Rolls-royce Corporation

Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Maurice Bristow

Vasileios Kyritsis

Peter Loftus

Kevin Todd Lowe

Stephen Geoffrey Brown

Martin R Turville

Robert N Parfitt

Todd Lowe

Kevin Lowe

A method of thermodynamic assessment of flow through a turbomachine having a compressor, comprising: receiving sensor readings from a plurality of acoustic sensors located about an intake for the turbomachine upstream of the compressor; and receiving pressure and stagnation temperature readings for the flow into the intake. A static temperature is determined for the flow into the intake and an average velocity of the flow over a flow area of the intake upstream of the compressor using the acoustic sensor readings. A mass flow rate of the flow through the intake is determined using the average velocity of the flow and the stagnation pressure.

Flow measurement for a gas turbine engine

A turbofan gas turbine engine having a bypass duct, and a bypass airflow measurement system. The bypass airflow measurement system comprises: at least one acoustic transmitter configured to transmit an acoustic waveform across the bypass duct of the gas turbine engine though which a bypass airflow passes to at least one acoustic receiver; where the at least one acoustic transmitter and the at least one acoustic receiver are located on an axial plane that is substantially perpendicular to the bypass flow. A method of measuring bypass airflow properties of a turbofan gas turbine engine is also described.

Gas turbine engine with airflow measurement system

A flow machine having a flow passage and an air flow measurement system comprising a plurality of acoustic sensors. The acoustic sensors comprise at least one acoustic transmitter configured to transmit an acoustic waveform through the airflow passing through the flow passage to an acoustic receiver. At least one of the acoustic sensors is rotatable relative to one or more other acoustic sensor.

A turbomachine having an air flow measurement system. The system comprises a plurality of acoustic sensors upstream of a compressor of the turbomachine. The acoustic sensors are configured to transmit acoustic waveforms through an intake airflow to further acoustic sensors. The acoustic sensors are located in a single plane and mounted at angular spacing about a central axis of an intake.

A control system operable includes a modified primary control parameter for an aircraft, the control system includes: a primary control parameter leg configured to output a demand in an aircraft primary control parameter; a primary control parameter compensation leg configured to receive a change in absolute levels and/or spatial distributions of swirl angle and/or fan pressure at a primary control parameter relative to a reference and convert the change into the primary control parameter; a processor adapted to receive the demand in the primary control parameter output from the primary control parameter leg and the change to the primary control parameter output from the primary control parameter compensation leg; compare the demand in the primary control parameter output from the primary control parameter leg and the change to the primary control parameter output from the primary control parameter compensation leg; and generate a modified primary control parameter for the aircraft.

Control system

A method of estimating a parameter of a fluid flowing in a passage includes: having a plurality of instruments operable to measure one or more fluid properties flowing in the passage, the plurality of instruments being disposed in the passage and arranged within a common measurement plane; assigning a stream tube to each instrument, each stream tube represents a region of space in the common measurement plane within the passage and each stream tube surrounds one of the plurality of instruments, the stream tubes together correspond to the cross-sectional shape and area of the passage in the common measurement plane; measuring the one or more fluid properties using the instruments to obtain one or more measured values for each stream tube; using the measured value(s) for each stream tube to calculate a derived value for each stream tube; and summing the derived values across all of the stream tubes.

Estimating fluid parameter

To determine free field thrust of a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine may be attached to a movable support, and operated at a selected engine operating point. The thrust applied by the engine to the thrust cradle is measured. The gas turbine engine intake momentum drag generated by airflow into the gas turbine engine intake, the thrust cradle drag force generated by airflow past the moveable support of the thrust cradle, the base drag generated as a result of accelerating nozzle ejector airflow, a pre-streamtube force related to turning of stream lines in the intake air path, a pre-stream tube force related to a bell mouth pull-off force are calculated. Forces due to forward anemometer plane and nozzle static pressures, and a nozzle exit buoyancy force are summed according to respective positive and negative values to determine the free field thrust at the selected engine operating point.

Growing community of inventors

Derby, United Kingdom

Maurice Bristow