Patent Application
20130340440
The subject matter of the present disclosure relates generally to gas turbine engines. More particularly, the subject matter of the present disclosure relates to an improved system for bleeding air from a gas turbine engine low pressure compressor chamber and a method of making same.
Gas turbine engines such as those used on jet aircraft generally comprise an air inlet, a single or multi-stage compressor chamber, a combustion chamber aft (downstream) of the compressor chamber, a turbine and an exhaust nozzle. Air entering the inlet flows axially through the compressor chamber and into the combustion chamber where it provides oxygen for fuel ignition. As the air passes through the various stages of the compressor its pressure increases. Under certain conditions, such as when the engine is throttled back or during start up, the amount of air required in the combustion chamber is less than that flowing through the compressor chamber. Under these conditions an engine surge may occur, endangering the operation of the aircraft. To mitigate or eliminate engine surges, an air bleed system may be provided within the compression section to temporarily bleed off air and reduce air flow entering the combustion chamber.
Thus there is a need for an air bleed system that includes an annular bleed case with integral structural ligaments that not only provide structural support to the bleed case, but also are aerodynamically designed and oriented with respect to the air flow coming off the compressor rotor to maximize air flow through the bleed ports and reduce pressure loss across the system.
There also is a need for an improved air bleed system that is machined rather than cast for lighter weight and to provide ligaments having a unique geometry and greater strength.
There is also a need for an improved air bleed system that not only directs air out of the engine cavity but also can withstand major engine case loads and support the engine core.
The present invention achieves these objectives by providing an intercompressor air bleed system for a jet engine. The air bleed system comprises a ring-shaped, forged aluminum bleed case having multiple circumferentially arranged bleed ports configured at a specific angle to optimize the flow of air through the ports with minimal blockage. The bleed case comprises ligaments (structural cross members that connect the forward and aft ends of the case) having angled end faces that substantially align with the swirl of air coming off the compressor rotor. The annular bleed case is positioned symmetrically around the engine longitudinal axis so that it circumscribes the compressor air flow path.
The jet engine may comprise an air intake port, a low pressure compressor chamber located downstream of the air intake port, and a high pressure compressor chamber located downstream of the low pressure compressor chamber. The low pressure compressor chamber may have a forward portion and an aft portion. The air bleed system may be located in the aft portion of the low pressure compressor chamber. More particularly, the air bleed system may be located longitudinally behind a rotating low pressure compressor blade.
In one illustrative embodiment the system comprises a stationary, annular bleed case having a forward section and an aft section and ligaments connecting the two sections. The forward section, the aft section and the ligaments define a series of bleed ports circumferentially disposed around the bleed case and through which air can be bled from the engine core inlet and into a fan duct. A bleed valve may be operably connected to the bleed case to open and close the bleed ports. The ligaments provide structural support for the bleed case and have an aerodynamic shape that maximizes the flow of air through the bleed ports.
Each ligament may have an arced top face on a fan duct facing side, an arced bottom face on an engine core inlet facing side, a first end face extending from the top face to the bottom face and a second end face opposite the first end face. The first and second end faces may be angled to match the angle of the swirling air coming off the low pressure compressor blades. For example, the first and second end faces of each ligament may define planes that are substantially parallel to the flow of the swirling air coming off the low pressure compressor. More particularly, the first and second end faces may each form an acute included angle of about thirty-six degrees with a longitudinal plane (P) coincident with (occupying the same space as) the engine longitudinal axis (A).
The first face and the bottom face may intersect at a first lower edge. Likewise, the second face and the bottom face may intersect at a second lower edge. To render the ligaments even more aerodynamic, both the first and second lower edges may be rounded. In one embodiment the ratio of curvature of the first lower edge to the second lower edge is about 0.125 to 1.00, respectively.
The bleed valve may comprise an annular body carrying a first set of seals and a second set of seals arranged circumferentially around the annular body. The bleed valve may be movable between a closed position (in which first and second sets of seals engage the bleed case to close the bleed ports), and an open position (in which the first and second sets of seals are disengaged from the bleed case to allow air to flow through the bleed ports). The bleed valve may be mounted to the bleed case.
More particularly, the bleed valve may be positioned upstream of the bleed case and may be movable in an axial direction between the closed position and the open position. The bleed valve is normally in the closed position and is movable to the open position when the amount of air required to the combustion chamber is less that that flowing through the low pressure compressor chamber.
The bleed ports may angled. That is, each bleed port may include an angled section and a radially extending section, where the angled section is oriented at an angle to a plane defined by the bleed case and the radially extending section is oriented in the same plane as a plane defined by the bleed case.
Similarly, each arced ligament may comprise an angled section and a radially extending section. The angled section may be oriented at an angle to a plane defined by the bleed case, while the radially extending section may be oriented co-planar to the plane defined by the bleed case.
A method of making a dual milled annular bleed case for a jet engine is also disclosed. The method may comprise the steps of providing a forged aluminum annular air bleed case having a forward section, an aft section and a continuous ligament connecting the two sections; milling out of the continuous ligament a plurality of spaced apart, circumferentially disposed radial bores from outboard the annular bleed case, each radial bore oriented co-planar to a plane defined by the annular bleed case; and milling out of the continuous ligament a corresponding number of angled bores from inboard the bleed case, each angled bore oriented at an angle to the plane defined by the annular bleed case. Each angled bore may meet or join a corresponding radial bore along a bend to form a bleed port through which air can be bled from the jet engine core. Each bend may be configured to minimize the impedance of air flow through each port.
