over the primary airfoil 701 and the gas stream from the augmenting airfoils flows over the secondary airfoil.
  • the combination of the two relatively shorter wings 701, 1010 produce more lift than that of a much larger-spanned wing lacking the augmenting airfoils 702, 902 and that rely on a jet engine attached to a larger wing to produce thrust.
  • an aircraft powered by an FPS is utilized in a distributed manner across large portions of the wing (primary airfoil) 802 of an aircraft in a manner similar to that described above herein.
  • the wing of the aircraft can tilt and has secondary airfoils 803 such as vanes slats, flaps and other lift generating surfaces that can augment the lift at stationary conditions such as taken off, landing or hovering with a factor greater than 1 and preferably two times or more lift generated than the value the baseline wing may produce in flight.
  • the wing 802 of the aircraft is constructed to work with the suction portion of the ejectors/thrusters 801 of an FPS and the efflux of said FPS thrusters via mechanisms of Boundary Layer ingestion (BLI) and Upper Surface Blown Jet over large portions of the aircraft, preferably larger than 25% of the total surface of the wing and up to 100% of the entire wing surface.
  • BLI Boundary Layer ingestion
  • Upper Surface Blown Jet over large portions of the aircraft, preferably larger than 25% of the total surface of the wing and up to 100% of the entire wing surface.
  • the fronts of the thrusters 801 of the FPS in an embodiment and such as are described above herein are designed to entrain at least five parts of ambient air for each part of compressed air or gas (motive fluid) supplied to them via local low-pressure fields generated in proximity to the inlets. This portion may be combined with aggressive slats that allow for aggressive angles of attack of the wing that allow for additional lift generation.
  • the efflux (rear) ends of the thrusters may produce a nearly unidirectional jet stream 804 consisting of, for example, one pint motive fluid and five parts entrained air to an efflux velocity of a minimum 100 mph and preferably larger, depending on the entrainment ratio.
  • the resulting jet is directed in the shape of a wall jet adjacent to the upper surface of the wing in such a manner that the flow is never separated.
  • the wing may contain flaps extendable to increase the surface exposed to said efflux jet by at least one half but preferably full chord length of the baseline wing via one or several flaps, such as are known in the art.
  • the lower static pressure on the suction side 806 of the wing may be completely separated from the low or zero velocity on the pressure side 807 of the wing (below the wing) with the extended flaps and slats forming a border between the areas of high static pressure (below) and low static pressure (above) the wing, with the wing being a surface now producing a lift and thrust combination at static conditions that may result in many times the value of the thrust itself.
  • a factor of at least two times the thrust of the FPS thruster is expected, increasing with the velocity of said efflux jet, surface area of the flaps and slats.
  • a similar, reverse operation can be envisioned in a transition from high speed to hover and eventually landing by operating concomitantly the FPS thruster (via turbocompressor speed, and flow controls), the flaps angles and, optionally, the wing tilt angle, and hence being able to slow down and vertically land.
  • VTOL Configuration at takeoff shows the balance of forces generated by the airfoil 802 in conjunction with thruster 801.
  • the thrust 809 pushes the airplane forward and produces an efflux stream 804 that follows the deployed flap system 803 contour as indicated by the arrows.
  • the stream 804 has, in an embodiment, at least 100 m/s at the beginning but turns down over the flaps system 803 and slows down in the process for an overall average of 75 m/s.
  • the pressure differential across the large airfoil area is generating lift even at static conditions when the aircraft is not moving.
  • the airfoil 802 embedded with thruster 801 has been discussed above herein.
  • the entire structure of the wing 802 can tilt by as much as 90 degrees to the vertical.
  • the efflux 804 produces a net thrust force 809 of 500 Newton static oriented at, e.g., 20 deg up, with horizontal component forward and a vertical component 171 Newton that contributes together with the vertical component of the lift generated of a value 636,3 Newton to a total vertical component of 807,6 Newton.
  • the horizontal components of the thrust and lift balance each other being equal in value at 469 Newton and opposite in direction.
  • the retracted flaps 803 are in cruise condition, where the efflux 804 is producing both augmented thrust 809 to defeat drag and enough velocity over the smaller wing with retracted flaps to augment lift 808.
  • the wing 802 is now back to zeroDdegree tilt.
  • An embodiment has VTOL and hover capability with, optionally, a partial wing tilt of, for example, 15 degrees and fluidic propulsive system feeding wing integrated thrusters and has at least the following features:
  • Typical fixed wing needs approximately half (1/2) the aircraft weight in thrust and will have a high speed conventional take off.
  • a fluidic system that produces a large amount of entrained flow at high speeds and thrust based on a small amount of compressed fluid and expels said entrained and compressed fluid largely unidirectionally at uniform velocity, in shape of a wall jet over a curvilinear surface, in order to produce both thrust and a low static pressure zone immediately above the curvilinear surface;
  • a curvilinear surface that may extend significantly to increase the area washed by the efflux jet without separation of the boundary layer formed and over a large wingspan of a wing;
  • An optional tilting system that includes the airfoils and/or ejectors rotating together around an axis;

