United Technologies Corporation

Raytheon Technologies Corporation

Rtx Corporation

Stephen A Morford

Michael J Larkin

Timothy S Snyder

Bruce L Morin

William Arthur Sowa

Ramons Andris Reba

Kevin J Van Dyke

Daniel L Gysling

Wesley K Lord

JinQuan Xu

Jose R Paulino

Carson A Roy Thill

Andrew P Berryann

Ramons A Reba

Jinquan Xu

A section for a gas turbine engine includes a rotating structure, a stationary structure, and a flow guide assembly arranged generally between the rotating structure and the stationary structure. A flow path is defined between the flow guide assembly and one of the rotating structure and the stationary structure. The flow guide assembly includes a plurality of apertures configured to disrupt acoustic waves of air in the flow path. A seal is configured to establish a sealing relationship between the rotating structure and the stationary structure, and wherein an inlet to the flow path is adjacent the seal. A gas turbine engine and a method of disrupting acoustic waves in a flow path of a gas turbine engine are also disclosed.

Gas turbine engine component for acoustic attenuation

An example method of controlling a flow enhancement device includes providing a flow enhancement device that is configured stabilize a flow of air near a nacelle. The flow enhancement device has a first setting and a second setting that provides more stabilization than the first setting. The method includes monitoring parameters of a turbomachine to determine the stability of the flow of air near the nacelle. The method also adjusts the flow enhancement device between the first setting and the second setting based on the monitoring.

Turbomachine flow stability enhancement device control

A gas turbine engine according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a nacelle assembly that includes an inlet lip section and an inlet internal diffuser section downstream of the inlet lip section. A variable area fan nozzle is positioned near an aft segment of the nacelle assembly, the variable area fan nozzle adaptable to move between a first position having a first discharge airflow area and a second position having a second discharge airflow area greater than the first discharge airflow area. At least one boundary layer control device is positioned near one of the inlet lip section and the inlet internal diffuser section. A controller is configured to move the variable area fan nozzle from the first position to the second position and to actuate the at least one boundary layer control device to introduce an airflow in response to an operability condition.

Gas turbine engine having slim-line nacelle

A method of providing a slim-line nacelle for a gas turbine engine includes the steps of detecting a windmilling condition and increasing a discharge airflow area of a variable area fan nozzle in response to the detection of the windmilling condition.

A gas turbine engine system includes nacelle, a first boundary layer control device, a second boundary layer control device, at least one sensor, and a controller. The nacelle is defined about an axis and includes an inlet lip section, an inlet internal diffuser section, and a variable area fan nozzle moveable to influence a discharge airflow area of the nacelle. The first boundary layer control device is positioned near the inlet lip section and is actuable to introduce a first airflow at the inlet lip section. The second boundary layer control device is positioned near the inlet internal diffuser section and is actuable to introduce a second airflow at the inlet internal diffuser section. The sensor produces a signal that represents an operability condition. The controller receives the signal and simultaneously moves the variable area fan nozzle and actuates the first boundary layer control device and the second boundary layer control device in response to receiving the signal to achieve a slim-line nacelle.

A gas turbine engine system includes a fan and a fan bypass passage downstream of the fan for conveying a bypass airflow from the fan. A nozzle associated with the fan bypass passage includes a plurality of different positions that influence the bypass air flow. One or more sensors near the fan produce a signal representative of a foreign object near the fan. A controller commands the nozzle to move to a desired one of the plurality of different positions in response to the signal from the sensor to change a pressure ratio across the fan to thereby reduce a mechanical stress on the fan.

Variable area fan nozzle for accommodating a foreign object strike event

A nacelle assembly for a gas turbine engine includes a nacelle, a variable area fan nozzle, a sensor that detects a windmilling condition and a controller that communicates with the sensor. The variable area fan nozzle is moveable between a first position having a first discharge airflow area and a second position having a second discharge airflow area greater than the first discharge airflow area in response to detecting the windmilling condition.

A noise control cassette for a gas turbine engine includes a perforated face sheet configured for exposure to an airflow, a non-perforated backing sheet, a core arranged between the face sheet and the backing sheet and defining a cavity between the face sheet and the backing sheet having an effective length tuned so as to provide acoustic reactance control, and an attachment face for attaching the cassette to an airfoil-shaped structure.

