Air intake for gas turbine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10794280-B2
Application number	US-201815974298-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2018
Priority date	May 15, 2017
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

An aircraft intake duct for channeling a flow of ambient air toward an annular engine compressor inlet of a gas turbine engine having a compressor reference axis and a reference plane that extends from such compressor reference axis. The aircraft intake duct includes an oblong air intake inlet for receiving the flow of ambient air, the air intake inlet being offset radially outwardly relative to the compressor reference axis and located on a first side of the reference plane. Two distal intake channels fluidly link distal extremities of the oblong air intake inlet to a segment of the annular engine compressor inlet located on a second side of the reference plane. A central channel fluidly links a central section of the oblong air intake inlet to a segment of the annular engine compressor inlet located on a first side of the reference plane. The distal channels are blended together by the central channel so that a single intake duct is formed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine having an aircraft intake duct for an annular engine compressor inlet of the gas turbine engine, the annular engine compressor inlet having a compressor reference axis that is coaxial with a centerline of the engine and a reference plane extending from such compressor reference axis, the reference plane dividing the compressor inlet into a first side and an opposite second side, the aircraft intake duct comprising:
an oblong air intake inlet located on the first side of the reference plane;
a top wall and a bottom wall extending downstream from such air intake inlet and being slanted towards one another to define a contracting central intake channel of the aircraft intake duct; and
two side walls extending downstream from such aft intake inlet and being slanted away from one another to define two distal intake channels of the aircraft intake duct, the two distal intake channels being located on each side of the central intake channel.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein each distal intake channel fluidly links the air intake inlet to a section of the compressor inlet located on the second side of the reference plane.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein each distal intake channel, as they extend downstream of the air intake inlet, turns upwards towards the compressor reference axis and the reference plane.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein each distal intake channel, as they extend downstream of the air intake inlet, first turns away from the compressor reference axis then turn towards such compressor reference axis.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the central intake channel fluidly links the air intake inlet to a section of the compressor inlet located on the first side of the reference plane.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the central intake channel, as it extends downstream of the air intake inlet, first turns downwards away from the reference plane, then turn upwards towards such reference plane.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 2 , wherein the central intake channel fluidly links the air intake inlet to a section of the compressor inlet located on the first side of the reference plane.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 2 , wherein the central intake channel, as it extends downstream of the air intake inlet, first turns downwards away from the reference plane, then turn upwards towards such reference plane.

9. The gas turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the central intake channel fluidly links each distal intake channel to one another.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 4 , wherein the central intake channel fluidly links the air intake inlet to a section of the compressor inlet located on the first side of the reference plane.

11. The gas turbine engine of claim 4 , wherein the central intake channel, as it extends downstream of the air intake inlet, first turns downwards away from the reference plane, then turn upwards towards such reference plane.

12. The gas turbine engine of claim 10 , wherein the central intake channel fluidly links each distal intake channel to one another.

13. An intake assembly for a gas turbine engine, the intake assembly comprising an inlet duct extending from an intake opening to an outlet opening and defining a channel therebetween, a first reference axis extending through the intake opening, the outlet opening adapted to supply air to a compressor of the gas turbine engine, the compressor rotatable around a second reference axis spaced apart from the first reference axis, the first and second reference axes extending parallel relative to each other and coplanar in a centerline plane, the centerline plane symmetrically dividing the inlet duct along the channel, the inlet duct defining two lateral channels portions of the channel which are spaced apart on opposite sides of the centerline plane, each one of the lateral channel portions extending along a path defined by a spline from the intake opening to the outlet opening, a turning angle is defined between a tangent of the spline and the first reference axis when the spline is orthogonally projected onto the centerline plane, the turning angle increasing from the intake opening to a maximum turning angle at a first transition position along the spline and then decreasing until reaching the outlet opening, and when the splines are orthogonally projected onto a transverse plane perpendicular to the centerline plane, the splines and a corresponding wall of each lateral channel portion diverge from one another between the intake opening and a second transition position along the transverse plane and then the splines converge toward each other until the outlet opening.

14. The intake assembly as defined in claim 13 , wherein the maximum turning angle is at most 45 degrees.

15. The intake assembly as defined in claim 13 , wherein the turning angle continuously increases from the intake opening to the first transition position.

16. The intake assembly as defined in claim 13 , wherein the turning angle continuously decreases from the first transition position to the outlet opening.

17. The intake assembly as defined in claim 13 , wherein a central channel portion of the channel is defined between the two lateral channel portions from the intake opening to the first transition position.

18. The intake assembly as defined in claim 13 , wherein a central channel portion is defined between the two lateral channel portions from the intake opening to the second transition position.

19. A turboprop gas turbine engine comprising:
a propeller;
a compressor mounted downstream of the propeller relative to a direction of an air flow from the propeller to the compressor; and
an intake assembly disposed between the propeller and the compressor, the intake assembly comprising:
an inlet duct extending from an intake opening to an outlet opening and defining a central channel therebetween, a first reference axis extending through the intake opening, the outlet opening adapted to supply air to a compressor of the gas turbine engine, the compressor rotatable around a second reference axis spaced apart from the first reference axis, the first and second reference axes extending parallel relative to each other and coplanar in a centerline plane, the centerline plane symmetrically dividing the inlet duct along the channel, the inlet duct defining two lateral channel portions of the channel which are spaced apart on opposite sides of the centerline plane, each one of the lateral channel portions extending along a path defined by a spline from the intake opening to the outlet opening, a turning angle is defined between a tangent of the spline and the first reference axis when the spline is orthogonally projected onto the centerline plane, the turning angle increasing from the intake opening to a maximum turning angle at a first transition position along the spline and then decreasing until reaching the outlet opening, and when the splines are orthogonally projected onto a transverse plane perpendicular to the centerline plane, the splines and a corresponding wall of each lateral channel portion diverge from one another between the intake opening and a second transition position along the transverse plane and then the splines converge toward each other until the outlet opening.

20. The turboprop gas turbine engine as defined in claim 19 , wherein the maximum turning angle is at most 45 degrees.

21. The turboprop gas turbine engine as defined

Assignees

• Pratt & Whitney Canada

Inventors

• YAN Guo Rong
• Cunningham Mark Huzzard

Classifications

• Y02T50/60

  Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft · CPC title

• F02C7/052

  with dust-separation devices · CPC title

• F05D2220/324

  to drive unshrouded, low solidity propeller · CPC title

• F05D2220/323

  for aircraft propulsion, e.g. jet engines · CPC title

• B64D33/02

  of combustion air intakes · CPC title