Compressor flowpath

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11725670-B2
Application number	US-202217892529-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2022
Priority date	Jan 31, 2012
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A compressor section for a gas turbine engine according to an example of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a low pressure compressor including a plurality of rotor blades arranged about an axis, a high pressure compressor, and a core flowpath passing through the low pressure compressor. The core flowpath at the low pressure compressor defines an inner diameter and an outer diameter relative to the axis. The outer diameter has a slope angle relative to the axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine comprising:
a propulsor section including a propulsor;
a compressor section including a low pressure compressor including three stages distributed along an engine longitudinal axis, a high pressure compressor including a greater number of stages than the low pressure compressor, and a core flowpath passing through the low pressure compressor;
a geared architecture;
a turbine section including a high pressure turbine including two stages and a fan drive turbine including a greater number of stages than the high pressure turbine, the high pressure turbine driving the high pressure compressor, and the fan drive turbine driving the low pressure compressor and driving the propulsor section through the geared architecture; and
wherein the core flowpath in the low pressure compressor has an inner diameter and an outer diameter relative to the engine longitudinal axis, the outer diameter has a slope angle that is between 10 degrees and 15 degrees relative to the engine longitudinal axis, and wherein the inner diameter of the core flowpath increases through the low pressure compressor along a fluid flow direction of the core flowpath.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the geared architecture includes an epicyclic gear train, and a gear reduction ratio of the epicyclic gear train is greater than 2.25.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 2 , wherein:
the slope angle slopes toward the engine longitudinal axis along the fluid flow direction of the core flowpath; and
the outer diameter is defined by one of a plurality of rotor blades of the low pressure compressor.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 3 , wherein the fan drive turbine includes an inlet, an outlet and a pressure ratio greater than 5, and wherein the pressure ratio of the fan drive turbine being pressure measured prior to the inlet as related to pressure at the outlet prior to an exhaust nozzle.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 4 , wherein:
the gas turbine engine is a two-spool engine including a low spool and a high spool;
the low spool includes an inner shaft interconnecting the geared architecture and the fan drive turbine; and
the high spool includes an outer shaft concentric with the inner shaft, and the outer shaft interconnects the high pressure compressor and the high pressure turbine.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 5 , wherein the low pressure compressor includes a greater number of stages than the high pressure turbine.

7. The gas turbine of claim 5 , wherein the low pressure compressor includes at least one variable vane situated in the core flowpath.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the low pressure compressor includes an exit guide vane located in a low pressure compressor outlet section of the core flowpath, a portion of the inner diameter along the low pressure compressor outlet section slopes toward the engine longitudinal axis along the fluid flow direction of the core flowpath such that the exit guide vane is canted.

9. The gas turbine of claim 5 , wherein the propulsor is a fan surrounded by an outer housing, the fan delivers air into a bypass duct and a portion of air into the compressor section, with a bypass ratio defined as the volume of air delivered into the bypass duct compared to the volume of air delivered into the compressor section, and the bypass ratio is greater than 10.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 9 , further comprising a pressure ratio of less than 1.6 across the fan blade alone at cruise at 0.8 Mach and 35,000 feet, and the fan section has only a single fan stage comprising the fan.

11. The gas turbine engine of claim 10 , further comprising a low corrected fan tip speed of less than 1250 feet/second.

12. The gas turbine engine of claim 11 , wherein:
the epicyclic gear train is a planetary gear system; and
the turbine section includes a mid-turbine frame between the fan drive turbine and the high pressure turbine, the mid-turbine frame supports a bearing system in the turbine section, and the mid-turbine frame includes airfoils in the core flowpath.

13. The gas turbine engine of claim 12 , wherein the fan drive turbine includes a greater number of stages than the low pressure compressor.

14. The gas turbine engine of claim 12 , wherein the fan drive turbine includes a lesser number of stages than the high pressure compressor.

15. The gas turbine engine of claim 12 , wherein the low pressure compressor includes a greater number of stages than the high pressure turbine.

16. A gas turbine engine comprising:
a propulsor section including a propulsor;
a compressor section including a low pressure compressor distributed along an engine longitudinal axis, the low pressure compressor including three stages, a high pressure compressor including a greater number of stages than the low pressure compressor, and a core flowpath passing through the low pressure compressor;
a geared architecture;
a turbine section including a high pressure turbine including two stages and a fan drive turbine including a greater number of stages than the high pressure turbine, the high pressure turbine driving the high pressure compressor, the fan drive turbine driving the low pressure compressor and driving the propulsor section through the geared architecture, and fan drive turbine and the low pressure compressor including a greater number of stages than the high pressure turbine; and
wherein the core flowpath within the low pressure compressor has an inner diameter and an outer diameter relative to the engine longitudinal axis, the outer diameter has a slope angle that is less than 10 degrees relative to the engine longitudinal axis, and wherein the inner diameter of the core flowpath increases through the low pressure compressor along a fluid flow direction of the core flowpath.

17. The gas turbine engine of claim 16 , wherein the geared architecture includes an epicyclic gear train, and a gear reduction ratio of the epicyclic gear train is greater than 2.25.

18. The gas turbine engine of claim 17 , wherein:
the slope angle slopes toward the engine longitudinal axis along a fluid flow direction of the core flowpath; and
the outer diameter is defined by one of a plurality of rotor blades of the low pressure compressor.

19. The gas turbine engine of claim 18 , wherein the slope angle is between 5 degrees and 7 degrees.

20. The gas turbine engine of claim 18 , wherein the fan drive turbine includes an inlet, an outlet and a pressure ratio greater than 5, and wherein the pressure ratio of the fan drive turbine being pressure measured prior to the inlet as related to pressure at the outlet prior to an exhaust nozzle.

21. The gas turbine engine of claim 20 , wherein:
the gas turbine engine is a two-spool engine including a low spool and a high spool;
the low spool includes an inner shaft interconnecting the geared architecture and the fan drive turbine; and
the high spool includes an outer shaft concentric with the inner shaft, and the outer shaft interconnects the high pressure compressor and the high pressure turbine.

22. The gas turbine of claim 21 , wherein the low pressure compressor includes at least one variable vane situated in the core flowpath.

23. The gas turbine engine of claim 22 , wherein the low pressure compressor includes an exit guide vane located in a low pressure compressor outlet section of the core flowpath, a portion of the inner diameter along the low pressure compressor outlet

Assignees

• Raytheon Tech Corp

Inventors

• Brilliant Lisa I
• Rose Becky E
• Dong Yuan
• Balamucki Stanley J

Classifications

• F04D29/547 Primary

  having a special shape in order to influence fluid flow · CPC title

• F02K3/04

  the plant including ducted fans, i.e. fans with high volume, low pressure outputs, for augmenting the jet thrust, e.g. of double-flow type · CPC title

• F02K3/06

  with front fan · CPC title

• F04D19/028

  Layout of fluid flow through the stages · CPC title

• F04D25/045

  the pump wheel carrying the fluid driving means, e.g. turbine blades · CPC title