Patent Grant
12320269
This disclosure relates generally to an aircraft propulsion system, and more particularly, a fluid drain system for the aircraft propulsion system.
An aircraft propulsion system may include a gas turbine engine disposed within a nacelle. The nacelle and gas turbine engine are attached to the aircraft by a pylon that is connected to the wing or fuselage of the aircraft. In a turbofan engine configuration, a bypass duct is formed radially outside of the engine core by an inner nacelle portion and an outer nacelle portion. The bypass duct is a generally annular structure that provides a passage for air (“bypass air flow”) worked by the fan section of the engine that bypasses the engine core. One or more structural members from the pylon support the engine. The structural members extend through an upper bifurcation that extends radially across the bypass duct between the inner and outer nacelle portions; hence, the term “bifurcation”. The upper bifurcation typically extends a substantial axial length (e.g., from just aft of the fan section to the turbine section). The forward end of the upper bifurcation is typically aerodynamically configured. Nevertheless, the upper bifurcation does create some flow losses within the bypass air flow. Some nacelle/engine configurations include only an upper bifurcation disposed within the bypass flow duct. These configurations are referred to as “O-ducts”. Other nacelle/engine configurations include both upper and lower bifurcations disposed within the bypass flow duct; e.g., the upper bifurcation disposed at top dead center and the lower bifurcation disposed at bottom dead center. Like the upper bifurcation, the lower bifurcation typically extends a substantial axial length and creates flow losses within the bypass air flow. In some instances, drainage structure is disposed within the lower bifurcation to permit any fluids collecting in the inner nacelle portion to drain therefrom. What is needed is an improved drainage system for the inner nacelle portion.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a propulsion system is provided that includes a gas turbine engine and a nacelle. The gas turbine engine has a center axis. The nacelle has an outer nacelle portion, an inner nacelle portion, an upper bifurcation, and a fluid drain system. The inner nacelle portion has an inner nacelle wall and is disposed radially outside of and surrounds at least a portion of the gas turbine engine. The outer nacelle portion is disposed radially outside of and surrounds at least a portion of the inner nacelle portion. An annular bypass duct is disposed between the inner nacelle portion and the outer nacelle portion. The upper bifurcation extends through the bypass duct between the inner nacelle portion and the outer nacelle portion at a top circumferential position. The fluid drain system includes a catch tray engaged with a drain mast. The catch tray is disposed radially inside of the inner nacelle wall. The drain mast extends through the bypass duct between the catch tray and an outer radial end of the drain mast. The outer radial end of the drain mast is engaged with the outer nacelle portion. The drain mast includes a first fluid passage in fluid communication with the catch tray, and a second fluid passage independent of the first fluid passage.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the drain mast may include an interior wall nested within and spaced apart from an exterior wall, and the first fluid passage may be disposed between the interior wall and the exterior wall.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the interior wall may define an interior cavity of the drain mast, and the fluid drain system may include at least one drain conduit disposed within the interior cavity, and the at least one drain conduit may extend between an inner radial end of the drain mast and the outer radial end of the drain mast.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the propulsion system may include a drain pipe extending from a component disposed inside the inner nacelle portion to the at least one drain conduit.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the first fluid passage may be an annular passage disposed between the interior wall and the exterior wall.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the drain mast may extend through the catch tray, and a first lengthwise segment of the drain mast may extend outwardly from the catch tray to the inner radial end of the drain mast, and a second lengthwise portion of the drain mast may extend outwardly from the catch tray, opposite the first lengthwise segment, from the catch tray to the outer radial end of the drain mast.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the exterior wall of the drain mast may include at least one drain port at an intersection of the first lengthwise segment of the drain mast and the catch tray, and the at least one drain port may provide fluid communication between the catch tray and the first fluid passage.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the catch tray may have a concave configuration with the drain mast disposed at a base of the concave configuration.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the interior wall may define an interior cavity of the drain mast, and the interior cavity may be partitioned to form a plurality of sub-cavities that extend between an inner radial end of the of the drain mast and the outer radial end of the drain mast, and the propulsion system may include a drain pipe extending from a component disposed inside the inner nacelle portion to a sub-cavity.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the drain mast may have a leading edge and a trailing edge, and a first lateral side extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and a second lateral side opposite the first lateral side, the second lateral side extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and the drain mast may have an elliptical shape with a major axis extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge and a minor axis extending between the first lateral side and the second lateral side, and the major axis of the drain mast may be substantially parallel to a center axis of the gas turbine engine.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the drain mast may have a leading edge and a trailing edge, and a first lateral side extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and a second lateral side opposite the first lateral side, the second lateral side extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and the drain mast has an airfoil shape with a chord extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge and a thickness extending between the first lateral side and the second lateral side, and the chord of the drain mast is substantially parallel to a center axis of the gas turbine engine.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the catch tray may have a first lateral edge and a second lateral edge, the second lateral edge opposite the first lateral edge, and the catch tray may extend axially between a forward end and an aft end.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the inner nacelle wall may include a pivotally mounted first access door and a pivotally mounted second access door, and the first lateral edge may be disposed adjacent the first access door and the second lateral edge may be disposed adjacent the second access door.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the propulsion system may include a first lateral edge seal engaged with the first lateral edge and the first access door to provide a first fluid seal therebetween, and a second lateral edge door seal engaged with the second lateral edge and the second access door to provide a second seal therebetween.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the catch tray may include a drain panel and a base panel, wherein the drain panel is attached to the base panel at the first lateral edge and at the second lateral edge, and the drain panel and the base panel define a catch tray interior cavity.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the propulsion system may include a first access door seal engaged with the base panel and the first access door to provide a third fluid seal therebetween, and a second access door seal engaged with the base panel and the second access door to provide a fourth fluid seal therebetween.