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Structures Of Non-Positive Displacement Pumps (AREA)
  • Toys (AREA)
  • Jet Pumps And Other Pumps (AREA)
  • Control Of Position, Course, Altitude, Or Attitude Of Moving Bodies (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un aéronef comprenant un fuselage et un profil aérodynamique primaire ayant une première surface supérieure. La première surface supérieure a un évidement disposé à l'intérieur de celle-ci. Un conduit est en communication fluidique avec l'évidement. Un éjecteur est disposé à l'intérieur de l'évidement. L'éjecteur est conçu pour recevoir de l'air comprimé par l'intermédiaire du conduit, et l'éjecteur est en outre conçu pour produire un courant d'écoulement de propulsion. Un profil aérodynamique secondaire est couplé au profil aérodynamique primaire et a une seconde surface supérieure. L'éjecteur est positionné de telle sorte que le courant d'écoulement s'écoule sur la seconde surface. La seconde surface est orientée de façon à entraîner le courant d'écoulement à s'écouler dans une direction sensiblement perpendiculaire à la première surface supérieure.
PCT/US2021/029400 2020-04-27 2021-04-27 Aéronef à décollage et atterrissage verticaux avec système de propulsion fluidique WO2021242463A2 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2021278813A AU2021278813A1 (en) 2020-04-27 2021-04-27 Vertical take off and landing aircraft with fluidic propulsion system
EP21813001.1A EP4143086A4 (fr) 2020-04-27 2021-04-27 Aéronef à décollage et atterrissage verticaux avec système de propulsion fluidique

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US202063016226P 2020-04-27 2020-04-27
US63/016,226 2020-04-27

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WO2021242463A2 true WO2021242463A2 (fr) 2021-12-02
WO2021242463A9 WO2021242463A9 (fr) 2022-01-20
WO2021242463A3 WO2021242463A3 (fr) 2022-03-03

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AU (1) AU2021278813A1 (fr)
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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN114789793A (zh) * 2022-03-08 2022-07-26 重庆交通大学绿色航空技术研究院 固定翼无人机尾气再利用系统

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US2464663A (en) * 1943-08-21 1949-03-15 Zingg Theodor Slotted wing for aircraft
US2841344A (en) * 1955-11-28 1958-07-01 Stroukoff Michael Boundary layer control
US2940690A (en) * 1958-01-22 1960-06-14 Ca Nat Research Council Aircraft with split flaps and gas jet boundary layer control
US3051413A (en) * 1960-03-18 1962-08-28 Pouit Robert Vtol aircraft
GB1071764A (en) * 1964-08-31 1967-06-14 Graham Watt Improvements in or relating to aircraft or other vehicles having a sustaining or lift effect airfoil
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US4709880A (en) * 1978-12-29 1987-12-01 General Dynamics Corporation Method and system for improved V/STOL aircraft performance
ITTO20070468A1 (it) * 2007-06-29 2008-12-30 Alenia Aeronautica Spa Metodo per incrementare la portanza di superfici aerodinamiche e per ridurre la resistenza all'avanzamento
CN102120491A (zh) * 2011-02-24 2011-07-13 雷良榆 上翼面循环射流固定翼直升飞机
US10641204B2 (en) * 2015-09-02 2020-05-05 Jetoptera, Inc. Variable geometry thruster
AU2016338382B2 (en) * 2015-09-02 2021-04-01 Jetoptera, Inc. Ejector and airfoil configurations
EP3911569A4 (fr) * 2019-01-18 2022-11-09 Jetoptera, Inc. Système de propulsion fluidique

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN114789793A (zh) * 2022-03-08 2022-07-26 重庆交通大学绿色航空技术研究院 固定翼无人机尾气再利用系统

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2021242463A3 (fr) 2022-03-03
EP4143086A2 (fr) 2023-03-08
WO2021242463A9 (fr) 2022-01-20
EP4143086A4 (fr) 2024-05-15
AU2021278813A1 (en) 2023-01-05

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