Nozzle arrangement for a gas turbine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10371094-B2
Application number	US-201514789643-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2015
Priority date	Jul 9, 2014
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

A gas turbine engine comprising: a bypass duct having a bypass nozzle; an engine core having a core nozzle; and, a mixer duct defined by a mixer fairing and having a mixer nozzle, wherein the mixer duct is arranged to receive an airflow from the bypass duct through a mixer duct inlet and an airflow from the engine core, when in use, and the geometry of the mixer duct is selectively adjustable by moving the mixer fairing relative to the bypass duct and engine core in use.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine comprising:
a bypass duct having a bypass nozzle;
an engine core having a core nozzle;
a pylon which is attached to the wing or airframe of an aircraft;
a mixer fairing defining a mixer duct having a mixer duct inlet and a mixer nozzle, the mixer fairing is movably mounted to mounting rails on each side of the pylon; and
a tail cone, wherein
the mixer duct is arranged to receive an airflow from the bypass duct through the mixer duct inlet and an airflow from the engine core, when in use, and a geometry of the mixer duct is selectively adjustable by moving the mixer fairing relative to the bypass duct and engine core in use,
the mixer fairing is movable by a first amount between a first mixer fairing position and a second mixer fairing position which simultaneously alters one or more of: an output flow area of the bypass nozzle, an output flow area of the mixer nozzle, and, a throat area of the mixer duct inlet, such that the respective in use airflows are altered, and
the tail cone is movable by a second amount, different than the first amount, between a first tail cone position and a second tail cone position.

2. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein moving the mixer fairing between the first and second mixer fairing position alters all of: the output flow area of the bypass nozzle, the output flow area of the mixer nozzle, and, the throat area of the mixer duct inlet.

3. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a portion of radially outer wall of the mixer fairing downstream of a leading edge is substantially parallel to an axis of movement such that moving the mixer fairing between the first and second mixer fairing positions alters the output flow area of the mixer nozzle and moving the mixer fairing between the second mixer fairing position and a third mixer fairing position alters the output flow area of the bypass nozzle and mixer nozzle.

4. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 3 , wherein moving the mixer fairing between the second and third mixer fairing positions additionally alters the mixer duct inlet flow area.

5. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mixer fairing is axially translatable relative to a principal axis of the gas turbine engine so as to alter the geometry of the mixer duct.

6. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the core nozzle exits directly into the mixer duct.

7. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 wherein a leading edge of the mixer fairing is at least partially located within the bypass duct in the first and second mixer fairing positions.

8. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 wherein either or both of the mixer fairing and the trailing edge of a core fairing includes lobes to aid mixing of a engine core airflow and bypass airflow.

9. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mixer fairing and tail cone are configured to move simultaneously.

10. A gas turbine engine as claimed in any of claim 1 wherein a portion of the mixer duct is defined by the tail cone and the mixer duct fairing which are arranged to have a chute therebetween, the minimum flow area of which is adjustable with the movement of the mixer fairing.

11. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the mixer fairing exchanges heat between a bypass airflow exiting the bypass nozzle and an airflow passing through the mixer duct.

12. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a thrust reverser having at least one door which is operable to substantially block the bypass duct in a thrust reversing operation, wherein the door includes at least one aperture in an upstream flow path relative to a leading edge of the mixer Fairing such that the leading edge of the mixer fairing is provided with a cooling air flow when the thrust reverser door is deployed.

13. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a thrust measurement system and at least one sensor operably connected to the thrust measurement system, wherein the sensor is configured to provide the thrust measurement system with a signal which is representative of the position of the mixer fairing.

14. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 13 , further comprising a tail cone position sensor.

15. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , an engine control system and at least one sensor operably connected to the engine control system, wherein the sensor is configured to provide the engine control system with a signal which is representative of the position of the mixer fairing.

16. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the engine control system reduces the output flow area of the bypass nozzle and the output flow area of the mixer nozzle with an increase in fan speed of a main propulsive fan of the gas turbine engine.

17. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first amount and the second amount are in an axial direction of the gas turbine engine.

18. A gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mixer fairing includes a gap that circumferentially splits the mixer fairing at the pylon, and the gas turbine engine further including the mounting rails on each side of the pylon that connect the mixer fairing to the pylon, the mounting rails being configured to allow the mixer fairing to move relative to the pylon.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Rolt Andrew Martin

Classifications

• F02K3/06

  with front fan · CPC title

• F05D2260/57

  using servos, independent actuators, etc. · CPC title

• F05D2250/311

  the axes being in line · CPC title

• F05D2260/20

  Heat transfer, e.g. cooling · CPC title

• F02K1/08

  by axially moving or transversely deforming an internal member, e.g. the exhaust cone · CPC title