In any of the aspects or embodiments described above and herein, the outer nacelle portion may include a pivotally mounted first fan cowl door, a pivotally mounted second fan cowl door, and a latch beam, and the outer radial end of the drain mast may be engaged with the latch beam
The foregoing features and elements may be combined in various combinations without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated otherwise. For example, aspects and/or embodiments of the present disclosure may include any one or more of the individual features or elements disclosed above and/or below alone or in any combination thereof. These features and elements as well as the operation thereof will become more apparent in light of the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, the following description and drawings are intended to be exemplary in nature and non-limiting.
Referring to
During operation, air enters the turbine engine 20 through a forward engine inlet 40. The air is directed through the fan section 28 and into a core flow path 42 through a forward core inlet 44 and into a bypass duct 46 through a bypass duct inlet 48. The air within the core flow path 42 may be referred to as “core air”. The air within the bypass duct 46 may be referred to as “bypass air”. The core air is directed through the engine sections 30, 32, 34 and exits the gas turbine engine 22 through an aft core exhaust 50 to provide forward engine thrust. Within the combustor section 32, fuel is mixed with the core air and ignited to power the gas turbine engine 22. The bypass air is directed through the bypass duct 46 and may exit the gas turbine engine 22 through an aft bypass duct exhaust 52 to provide additional forward engine thrust. Under certain operating conditions, a portion of the bypass air may exit the turbine engine 22 through a thrust reverser 54 (e.g., see
Referring to
The outer nacelle portion 56 extends axially between the engine inlet 40 and the bypass duct exhaust 52. The outer nacelle portion 56 extends circumferentially around and encloses substantially all of the gas turbine engine 22. In the exemplary embodiment shown in
The inner nacelle portion 58 (sometimes referred to as an “inner fixed structure” or “IFS”) includes a generally tubular inner nacelle wall 74 having an outer surface 76 that defines the inner radial boundary portion of the bypass duct 46. The inner nacelle portion 58 may extend axially along the center axis 36 between the inlets 44, 48 and the core exhaust 50. The inner nacelle portion 58 extends circumferentially around and encloses the compressor, combustor, and turbine sections 30, 32, 34; which sections may be referred to as the engine core. The inner nacelle portion 58 may be radially spaced apart from the engine casing 38, thereby forming an annular region 78 therebetween. As will be detailed herein, it is common for peripheral devices and engine components (e.g., control units, APUs, piping, valving, pumps, and the like) to be disposed in the annular region 78 disposed between the inner nacelle wall 74 and the engine casing 38.
The upper bifurcation 60 extends radially between the outer nacelle portion 56 and the inner nacelle portion 58. In this configuration, the outer nacelle portion 56, the inner nacelle portion 58, and the upper bifurcation 60 may be described as forming an “O-duct” that defines the bypass duct 46; e.g., see
Referring to
In some embodiments, the interior wall 98 may define a drain mast interior cavity 108 that extends between the inner and outer radial ends 94, 96. The interior and exterior walls 98, 100 may be configured such that there is no fluid communication between the drain mast interior cavity 108 and the annular passage 102 disposed between the interior and exterior walls 98, 100; e.g., fluid passing within the annular passage 102 cannot enter the interior cavity 108, and vice versa. As will be detailed herein, in some embodiments the interior cavity 108 may be configured to receive one or more drain conduits 110 (e.g., see
Referring to
The catch tray 84 embodiment diagrammatically shown in
The drain mast outer radial end 96 is configured with the outer nacelle portion 56 to permit fluids to pass through the drain mast 82 and thereafter outside of the nacelle 24. A non-limiting example of how the drain mast 82 may be configured for engagement with the outer nacelle portion 56 is diagrammatically shown in
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fluid drain system 62 may include, or may be configured in engage with, seals that mitigate the potential for fluid leakage out of the inner nacelle portion 58.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fluid drain system 62 may include, or may be configured in engage with, seals that mitigate the potential for fluid leakage out of the outer nacelle portion 56.
