Helicopter with engine air intakes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9499276-B2
Application number	US-201414496378-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2014
Priority date	Sep 30, 2013
Publication date	Nov 22, 2016
Grant date	Nov 22, 2016

Abstract

A helicopter with a fuselage, at least two engines substantially inside said fuselage, an air intake for each of said two engines and at least two separate lateral air inlet ports for said at least two engines in said fuselage. Said separate lateral air inlet ports being arranged on sides opposed to each other relative to an essentially vertical midplane of said fuselage and oriented with their respective cross section substantially parallel to a forward flight direction of the helicopter. At least one frontal air inlet port with a forward portion is provided separate from said lateral air inlet ports, said frontal air inlet port being located on a gear cowling of the fuselage oriented with its cross section substantially perpendicular to the forward flight direction of the helicopter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A helicopter comprising:
a fuselage having an essentially vertical midplane separating a first lateral side and a second lateral side,
at least two engines substantially inside the fuselage,
an air intake for each of the at least two engines,
at least two separate lateral air inlet ports for the at least two engines in the fuselage, the lateral air inlet ports being arranged on sides opposed to each other relative to an essentially vertical midplane of the fuselage and oriented with their respective cross section substantially parallel to a forward flight direction of the helicopter, a first air duct fluidly coupling one of the lateral air inlet ports with one of the engines on the first lateral side, a second air duct fluidly coupling another of the lateral air inlet ports with another of the engines on the second lateral side, and
at least one frontal air inlet port with a forward portion being provided separate from the lateral air inlet ports, the at least one frontal air inlet port being located on a gear cowling of the fuselage and being oriented with a cross section of the frontal air inlet port being substantially perpendicular to a forward flight direction, a third air duct fluidly coupling the frontal air inlet port with one of the engines on the first lateral side, a fourth air duct fluidly coupling the frontal air inlet port with another of the engines on the second lateral side,
whereby a straight path for airflow through the at least one frontal air inlet port aligned with the longitudinal airflow is provided through the third air duct and the fourth air duct to each air intake of the engines, respectively, and two further separate paths through the separate lateral air inlet ports are provided through the first air duct and the second air duct to each air intake of the engines, respectively, wherein the first, second, third and fourth air ducts provide separate and independent airflow pathways to the respective air intakes of the engines such that airflow within each air duct remains separate from airflow within the other air ducts.

2. The helicopter according to claim 1 , whereby the air intake for each of the at least two engines is a radial air intake.

3. The helicopter according to claim 2 , whereby the at least two radial air intakes are twice as large as compared to at least two radial air intakes of two engines having only two separated lateral air inlet ports for the two engines.

4. The helicopter according to claim 2 whereby the third air duct is configured to direct a first airflow to a first angular segment of the circumference of the radial air intake of the one of the at least two engines; and
whereby the first air duct is configured to direct a second airflow to a second angular segment of the circumference of the radial air intake of the one of the at least two engines.

5. The helicopter according to claim 4 whereby the first angular segment and the second angular segment are separate from one another.

6. A helicopter comprising:
a fuselage having a gear cowling;
a first engine positioned substantially inside the fuselage and having a first air intake;
a second engine positioned substantially inside the fuselage and having a second air intake;

first and second lateral air inlet ports for the first and second engines, the first and second lateral air inlet ports being opposed to one another relative to an essentially vertical midplane of the fuselage, each lateral air inlet port being oriented with a respective cross section being substantially parallel to a forward flight direction of the helicopter;
a frontal air inlet port located on the gear cowling and positioned forward of and separate from the first and second lateral air inlet ports, the frontal air inlet port having a cross section oriented substantially perpendicular to a forward flight direction of the helicopter to provide a straight path for airflow the frontal air inlet port aligned with the longitudinal airflow; and
whereby the first air intake receives a first airflow via a first air duct fluidly connecting the frontal air inlet port and the first air intake of the first engine on a first lateral side of the essentially vertical midplane of the fuselage and a second airflow via a second air duct fluidly connecting the first lateral air inlet port and the first air intake of the first engine on the first lateral side, the first and second air ducts configured such that once the first and second airflows are in the first and second air ducts, the first airflow within the first air duct remains unmixed with the second airflow within the second air duct prior to reaching the first intake;
whereby the second air intake receives a third airflow via a third air duct fluidly connecting the frontal air inlet port and the second air intake of the second engine on a second lateral side of the essentially vertical midplane of the fuselage and a fourth airflow via a fourth air duct fluidly connecting the second lateral air inlet port and the second air intake of the second engine on the second lateral side, the third and fourth air ducts configured such that once the third and fourth airflows are in the third and fourth air ducts, the third airflow within the third air duct remains unmixed with the fourth airflow within the fourth air duct prior to reaching the second intake; and
whereby the first and second air ducts to the first engine are distinct and independent from the third and fourth air ducts to the second engine.

7. The helicopter according to claim 6 whereby the first lateral air inlet port is fluidly connected to only the first intake and first engine via the first air duct; and
whereby the second lateral air inlet port is fluidly connected to only the second intake and second engine via the second air duct.

8. The helicopter according to claim 6 whereby the first intake is a first radial intake.

9. The helicopter according to claim 8 whereby the first air duct is configured to direct airflow to a first angular segment of the circumference of the first radial intake; and
whereby the second air duct is configured to direct airflow to a second angular segment of the circumference of the first radial intake.

10. The helicopter according to claim 9 whereby the first angular segment and the second angular segment are separate from one another.

11. A helicopter comprising:
a fuselage having a gear cowling;
a first engine positioned substantially inside the fuselage and having a first air intake;
a second engine positioned substantially inside the fuselage and having a second air intake;
a first lateral air inlet port configured to direct airflow to solely the first engine via a first air duct fluidly connecting the first lateral air inlet port and the first air intake on a first lateral side of the fuselage;
a second lateral air inlet port configured to direct airflow to solely the second engine via a second air duct fluidly connecting the second lateral air inlet port and the second intake on a second lateral side of the fuselage; and
a frontal air inlet port configured to direct airflow to at least one of the first and second engines via at least a third air duct fluidly connecting the frontal air inlet port and one of the first and second air intakes on a respective lateral side of the fuselage, the frontal air inlet port located on the gear cowling and positioned forward of and separate from the first and second lateral air inlet ports, the frontal air inlet port being oriented with a cross section of the frontal air inlet port substantially perpendicular to a forward flight direction of the helicopter to provide a straight path for airflow through the f

Assignees

• Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH

Inventors

• Braeutigam Ralf

Classifications

• B64D2033/0253

  specially adapted for particular type of aircraft · CPC title

• B64C27/04

  Helicopters · CPC title

• B64D33/02 Primary

  of combustion air intakes · CPC title

• B64D27/02

  Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants · CPC title