Stage Iii Technologies, L.c.

Gary Reynolds

Walter M Presz, Jr

A contoured thrust reverser and lobed nozzle noise suppressor is meant for use with gas turbine engines that have conventional post-exit thrust reversers and that require only moderate levels of noise suppression. The contoured thrust reverser and lobed nozzle noise suppressor comprises a conventional tailpipe frame terminating in a lobed nozzle, and a conventional thrust reverser mechanism holding a pair of contoured blocker doors. In a deployed position, the blocker doors lie aft of the lobed nozzle, having been moved there by the thrust reverser mechanism. The blocker doors abut one another and form a fore-facing scoop, wherein any engine exhaust exiting the lobed nozzle is redirected towards the fore of the engine. In a stowed position, the blocker doors lie over the tailpipe frame and align and nestle together with the engine's cowling. Since the blocker doors partially overlap the lobed nozzle in this position, aft portions of each blocker door are contoured to correspond in shape to an exterior fore portion of the lobed nozzle of which they overlap. The lobed nozzle and contoured blocker doors provide a substantially continuous outer surface aerodynamically configured to help in mixing ambient air with engine exhaust, so as to reduce engine noise.

Contoured thrust reverser and lobed nozzle noise suppressor for gas turbine engines

A mixer/ejector suppressor is disclosed for reducing the noise level created by the exhaust flows in gas turbines. In the preferred embodiment, the suppressor comprises a mixing ring of alternating lobes attached to the engine's tailpipe; an ejector shroud mounted onto the mixing ring; and a plurality of arcuate gaps, between the mixing ring and ejector shroud, that permit ambient air to be entrained into the shroud. The preferred mixing ring has ten curved lobes of alternating designs. Five of the mixing lobes are shallow, with contours similar to those of mixing lobes in an earlier TSMEC version, disclosed in a related U.S. utility patent application, Ser. No. 08/729,571. The other five lobes are much longer, and they are designed to penetrate deeply into the engine's hot core flow. Together, the ten lobes rapidly mix (mostly at supersonic conditions) the engine exhaust flows with secondary ambient air inside the shroud. The lobes thereby increase the spread rate of the exhaust jet, dissipate its velocity and greatly decrease the core length of the exhaust jet. Hence, noise levels are reduced, which enable older engines to meet new federal noise regulations, known as 'Stage 3', at static and takeoff conditions. This suppressor, known as the 'ALMEC,' comprises an improvement in noise reduction over the prior TSMEC version.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Gary Reynolds