Device and assembly for cleaning the core engine of a jet engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11536156-B2
Application number	US-201917265813-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2019
Priority date	Aug 6, 2018
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

A device cleans a core engine of a jet engine. The device has: a nozzle installation configured to introduce a cleaning medium into the core engine; a connector configured to connect the device in a rotationally fixed manner to a shaft of a fan of the jet engine; and a line connection configured to supply the cleaning medium, the line connection being connected to the nozzle installation by a rotary coupling. The nozzle installation has first contact faces configured to bear axially on fan blades of the fan, the first contact faces being configured for defined positioning of the nozzle installation relative to the jet engine.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for cleaning a core engine of a jet engine, the device comprising:
a nozzle installation configured to introduce a cleaning medium into the core engine;
a connector configured to connect the device in a rotationally fixed manner to a shaft of a fan of the jet engine; and
a line connection configured to supply the cleaning medium, the line connection being connected to the nozzle installation by a rotary coupling,
wherein the nozzle installation has first contact faces configured to bear axially on fan blades of the fan, the first contact faces being configured for defined positioning of the nozzle installation relative to the jet engine,
wherein the connector comprises at least two tensioning ropes and fasteners configured to fasten the tensioning ropes to the fan blades, and
wherein the fasteners are configured as individual fasteners that are separately lockable.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first contact faces are disposed on a first annular region of the nozzle installation.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the nozzle installation comprises second contact faces for bearing on a spinner of the jet engine.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the first contact faces are disposed on a first annular region of the nozzle installation, and wherein the second contact faces are disposed on a second annular region of the nozzle installation that in the axial direction is disposed between the first annular region and the rotary coupling.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the first contact faces and the second contact faces are configured to center the device on the spinner of the jet engine.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein a distribution of mass of the nozzle installation is rotationally symmetrical about a rotation axis of the nozzle installation.

7. The device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the first contact faces or the second contact faces are elastic.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the individual fasteners have bell crank levers.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the individual fasteners have spring elements configured to set a defined preload of the tensioning ropes.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein individual fasteners are configured to be secured in a closed state and have a securing installation.

11. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotary coupling has an impact protection.

12. An assembly of the jet engine and the device as claimed in claim 1 attached thereto for performing cleaning of the core engine, wherein
a. the nozzle installation is connected in the rotationally fixed manner to the shaft of the fan of the jet engine;
b. rotation axes of the fan of the jet engine and of the nozzle installation are disposed so as to be substantially concentric;
c. nozzles of the nozzle installation have a radial spacing from a common rotation axis of the jet engine and the device that is smaller than a radius of an entry opening of the core engine;
d. exit openings of the nozzles in the axial direction are disposed behind the plane of the fan, or the nozzles are disposed in intermediate spaces of the fan blades, or aligned toward intermediate spaces of the fan blades such that nozzle jets can pass through a plane of the fan in a substantially unimpeded manner; and
e. the first contact faces of the nozzle installation bear on the fan blades of the jet engine and cause defined axial positioning of the nozzle installation relative to the jet engine.

13. The assembly as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the first contact faces are disposed on a first annular region of the nozzle installation, an internal diameter of the first annular region being identical to or slightly larger than the external diameter of the spinner.

14. The assembly as claimed in claim 12 ,
wherein the nozzle installation additionally has second contact faces which are disposed on a second annular region of the nozzle installation that in the axial direction is disposed between the first annular region and the rotary coupling; and
wherein the second contact faces bear on a spinner; and
wherein the first contact faces and second the contact faces center the device on the spinner of the jet engine.

Assignees

• Lufthansa Technik Ag

Inventors

• Deja Dirk
• Lutz Christian
• Hacker Marc

Classifications

• F01D25/002 Primary

  Cleaning of turbomachines · CPC title

• B08B13/00

  Accessories or details of general applicability for machines or apparatus for cleaning · CPC title

• B08B3/022

  Cleaning travelling work (B08B3/042 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F05D2230/72

  Maintenance · CPC title

• B05B15/652

  whereby the jet can be oriented · CPC title