During operation of the propulsion system, certain peripheral devices engaged with the gas turbine engine 22 and/or engine components (collectively noted by reference number 80 in
The present disclosure fluid drain system 62 also recognizes the potential for unintended fluid leakage that may occur in the various fluid piping systems and/or occur at various different sealed fluid connections. In the event fluid leakage occurs within the inner nacelle portion 58, the catch tray 84 of the present disclosure fluid drain system 62 is disposed at the gravitational bottom of the inner nacelle portion 58 and is therefore disposed to collect leaked fluids. As stated above, the upper drain mast segment 82A extends outwardly from the catch tray 84 on the first side (i.e., the gravitational upper side) of the catch tray 84 and one or more drain ports 106 are disposed in the drain mast exterior wall 100 at the intersection of the drain mast exterior wall 100 and the drain panel 116 of the catch tray 84. The drain ports 106 are disposed to permit passage of fluids collected by the catch tray 84 into the annular passage 102 between the interior and outer exterior walls 98, 100 of the drain mast 82. In those embodiments wherein the drain panel 116 has a concave configuration, the concave configuration will gravitationally facilitate the flow of fluids collected by the catch tray 84 into the annular passage 102 between the interior and exterior walls 98, 100 of the drain mast 82. The drain ports 106 and the annular passage 102 also provide a ventilation path for the inner nacelle portion 58.
Fluids (i.e., liquids or gas) passing through a drain mast drain conduit 110 and/or entering the annular passage 102 between the interior and exterior walls 98, 100 of the drain mast 82 may exit the outer radial end 96 of the drain mast 82, and therefore exit the nacelle 24. In some embodiments, the present disclosure fluid drain system 62 may include a fluid reservoir (not shown) in fluid communication with the outer radial end 96 of the drain mast 82 for storing fluids passing through a drain mast drain conduit 110 and/or the annular passage 102 between the interior and exterior walls 98, 100 of the drain mast 82.
As is diagrammatically shown in
The terms “forward”, “leading”, “aft, “trailing”, “left”, “right”, “upper”, “lower”, etc., are used herein to indicate the relative position of a component or surface. As core gas air passes through the engine, a “leading edge” of a stator vane or rotor blade encounters core gas air before the “trailing edge” of the same. In an engine like that shown in
The terms “substantially”, “generally” and/or “about” as contemplated herein are used with the appreciation that small variations in dimensions or numeric values are within the present disclosure. Such small variations can include variations due to manufacturing tolerances and/or expansion/contraction and or wear of parts subjected to varying conditions (e.g., pressure, force, temperature, etc.).
While the principles of the disclosure have been described above in connection with specific apparatuses and methods, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as limitation on the scope of the disclosure. Specific details are given in the above description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it is understood that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. It is noted that the embodiments may be described as a process which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a block diagram, etc. Although any one of these structures may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be rearranged. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc.
The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” refer to one or more than one, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, the term “comprising a specimen” includes single or plural specimens and is considered equivalent to the phrase “comprising at least one specimen.” The term “or” refers to a single element of stated alternative elements or a combination of two or more elements unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, “comprises” means “includes.” Thus, “comprising A or B,” means “including A or B, or A and B,” without excluding additional elements.
It is noted that various connections are set forth between elements in the present description and drawings (the contents of which are included in this disclosure by way of reference). It is noted that these connections are general and, unless specified otherwise, may be direct or indirect and that this specification is not intended to be limiting in this respect. Any reference to attached, fixed, connected or the like may include permanent, removable, temporary, partial, full and/or any other possible attachment option.
No element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112 (f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.” As used herein, the terms “comprise”, “comprising”, or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
While various inventive aspects, concepts and features of the disclosures may be described and illustrated herein as embodied in combination in the exemplary embodiments, these various aspects, concepts, and features may be used in many alternative embodiments, either individually or in various combinations and sub-combinations thereof. Unless expressly excluded herein all such combinations and sub-combinations are intended to be within the scope of the present application. Still further, while various alternative embodiments as to the various aspects, concepts, and features of the disclosures—such as alternative materials, structures, configurations, methods, devices, and components, and so on—may be described herein, such descriptions are not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list of available alternative embodiments, whether presently known or later developed. Those skilled in the art may readily adopt one or more of the inventive aspects, concepts, or features into additional embodiments and uses within the scope of the present application even if such embodiments are not expressly disclosed herein. For example, in the exemplary embodiments described above within the Detailed Description portion of the present specification, elements may be described as individual units and shown as independent of one another to facilitate the description. In alternative embodiments, such elements may be configured as combined elements. It is further noted that various method or process steps for embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. The description may present method and/or process steps as a particular sequence. However, to the extent that the method or process does not rely on the particular order of steps set forth herein, the method or process should not be limited to the particular sequence of steps described. As one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate, other sequences of steps may be possible. Therefore, the particular order of the steps set forth in the description should not be construed as a limitation.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10167741 | Lacko | Jan 2019 | B2 |
| 10301973 | Leon | May 2019 | B2 |
| 10532802 | Sayn-Urpar | Jan 2020 | B2 |
| 11549462 | Guillemant | Jan 2023 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2589108 | May 2021 | GB |
