Flow aperture method and apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11814186-B2
Application number	US-202117545949-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2021
Priority date	Dec 8, 2021
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

In a jet engine having a core that sources a first flow of fluid and a component (such as a fan, a pump, and/or a bleed line) that sources a second flow of fluid, and where the first flow of fluid will typically have, at least during ordinary operation, a higher temperature than the second flow of fluid, at least one flow aperture formed by a first passageway to receive at least a portion of the aforementioned second flow of fluid, wherein that first passageway is comprised of at least one material that (by design and intent) deflects as a function of temperature such that a flow of the second flow of fluid through the at least one flow aperture is thereby desirably modulated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A jet engine having a core that sources a first flow of fluid and a component that sources a second flow of fluid, wherein the first flow of fluid has a higher temperature than the second flow of fluid, the jet engine further comprising:
at least one flow aperture formed by a first passageway to receive at least a portion of the second flow of fluid, wherein the first passageway is comprised of at least one material that deflects as a function of temperature such that a flow of the second flow of fluid through the at least one flow aperture is thereby desirably modulated;
wherein the at least one flow aperture further comprises a thermal barrier coating disposed to thermally isolate the first passageway such that deflection of the at least one material that deflects as a function of temperature that is adjacent to the first flow of fluid accurately tracks a temperature of the first flow of fluid.

2. The jet engine of claim 1 wherein the component that sources the second flow of fluid comprises at least one of:
a fan;
a pump; or
a bleed line.

3. The jet engine of claim 1 wherein the at least one flow aperture comprises at least one of:
a slot;
a hole;
a plate orifice;
a pipe; or
a variable area bypass injector.

4. The jet engine of claim 1 wherein the at least one flow aperture comprises a fan-to-core slot.

5. The jet engine of claim 1 wherein the at least one flow aperture comprises a plurality of cascaded flow apertures.

6. The jet engine of claim 1 wherein the at least one material that deflects as a function of temperature comprises a high temperature alloy that maintains physical integrity up to at least 1,400 degree Fahrenheit.

7. A jet engine having a core that sources a first flow of fluid and a component that sources a second flow of fluid, wherein the first flow of fluid has a higher temperature than the second flow of fluid, the jet engine further comprising:
at least one flow aperture formed by a first passageway to receive at least a portion of the second flow of fluid, wherein the first passageway is comprised of at least one material that deflects as a function of temperature such that a flow of the second flow of fluid through the at least one flow aperture is thereby desirably modulated;
wherein the at least one material that deflects as a function of temperature comprises a metal having a high coefficient of thermal expansion and wherein the at least one material that deflects as a function of temperature includes a bimetallic component.

8. The jet engine of claim 1 wherein the at least one flow aperture further comprises a flow dam operably coupled to the first passageway, such that a flow gap formed by the flow dam is controlled by deflection of the at least one material that deflects as a function of the temperature.

9. A method for use with a jet engine having a core that sources a first fluidic flow and a module that sources a second fluidic flow, wherein the first fluidic flow has a higher thermal-based characteristic than the second fluidic flow, the method comprising:
providing at least one flow opening formed by a first passageway to receive at least a portion of the second fluidic flow, wherein the first passageway is comprised of at least one material that deflects as a function of a thermal-based characteristic such that a flow of the second fluidic flowthrough the at least one flow opening is thereby desirably modulated;
wherein:
the at least one material that deflects as a function of a thermal-based characteristic comprises a metal having a high coefficient of thermal expansion; or
the at least one flow opening further comprises a thermal barrier coating disposed to thermally isolate the first passageway such that deflection of the at least one material that deflects as a function of a thermal-based characteristic that is adjacent to the first flow of fluid accurately tracks a temperature of the first flow of fluid.

10. The method for use with a jet engine of claim 9 wherein the module that sources the second fluidic flow comprises at least one of:
a fan;
a pump; or
a bleed line.

11. The method for use with a jet engine of claim 9 wherein the at least one flow opening comprises at least one of:
a slot;
a hole;
a plate orifice;
a pipe; or
a variable area bypass injector.

12. The method for use with a jet engine of claim 9 wherein the at least one flow opening comprises a fan-to-core slot.

13. The method for use with a jet engine of claim 9 wherein the at least one flow opening comprises a plurality of cascaded flow apertures.

14. The method for use with a jet engine of claim 9 wherein the at least one material that deflects as a function of a thermal-based characteristic comprises a high temperature alloy that maintains physical integrity up to at least 1,400 degree Fahrenheit.

15. The method for use with a jet engine of claim 9 wherein the at least one flow opening further comprises a flow dam operably coupled to the first passageway, such that a flow gap formed by the flow dam is controlled by deflection of the at least one material that deflects as a function of the thermal-based characteristic.

16. The jet engine of claim 1 wherein the first flow of fluid is warmer than the second flow of fluid by at least one order of magnitude.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein the first fluidic flow is warmer than the second fluidic flow by at least one order of magnitude.

18. The jet engine of claim 1 wherein the first flow of fluid comprises a flow of a gas and the second flow of fluid comprises a flow of a gas.

19. The method of claim 9 wherein the first fluidic flow comprises a flow of a gas and the second fluidic flow comprises a flow of a gas.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Hoffman James Michael
• Chenery Michael G
• Perveiler David A
• Jonassen Dennis R
• Schimmels Scott Alan

Classifications

• B64D33/04 Primary

  of exhaust outlets or jet pipes · CPC title

• B64D27/18

  within, or attached to, wings · CPC title

• F01L25/08

  by electric or magnetic means · CPC title

• F02C7/141

  of working fluid · CPC title

• F02C9/18

  by bleeding, bypassing or acting on variable working fluid interconnections between turbines or compressors or their stages {(F02C3/113 takes precedence)} · CPC title