Fan inlet diffuser housing for an air cycle machine system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018291925-A1
Application number	US-201715480601-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 6, 2017
Priority date	Apr 6, 2017
Publication date	Oct 11, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fan inlet diffuser housing includes a housing body of composite material and includes a heat exchanger interface portion positioned between an ejector housing portion and a bypass housing portion. A first transition region is formed between the heat exchanger interface portion and the ejector housing portion including an air cycle machine end reinforcement patch proximate to a heat exchanger interface. The air cycle machine end reinforcement patch includes a first patch thickness and a second patch thickness, and a ratio of the first patch thickness to the second patch thickness is between 2.02 and 3.11. An ejector is formed having an ejector gap width between a nozzle portion and a diffuser portion within the ejector housing portion of the housing body. The diffuser portion has a downstream ejector gap width, and a ratio of the downstream ejector gap width to the ejector gap width is between 4.62 and 5.01.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fan inlet diffuser housing, comprising:
a housing body formed from a composite material, the housing body comprising a heat exchanger interface portion positioned between an ejector housing portion and a bypass housing portion; a first transition region between the heat exchanger interface portion and the ejector housing portion comprising an air cycle machine end reinforcement patch proximate to a heat exchanger interface, wherein the air cycle machine end reinforcement patch comprises a first patch thickness and a second patch thickness, and a ratio of the first patch thickness to the second patch thickness is between 2.02 and 3.11; and an ejector having an ejector gap width between a nozzle portion and a diffuser portion within the ejector housing portion of the housing body, wherein the diffuser portion has a downstream ejector gap width, and a ratio of the downstream ejector gap width to the ejector gap width is between 4.62 and 5.01.

2 . The fan inlet diffuser housing of claim 1 , wherein the housing body further comprises a flange at an air cycle machine interface of the ejector housing portion, and the diffuser portion has a downstream ejector gap width is measured from an outer face of the flange to the diffuser portion.

3 . The fan inlet diffuser housing of claim 2 , wherein the first patch thickness of the air cycle machine end reinforcement patch is positioned between a first offset and a second offset from the outer face of the flange, and a ratio of the first offset to the second offset is between 1.19 and 1.34.

4 . The fan inlet diffuser housing of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second transition region between the heat exchanger interface portion and the bypass housing portion comprising a bypass end reinforcement patch proximate to the heat exchanger interface; and a plurality of spanning ribs each on a separate instance of a housing-side reinforcement patch between the air cycle machine end reinforcement patch and the bypass end reinforcement patch.

5 . The fan inlet diffuser housing of claim 4 , wherein the bypass end reinforcement patch comprises the second patch thickness, each instance of the housing-side reinforcement patch comprises a third patch thickness, a ratio of the second patch thickness to the third patch thickness is between 1.08 and 1.66, and a ratio of the first patch thickness to the third patch thickness is between 2.70 and 4.16.

6 . The fan inlet diffuser housing of claim 4 , wherein the bypass end reinforcement patch comprises a bypass end reinforcement patch width, a housing-side reinforcement patch partial width of an instance of the housing-side reinforcement patch is defined with respect to at least one bolt hole on one of the spanner ribs on the housing-side reinforcement patch, and a ratio of the bypass end reinforcement patch width to the housing-side reinforcement patch partial width is between 0.95 and 1.49.

7 . The fan inlet diffuser housing of claim 6 , wherein the air cycle machine end reinforcement patch, the bypass end reinforcement patch, and each instance of the housing-side reinforcement patch have a common patch height, and a ratio of the housing-side reinforcement patch partial width to the common patch height is between 2.97 and 4.06.

8 . The fan inlet diffuser housing of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle portion comprises an upstream ejector diameter, the diffuser portion comprises a downstream ejector diameter, and a ratio of the downstream ejector diameter to the upstream ejector diameter is between 1.02 and 1.04.

9 . An air cycle machine system, comprising:
an air cycle machine; and a fan inlet diffuser housing coupled to the air cycle machine, the fan inlet diffuser housing comprising:
a housing body formed from a composite material, the housing body comprising a heat exchanger interface portion positioned between an ejector housing portion and a bypass housing portion;
a first transition region between the heat exchanger interface portion and the ejector housing portion comprising an air cycle machine end reinforcement patch proximate to a heat exchanger interface, wherein the air cycle machine end reinforcement patch comprises a first patch thickness and a second patch thickness, and a ratio of the first patch thickness to the second patch thickness is between 2.02 and 3.11; and
an ejector having an ejector gap width between a nozzle portion and a diffuser portion within the ejector housing portion of the housing body, wherein the diffuser portion has a downstream ejector gap width, and a ratio of the downstream ejector gap width to the ejector gap width is between 4.62 and 5.01.

10 . The air cycle machine system of claim 9 , wherein the housing body further comprises a flange at an air cycle machine interface of the ejector housing portion coupled to the air cycle machine, and the diffuser portion has a downstream ejector gap width is measured from an outer face of the flange to the diffuser portion.

11 . The air cycle machine system of claim 10 , wherein the first patch thickness of the air cycle machine end reinforcement patch is positioned between a first offset and a second offset from the outer face of the flange, and a ratio of the first offset to the second offset is between 1.19 and 1.34.

12 . The air cycle machine system of claim 11 , wherein the fan inlet diffuser housing further comprises:
a second transition region between the heat exchanger interface portion and the bypass housing portion comprising a bypass end reinforcement patch proximate to the heat exchanger interface; and a plurality of spanning ribs each on a separate instance of a housing-side reinforcement patch between the air cycle machine end reinforcement patch and the bypass end reinforcement patch.

13 . The air cycle machine system of claim 12 , wherein the bypass end reinforcement patch comprises the second patch thickness, each instance of the housing-side reinforcement patch comprises a third patch thickness, a ratio of the second patch thickness to the third patch thickness is between 1.08 and 1.66, and a ratio of the first patch thickness to the third patch thickness is between 2.70 and 4.16.

14 . The air cycle machine system of claim 12 , wherein the bypass end reinforcement patch comprises a bypass end reinforcement patch width, a housing-side reinforcement patch partial width of an instance of the housing-side reinforcement patch is defined with respect to at least one bolt hole on one of the spanner ribs on the housing-side reinforcement patch, and a ratio of the bypass end reinforcement patch width to the housing-side reinforcement patch partial width is between 0.95 and 1.49.

15 . The air cycle machine system of claim 14 , wherein the air cycle machine end reinforcement patch, the bypass end reinforcement patch, and each instance of the housing-side reinforcement patch have a common patch height, and a ratio of the housing-side reinforcement patch partial width to the common patch height is between 2.97 and 4.06.

16 . The air cycle machine system of claim 9 , wherein the nozzle portion comprises an upstream ejector diameter, the diffuser portion comprises a downstream ejector diameter, and a ratio of the downstream ejector diameter to the upstream ejector diameter is between 1.02 and 1.04.

17 . A method for installing a fan inlet diffuser housing in an air cycle machine system, the method comprising:
aligning a diffuser cone of a housing body of the fan inlet diffuser housing with a fan rotor of an air cycle machine, wherein the fan inlet diffuser housing comprises:
a

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Chrabascz Eric
• Wright Theodore C

Classifications

• F25B9/004

  the refrigerant being air · CPC title

• F04D29/542 Primary

  Bladed diffusers (fixing blades to stators F01D9/042) · CPC title

• F04D27/009

  by bleeding, by passing or recycling fluid · CPC title

• B64D13/04

  Automatic control of pressure · CPC title

• F05D2250/52

  Outlet · CPC title