Method of controlling boundary layer flow

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9789954-B2
Application number	US-201414262319-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2014
Priority date	Apr 25, 2014
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

An aircraft inlet comprising an annular air intake structure defined by an inner surface and an outer surface, a plurality of perforations formed in the outer surface of the aircraft inlet, a plenum chamber situated within the aircraft inlet and configured to receive air entering the plurality of perforations, and/or a plurality of sensors disposed about the outer surface of the aircraft inlet, each sensor associated with a region of the plurality of perforations. Each sensor may comprise a hot film anemometer. The aircraft inlet may further comprise a regulator coupled at one end to the plenum chamber and at another end to a pump, wherein the regulator regulates a suction produced by the pump.

First claim

We claim:

1. A nacelle inlet comprising:
an annular air intake structure defined by an inner surface and an outer surface;
a plurality of circumferential regions of perforations formed in the outer surface of the aircraft inlet;
a plurality of plenum chambers situated within the aircraft inlet, wherein each plenum chamber of the plurality of plenum chambers is configured to receive air entering a respective circumferential region of perforations of the plurality of circumferential regions of perforations;
a plurality of sensors disposed about the outer surface of the aircraft inlet, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is associated with a respective circumferential region of perforations of the plurality of circumferential regions of perforations;
a plurality of regulators, wherein each regulator is coupled at a first terminus to a respective plenum chamber of the plurality of plenum chambers and at a second terminus end to
a pump, wherein each regulator of the plurality of regulators regulates a suction produced by the pump for a respective plenum chamber of the plurality of plenum chambers; and
a pressure discharge element coupled to the pump, wherein air is configured to pass through the pump and directly exit the nacelle inlet via the pressure discharge element.

2. The nacelle inlet of claim 1 , wherein the sensors comprise hot film anemometers.

3. The nacelle inlet of claim 1 , wherein the sensors are configured to monitor air velocity fluctuations within the boundary layer.

4. The nacelle inlet of claim 1 , further comprising a controller that receives a signal from the sensors.

5. The nacelle inlet of claim 4 , wherein the controller adjusts the regulators coupled to the pump to control suction of the pump.

6. A nacelle inlet comprising:
an annular air intake structure defined by an inner surface and an outer surface;
a perforation formed in the outer surface of the aircraft inlet, the perforation associated with a first region of a plurality of regions of the outer surface of the aircraft inlet;
a first plenum chamber, of a plurality of plenum chambers, situated within the aircraft inlet and configured to receive air entering the perforation associated with the first region;
a first regulator, of a plurality of regulators, coupled at a first terminus to the first plenum chamber and at a second terminus to
a pump, wherein the first regulator of the plurality of regulators regulates a suction produced by the pump to remove air from the first plenum chamber of the plurality of plenum chambers such that air external to the aircraft inlet is drawn into the perforation associated with the first region;
a first sensor, of a plurality of sensors, associated with the first region of the perforation; and
a pressure discharge element coupled to the pump, wherein air is configured to pass through the pump and directly exit the nacelle inlet, via the pressure discharge element, into ambient.

7. The nacelle inlet of claim 6 , wherein the first sensor is a hot film anemometer.

8. The nacelle inlet of claim 7 , wherein the hot film anemometer does not interfere with laminar flow over the outer surface of the air intake structure.

9. The nacelle inlet of claim 6 , further comprising a controller coupled to the first sensor, wherein the controller receives data from the first sensor associated with a velocity of airflow over the first sensor.

10. The nacelle inlet of claim 9 , wherein the controller adjusts the first regulator based on airflow velocity data.

11. The nacelle inlet of claim 9 , wherein the controller increases the suction in the first region based upon a fluctuating air velocity reading.

12. The nacelle inlet of claim 9 , wherein the controller makes no change to the suction in the first region based upon a non-fluctuating air velocity reading.

Assignees

• Rohr Inc

Inventors

• Kestler Steven M
• Sundar Prithvi
• Li Yuan

Classifications

• F02C7/04

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

• B64C2230/04

  by actively generating fluid flow · CPC title

• B64D29/00

  Power-plant nacelles, fairings or cowlings · CPC title

• Y02T50/166

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02T50/671

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic