Gas turbine engine with inertial particle separator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11536196-B2
Application number	US-202117356106-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2021
Priority date	Apr 27, 2018
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

An inertial particle separator (IPS) has: a main duct having an inlet fluidly connected to an environment outside of the aircraft engine, the main duct having a first segment and a second segment, the first segment extending longitudinally away from the inlet and vertically toward an elbow, the second segment extending vertically and longitudinally away from the elbow, the main duct having a concave side and a convex side; two inlet ducts extending from the concave side of the main duct, the two inlet ducts extending laterally away from one another and vertically away from the elbow; and a bypass duct communicating with the main duct, an intersection between the bypass duct and the main duct defining a splitter, the bypass duct extending along the longitudinal direction and laterally between the two inlet ducts, the two inlet ducts and the bypass duct extending vertically away from one another.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An inertial particle separator (IPS) for fluid communication with an engine inlet of an aircraft engine, the IPS defining a longitudinal direction, a lateral direction normal to the longitudinal direction, and a vertical direction normal to both of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, comprising:
a main duct having an inlet fluidly connected to an environment outside of the aircraft engine, the main duct having a first segment and a second segment, the first segment extending longitudinally away from the inlet and vertically toward an elbow, the second segment extending vertically and longitudinally away from the elbow, the main duct having a concave side and a convex side;
two inlet ducts communicating with the main duct and extending from the concave side of the main duct, the two inlet ducts extending laterally away from one another and vertically away from the elbow; and
a bypass duct communicating with the main duct and extending from the convex side of the main duct at a junction between the two inlet ducts and the main duct, an intersection between the bypass duct and the main duct defining a splitter, the bypass duct extending along the longitudinal direction and laterally between the two inlet ducts, the two inlet ducts and the bypass duct extending vertically away from one another.

2. The IPS of claim 1 , wherein the two inlet ducts are connected to a plenum extending circumferentially around a central axis of the aircraft engine.

3. The IPS of claim 2 , wherein the two inlet ducts have a rectangular cross-section and twist along the longitudinal direction, each of the two inlet ducts connected to a respective side inlets of the plenum.

4. The IPS of claim 1 , wherein the concave side of the main duct at the inlet extends from the inlet along an inlet direction defining an angle (α) of at most 45 degrees with an incoming flow direction.

5. The IPS of claim 4 , wherein the angle (α) is at least 0 degree and at most 20 degrees.

6. The IPS of claim 4 , wherein the concave side, at the elbow, has a height (H 1 ) extending vertically from the concave side to the convex side and a width (W 1 ) taken along the lateral direction, wherein W 1 /H 1 ≥0.5.

7. The IPS of claim 6 , wherein the main duct has a second length (L 1 ) from the inlet to the elbow along the longitudinal direction, wherein L 1 /H 1 ≥0.5.

8. The IPS of claim 7 , wherein a length (G 1 ) from the elbow on the concave side to the convex side along a direction parallel to the inlet direction is at least as great as the height (H 1 ) of the main duct at the elbow.

9. The IPS of claim 8 , wherein G 1 /H 1 ≥2.

10. The IPS of claim 7 , wherein a height (H 2 ) of the main duct from a leading edge of the splitter to the concave side of the main duct is at most four times the height (H 1 ) of the main duct at the elbow.

11. The IPS of claim 10 , wherein H 2 /H 1 ≤2.

12. The IPS of claim 8 , wherein a height (S 1 ) of the bypass duct from the convex side at an end of the length (G 1 ) to a leading edge of the splitter is at least 20% of the height (H 1 ) of the main duct at the elbow.

13. The IPS of claim 1 , wherein an upstream end of the splitter is rounded and has a diameter of at least 0.15 inch.

14. The IPS of claim 1 , wherein the splitter has a mid-plane located between the main duct and the bypass duct, a splitter angle (β) being defined between the mid-plane and an incoming flow direction is at least −60 degrees and at most 60 degrees.

15. The IPS of claim 14 , wherein the splitter angle is at least −30 degrees and at most 30 degrees.

16. The IPS of claim 1 , wherein the concave side of the main duct free of a step at the elbow.

17. The IPS of claim 1 , wherein the concave side and the convex side of the main duct at the elbow are curved.

18. A method of separating particles with an inertial particle separator (IPS) of an aircraft engine, the IPS having a longitudinal direction, a lateral direction normal to the longitudinal direction, and a vertical direction normal to both of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, comprising:
receiving a flow of ambient air in an incoming flow direction from an environment in a main duct;
directing the flow of ambient air vertically away from an inlet of the IPS toward an elbow;
deflecting the flow of ambient air vertically away from the elbow;
dividing the flow of ambient air between a particle flow and an airflow;
dividing the airflow between two inlet ducts extending laterally away from one another and vertically away from the elbow and flowing the airflow in the two inlet ducts; and
flowing the particle flow in a bypass duct stemming from a junction between the two inlet ducts and the main duct and extending vertically away from the two inlet ducts.

19. The method of claim 18 , comprising flowing the airflow from the two inlet ducts into a plenum extending circumferentially around a central axis of the aircraft engine.

20. The method of claim 19 , comprising rotating the airflow within the two inlet ducts, the two inlet ducts twisting along the longitudinal direction.

Assignees

• Pratt & Whitney Canada

Inventors

• Marrano Roberto
• Bisson François

Classifications

• F02C7/04

  Air intakes for gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants · CPC title

• F02C7/052 Primary

  with dust-separation devices · CPC title

• B64D2033/0246

  comprising particle separators · CPC title

• F02K3/02

  in which part of the working fluid by-passes the turbine and combustion chamber · CPC title

• F05D2260/607

  Preventing clogging or obstruction of flow paths by dirt, dust, or foreign particles · CPC title