Motor cooling circuit with integrated FOD particle separator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10265707-B2
Application number	US-201615386245-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2016
Priority date	Dec 21, 2016
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

A ram circuit for an aircraft includes a ram inlet housing, a ram outlet housing, a heat exchanger, a ram air fan, and a particle separator. The ram inlet housing includes a chamber and an inlet configured to receive air. The ram outlet housing is fluidly connected to the ram inlet housing. The heat exchanger is disposed between and fluidly connected to the inlet housing and the outlet housing. The ram air fan is disposed in the outlet housing and includes a motor with a cooling inlet. The particle separator includes an outer inlet and a clean air outlet. The outer inlet is configured to receive ram air from the chamber of the ram inlet housing and faces into a flow of air passing through the chamber. Clean air is discharged through the clean air outlet which is fluidly connected to the cooling inlet of the motor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A ram circuit for an aircraft, the ram circuit comprising:
a ram inlet housing with a chamber and an inlet configured to receive air into the ram inlet housing;
a ram outlet housing fluidly connected to the ram inlet housing;
a heat exchanger disposed between and fluidly connected to the inlet housing and the outlet housing;
a ram air fan disposed in the ram outlet housing, wherein the ram air fan comprises a motor with a cooling inlet; and
a particle separator comprising:
an outer inlet configured to receive ram air from the chamber of the ram inlet housing and a clean air outlet through which clean air is discharged, wherein the outer inlet faces into a flow of air passing through the chamber of the ram inlet housing, and wherein the clean air outlet is fluidly connected to the cooling inlet of the motor of the ram air fan, wherein the particle separator is configured to centrifugally separate particles from air passing through the particle separator;
an outer shroud;
an inner tube with a portion disposed radially within the outer shroud, wherein the inner tube is fluidly connected to the outer shroud;
a center body disposed partially within the inner tube and partially within the outer shroud;
a constriction region axially aligned with the body and positioned between the center body and the outer shroud, wherein the constriction region is configured to accelerate an airflow passing between the center body and the outer shroud;
a set of spin vanes extending radially between and affixed to the center body and the shroud, wherein the set of spin vanes is located upstream of the inner tube, further wherein the set of spin vanes is configured to impart swirl onto a flow of air passing across the set of spin vanes; and
a set of stabilizing vanes extending radially between the center body and the outer shroud, wherein the set of stabilizing vanes is positioned downstream of the set of spin vanes, further wherein the set of stabilizing vanes is configured to stabilize swirl of a flow of air passing across the set of stabilizing vanes.

2. The ram circuit of claim 1 , wherein the outer inlet of the particle separator comprises a face with a center-point, wherein the center-point of the face is located at a point within the ram inlet housing where a velocity of a flow of the air through the ram inlet housing is at a maximum, wherein the maximum of the flow of air through the ram inlet housing is determined by computational fluid dynamics analysis of the flow of air through the ram inlet housing.

3. The ram circuit of claim 2 , wherein the face of the outer inlet is orthogonal to the flow of the air at the point within the ram inlet housing where the velocity of the flow of the air through the ram inlet housing is at a maximum.

4. The ram circuit of claim 1 , wherein the particle separator comprises:
a dirty air outlet surrounding the clean air outlet, the dirty air outlet is fluidly connected to the chamber of the ram inlet housing.

5. The ram circuit of claim 1 , wherein the center body comprises:
a nose with a cone shape pointing in an upstream direction, wherein a diameter of the nose increases from an upstream end of the nose towards a downstream end of the nose;
a tail that comes to a point in a downstream direction, wherein a diameter of the tail decreases from an upstream end of the tail towards a downstream end of the tail, wherein a portion of the tail extends into a portion of the inner tube; and
a body extending between and connected to the nose and the tail, wherein a diameter of the body is generally uniform.

6. The ram circuit of claim 1 , wherein the particle separator is formed of a single homogenous piece of material.

7. A particle separator for a ram circuit in an aircraft, the particle separator comprising:
an inlet configured to receive ram air at an upstream end of the particle separator;
a clean air outlet through which clean air is discharged from a downstream end of the particle separator;
a dirty air outlet surrounding the clean air outlet;
an outer shroud with an upstream end, a downstream end, and an outer inlet disposed at the upstream end of the outer shroud, wherein the outer inlet of the outer shroud is disposed in a ram inlet housing of the ram circuit and is facing in a upstream direction of a flow of air through the ram inlet housing at a location of the outer inlet of the outer shroud;
an inner tube with an inner inlet disposed at an upstream end of the inner tube, wherein a portion of the inner tube is disposed radially within the outer shroud and the inner inlet of the inner tube is positioned downstream of the outer inlet of the outer shroud relative to a flow of air through the particle separator;
a center body disposed partially within the inner tube and partially within the outer shroud, wherein a diameter of the center body varies along a length of the center body;
a first set of vanes extending radially between and affixed to the center body and the shroud, wherein the first set of vanes is positioned downstream from the outer inlet and upstream of the inner inlet, further wherein the first set of vanes is configured to impart swirl onto a first flow of air passing across the first set of vanes;
a second set of vanes extending radially between and affixed to the center body and the inner tube, wherein the second set of vanes is positioned downstream of the first set of vanes, further wherein the second set of vanes is configured to stabilize swirl of a second flow of air passing across the second set of vanes; and
a third set of vanes extending radially between and affixed to the inner tube and the outer shroud, wherein the third set of vanes is positioned downstream of the first set of vanes, further wherein the third set of vanes is configured to stabilize swirl of a third flow of air passing across the third set of vanes.

8. The particle separator of claim 7 further comprising a first set of structural fins extending radially between and affixed to the inner tube and the outer shroud, wherein the first set of structural fins is disposed downstream of the third set of vanes.

9. The particle separator of claim 8 further comprising a second set of structural fins extending radially between and affixed to the center body and the inner tube, wherein the second set of structural fins is disposed downstream of the second set of vanes and radially inward from the first set of structural fins.

10. The particle separator of claim 7 , wherein the center body comprises:
a nose with a cone shape pointing in an upstream direction, wherein a diameter of the nose increases from an upstream end of the nose towards a downstream end of the nose;
a tail that comes to a point in a downstream direction, wherein a diameter of the tail decreases from an upstream end of the tail towards a downstream end of the tail, wherein a portion of the tail extends into a portion of the inner tube, wherein a diameter of the tail decreases from an upstream end of the tail to a downstream end of the tail; and
a body extending between and connected to the nose and the tail, wherein a diameter of the body is generally uniform.

11. The particle separator of claim 7 , wherein the particle separator is formed of a single homogenous piece of material.

12. The particle separator of claim 7 further comprising a constriction region between the center body and the outer shroud, wherein the constriction region is configured to accelerate a flow of air passing between the center body and the outer shroud.

13. The particle separator of claim 12 , wherein the constriction region is axially aligned with the body

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Himmelmann Richard A

Classifications

• B04C3/06 Primary

  Construction of inlets or outlets to the vortex chamber · CPC title

• B04C2003/006

  Construction of elements by which the vortex flow is generated or degenerated · CPC title

• B01D45/16

  generated by the winding course of the gas stream {, the centrifugal forces being generated solely or partly by mechanical means, e.g. fixed swirl vanes} · CPC title

• B64D13/06

  the air being conditioned (pressurising B64D13/02) · CPC title

• B64D2013/0644

  including electric motors or generators · CPC title