General Electric Company

Allan George Van De Wall

Brandon Wayne Miller

Arthur William Sibbach

Brian Lewis Devendorf

Sean Christopher Binion

Byron Andrew Pritchard, Jr

Peter John Wood

Raymond Gust Holm

Charles Daniel Califf

Peter Alfred Pezzi

A turbofan engine is provided. The turbofan engine includes a fan comprising a plurality of fan blades; a turbomachine operably coupled to the fan for driving the fan, the turbomachine comprising a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow order and together defining a core air flowpath; a nacelle surrounding and at least partially enclosing the fan; an inlet pre-swirl feature located upstream of the plurality of fan blades, the inlet pre-swirl feature attached to or integrated into the nacelle; and a means for reducing ice buildup or ice formation on the inlet pre-swirl feature, the means in communication with the inlet pre-swirl feature.

Ice reduction mechanism for turbofan engine

A variable bleed valve includes a variable bleed valve door disposed in a bleed inlet in transition duct and rotatable about an axis at or near a forward end of door. Valve is operable to open and close a bleed slot open to a booster bleed flowpath located outwardly of transition duct and having an airflow restrictor. Airflow restrictor may be variable such as a flapper valve. Booster bleed flowpath may pass through a bifurcated bleed duct including an inner passage radially bound by spaced apart inner and middle bleed walls and an outer passage radially bound by middle bleed wall and an outer bleed wall. Airflow restrictor may include an outlet area smaller than an inlet area of inner passage. Door seals against middle bleed wall to open inner passage and against outer bleed wall to open both passages.

Gas turbine engine variable bleed valve for ice extraction

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Allan George Van De Wall