Airfoil acoustic impedance control

A tangential entry premixing fuel injector ( ) for a gas turbine engine combustor includes a pair of offset scrolls ( ) whose ends define a pair of entry slots ( ) for admitting primary combustion air tangentially into a mixing chamber ( ) bounded by the scrolls ( ) and by longitudinally spaced endplates ( ). An array of fuel injection passages ( ) extends along the length of the slots. The passage array is configured to inject a primary fuel nonuniformly along the length of the air entry slots and to control the fuel penetration depth d in proportion to slot height R. The injector also includes a flame disgorging centerbody ( ) having a bluff tip ( ) longitudinally aligned with the injector's discharge plane ( ) and a secondary fuel conduit ( ) extending through the centerbody for discharging a secondary combustible fluid, preferably gaseous fuel, through a series of fuel discharge openings ( ) in the tip ( ). The flame disgorging centerbody improves fuel injector durability by resisting ingestion of combustion flame into the mixing chamber ( ) and reliably disgorging any flame that is ingested. The controlled fuel penetration depth reinforces the flame disgorging capability of the centerbody by preventing fuel from penetrating into the slowly moving boundary layer attached to the centerbody ( ). The bluff character of the centerbody, in combination with its longitudinal alignment with the fuel injector discharge plane, makes the centerbody capable of anchoring the flame at the discharge plane so that combustion occurs aft of the discharge plane where the combustion flame is unlikely to damage the scrolls or centerbody. Introduction of fuel or fuel and air through the openings in the bluff tip encourage the flame to become anchored to the tip and therefore spatially stabilizes the flame, resulting in additional attenuation of acoustic oscillations and further improved combustor durability. The longitudinally nonuniform injection of primary fuel compensates for any mixing nonuniformities attributable to the flame disgorging centerbody and therefore augments flame stability. The injector and an associated method of premixing fuel and air prior to combustion suppress formation of nitrous oxides, and improve the durability of both the injector and the combustor.

Premixing fuel and air

The invention is a tangential entry, premixing fuel injector (,) for the combustion chamber (,) of a turbine engine. The injector includes a pair of arcuate scrolls (,) defining the radially outer boundary of a mixing chamber (,) and a pair of air entry slots (,) for admitting a stream of primary combustion air tangentially into the mixing chamber. The scrolls also include an axially distributed array of primary fuel injection passages (,) for injecting a primary fuel into the primary air stream. A flame stabilizing fuel injector centerbody (,) includes an impingement and transpiration cooled outlet nozzle (,) for introducing secondary fuel and secondary air into the combustion chamber. The nozzle (,) includes an impingement plate(,) with an array of impingement ports (,) and a tip cap (,) with an array of discharge passages (,). The impingement ports and discharge passages are in series flow, misaligned relationship so that secondary air exiting from the impingement ports impinges on the tip cap and flows through the core discharge passages to impingement cool and transpiration cool the nozzle. The disclosed injector runs cooler than a more conventional tangential entry injector and therefore is more durable. The improved durability is achieved even though the disclosed injector uses less cooling air than a more conventional tangential entry injector and discharges the cooling air at a lower velocity. The reduced cooling air quantity helps to minimize carbon monoxide emissions and the reduced discharge velocity improves the spatial and temporal stability of the combustion flame.

Durability flame stabilizing fuel injector with impingement and transpiration cooled tip

A tangential entry premixing fuel injector (,) for a gas turbine engine combustor includes a pair of offset scrolls (,) whose ends define a pair of entry slots (,) for admitting primary combustion air tangentially into a mixing chamber (,) bounded by the scrolls (,) and by longitudinally spaced endplates (,). An array of fuel injection passages (,) extends along the length of the slots. The passage array is configured to inject a primary fuel nonuniformly along the length of the air entry slots and to control the fuel penetration depth d in proportion to slot height H. The injector also includes a flame disgorging centerbody (,) having a bluff tip (,) longitudinally aligned with the injector's discharge plane (,) and a secondary fuel conduit (,) extending through the centerbody for discharging a secondary combustible fluid, preferably gaseous fuel, through a series of fuel discharge openings (,) in the tip (,). The flame disgorging centerbody improves fuel injector durability by resisting ingestion of combustion flame into the mixing chamber (,) and reliably disgorging any flame that is ingested. The controlled fuel penetration depth reinforces the flame disgorging capability of the centerbody by preventing fuel from -penetrating into the slowly moving boundary layer attached to the centerbody (,). The bluff character of the centerbody, in combination with its longitudinal alignment with the fuel injector discharge plane, makes the centerbody capable of anchoring the flame at the discharge plane so that combustion occurs aft of the discharge plane where the combustion flame is unlikely to damage the scrolls or centerbody. Introduction of fuel or fuel and air through the openings in the bluff tip encourage the flame to become anchored to the tip and therefore spatially stabilizes the flame, resulting in additional attenuation of acoustic oscillations and further improved combustor durability. The longitudinally nonuniform injection of primary fuel compensates for any mixing nonuniformities attributable to the flame disgorging centerbody and therefore augments flame stability. The injector and an associated method of premixing fuel and air prior to combustion suppress formation of nitrous oxides, and improve the durability of both the injector and he combustor.

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Marlborough, CT, United States of America

Stephen A Morford