The Boeing Company

Rene Woszidlo

Arvin Shmilovich

Michael J Duffy

Abraham Naroll Gissen

James Henry Mabe

Mary Eileen Beckman

Andrew Leung

Bradley Jerome Rafferty

John Jeffrey Mattero

Andrew Wham Cary

John Alexander Ziebart

Venkateswara K Reddy

Virginia Louise Wilson

John Anthony Schaefer

Robert Narducci

An adjustable flow control system includes a fluid source, a mass-flux device and a controller. The fluid source is configured to generate a fluid flow. The mass-flux device has an inlet to receive the fluid flow. The fluid flow is transferred from the inlet to an outlet that has an exit area with a variable geometry. The controller is configured to calculate a particular exit area of the mass-flux device to achieve a flow performance metric, calculate a fluid property of the fluid flow to produce the flow performance metric based on the particular exit area, determine if the fluid source could generate the fluid flow to match the fluid property, and control the variable geometry of the exit area to establish the particular exit area in response to the fluid source being able to generate the fluid flow to match the fluid property.

Adjustable flow control systems

Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to improve fluid flow simulations. An example apparatus includes a property identifier to, prior to execution of the computer-based model, identify donors and recipients representative of one or more model regions of the computer-based model to simulate for a plurality of time steps including a first time step and a second time step, the donors having donor properties, in response to computing a flow field for the first time step of the computer-based model, a property extractor to extract the donor properties from extraction surfaces of the donors, and a property assignor to assign the donor properties to boundary surfaces of respective ones of the recipients, and a flow field generator to generate an output flow field for the second time step based on the recipients having the assigned donor properties.

Methods and apparatus to improve fluid flow simulations

An anti-ice swirl system for an aircraft engine includes a nacelle including a first nacelle section exposed to ambient environment and facing an oncoming airstream when an aircraft powered by the engine is in flight. The first nacelle section defines a circumferential D-duct. The anti-ice swirl system also includes a nozzle configured to inject into and circulate through the D-duct a controlled unsteady flow of heated fluid. The controlled unsteady flow mixes newly injected heated fluid with air inside the D-duct and mitigates icing of the first nacelle section when the aircraft is in flight.

Engine nacelle anti-ice swirl system with unsteady fluid flow

Active fluid control systems and related methods are disclosed. A disclosed example active fluid control system includes a plurality of plenums coupled together to define a fluid flow passageway, and a plurality of fluidic actuators coupled to outer surfaces of respective ones of the plenums. The fluidic actuators define actuator inlets and actuator outlets. The fluid flow passageway defined by the plenums to fluidly couple the fluidic actuators and a pressurized fluid supply source. The plenums are configured to couple to an aircraft structure supporting an aerodynamic surface to enable the actuator outlets to be mounted to the aerodynamic surface. The fluidic actuators are configured to provide the pressurized fluid to the aerodynamic surface to modify an aerodynamic characteristic of the aerodynamic surface.

Active flow control systems for aircraft and related methods

A vortex generator system has at least two vortex generators protrudable from an outer mold line of a vehicle surface at a location upstream of a cavity leading edge of a cavity in the vehicle surface. The vortex generators are spaced apart from each other and oriented such that the vortex generator aft ends are nearer to each than the vortex generator forward ends. The vortex generator lengthwise direction of each one of the vortex generators is oriented at a vortex generator directional angle relative to a direction of an airflow. The vortex generators are configured to generate a pair of counter-rotating vortices when the airflow passes over through or over the vortex generators. The counter-rotating vortices interact to produce a downwash of air away from the cavity that urges the store away from the vehicle as the store exits the cavity.

Vortex generator system and method for assisting in store separation from a vehicle, and aircraft having vortex generator system

An impingement cooling system is disclosed, including an airfoil having an aerodynamically sharp leading edge, a fluid source, and a fluid dispersal device connected to the fluid source. The leading edge has a concave internal surface and the fluid dispersal device is configured to project a fluctuating stream of fluid toward the internal surface.

Leading edge cooling systems and methods

Flow control systems having movable slotted plates are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes a flow control plate to be placed proximate an opening of an aerodynamic body. The opening has a first slot and the flow control plate has a second slot angled relative to the opening. The apparatus also includes an actuator to move the flow control plate relative to the opening in a linear oscillatory motion to vary a flow of fluid exiting the opening over the aerodynamic body. The flow of fluid is to flow from the second slot to the first slot.

Flow control systems having movable slotted plates

A method and apparatus for controlling an airflow. The method draws air through a group of inlets. The group of inlets is located in a group of locations on the vehicle such that the group of inlets actively controls the airflow relative to an aircraft when drawing the air. The method compresses the air drawn by the group of inlets in a group of air compressor units located in an aircraft structure to form pressurized air. Further, the method sends the pressurized air through a group of exit ports in the aircraft structure. The pressurized air flowing out of the group of exit ports actively controls the airflow for an aircraft, enabling an improved performance of the aircraft.

Distributed compressor for improved integration and performance of an active fluid flow control system

Methods and apparatus to generate oscillating fluid flows in heat exchangers are disclosed. A disclosed fluid flow apparatus includes a repeating pattern of fins arranged in rows, where fins of each row are separated from one another by channels, where the fins have respective sub-channels extending therethrough to facilitate oscillation of fluid moving through the channels, and where each of the sub-channels defines a sub-channel inlet and a sub-channel outlet of a respective fin of the pattern.

Growing community of inventors

St. Charles, MO, United States of America

Rene Woszidlo