During both milling steps the bores may be milled so that the dual milled annular bleed case comprises a plurality of circumferentially disposed ligaments in which each bleed port is defined by opposing faces of circumferentially adjacent ligaments. The opposing faces may be angled with respect to a longitudinal plane (P) coincident with the longitudinal axis (A) of the jet engine. More specifically, the opposing faces may define planes that form an included acute angle of about 36 degrees with the longitudinal plane coincident with the longitudinal axis.
So that the manner in which the above recited concepts of the present disclosure may be understood in detail, a more particular description is provided by reference to the embodiments, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the concepts of the present disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments. Moreover, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of certain embodiments.
Thus, for further understanding of these concepts and embodiments, reference may be made to the following detailed description, read in connection with the drawings in which:
Broadly stated, the present invention is an improved air bleed system for a gas turbine engine having one or more compressor stages. The air bleed system may be located in the aft portion of the low pressure compressor chamber and comprises a movable bleed valve and a stationary, annular bleed case having a forward section and an aft section and ligaments connecting the two sections. The ligaments may be machined from the bleed case into an aerodynamic shape that provides structural support for the bleed case with minimal impeding of the air flow through the bleed ports.
A typical turbofan jet engine works by forcing compressed air into a combustion chamber where it is mixed with fuel and ignited so that the exhaust gases exit a downstream nozzle, thereby creating thrust.
As best shown in
The air diverted by the splitter 34 into the engine core inlet 38 travels into the HPC chamber 24 where it undergoes further compression, then into the combustion chamber 26 where it is mixed with fuel to produce combustion gases which pass through the turbines 28, 30 and then exit through the exhaust nozzle 32 to provide the majority of the engine thrust.
Under certain conditions, such as when the engine is throttled back or during start up, the amount of air required in the combustion chamber 26 is less than that flowing through the engine core inlet 38. Under these conditions an engine surge may occur, endangering the operation of the aircraft. To mitigate or eliminate surges, an air bleed system 40 is provided within the LPC chamber 20 to bleed off air and temporarily reduce air flow entering the combustion chamber 26. For stability and operability, air passing through the engine core inlet 38 may be bled off within the LPC chamber 20 (at station 2.5) through air bleed port passageways 52 and out into the surrounding fan duct 36.
The present invention is an air bleed system 40 for bleeding off air from the engine core inlet 38 into the fan duct 36 that increases bleed flow, minimizes or eliminates pressure loss across the air bleed system, and thus improves the stability of the low pressure compressor 20, and achieves these objectives within a narrow section of the engine (station 2.5). The air bleed system 40 preferably is located in front of the engine 10 in the aft portion of the LPC chamber 20 (at station 2.5) upstream of the intermediate section 22 and the HPC chamber 24.
As perhaps best shown in
The bleed valve 42 is positioned upstream of the bleed case 44 and is movable via linkages 84 in an axial direction between a closed position shown in
When in the closed position shown in
When in the open position shown in
The bleed valve 42 is activated by a single actuator and both translates and rotates during operation. That is to say, the bleed valve 42 moves both in an axial direction and in a rotational manner during operation, similar to a threaded cap. This dual motion capability is made possible by a system of linkages 84 located outboard of the bleed ports 52 (
The number of ligaments 50 can vary, as can the total bleed area, defined as the cumulative areas of the bleed ports 52. In one embodiment of the invention having fifteen load carrying ligaments 50 for meeting backbone stiffness requirements, the total bleed area was 45 square inches.
Ideally, there would be no ligaments 50 in the bleed case 44 to interrupt air flow. However, since the ligaments 50 are necessary to provide structural support to the bleed case 44, the bleed ports 52 and ligaments 50 of the present invention are machined and aerodynamically designed so that the air bleed system 40 bleeds off air from the low pressure compressor chamber 20 as cleanly as possible. That is, the ligaments 50 are designed to have minimal impact on the air flowing through the bleed ports 52.
The air bleed system 40, and thus the bleed ports 52, is located directly behind a rotating low pressure compressor blade where the air is swirling around the engine hub. (In the illustrated embodiment, when viewed from the front of the engine 10, the air is swirling in a clockwise direction.) To accommodate this swirling effect, the ligaments 50 are milled so that their end faces (i.e. the surfaces facing the bleed ports 52) are approximately parallel to the flow of air coming off the LPC blade and moving through the bleed ports 52, as explained in more detail below.
The bleed ports 52 have an angular shape, and comprise an angled section 51, i.e., a section oriented at angle to a plane defined by the bleed case 44, and a radially extending section 53 coplanar with the bleed case 44, joined at a bend 54. To generate this angular shape, a radial bore (B1) may be milled from the bleed case 44 from above (outboard the bleed case 44) and an angled bore (B2) may be milled from below (inboard the bleed case 44). This dual milling of the two bores (B1, B2) coming together at the bend 54 results in minimal waterfall effect, and thus minimal impeding of the air flow at the bend 54 of the bleed port 52.
It can also be seen from
The view shown in
The angle assumed by the first and second faces 70, 72 may be any angle that matches the direction of air flow or maximizes air flow through the bleed ports 52. For example, in the illustrated embodiment in
Still referring to
The size of the ligaments 50 is a function of a number of factors, including their required structural strength and the required bleed port area (air passage area) under all expected operations. For example, the total bleed area for the illustrated bleed case 44 is 45 square inches, defined as the sum of the areas of the bleed port inlets. The width of the ligament shown in
While the invention above has been described as having fifteen ligaments, each angled at 36 degrees from a longitudinal plane, it should be understood that the number, height, length and width of the ligaments, as well as the angle cut, may be varied according to need. The number and dimensions of the ligaments needs to be aerodynamically or acoustically tuned to the other adjacent hardware in the compressor to minimize excitations and vibrations.
The air bleed system 40 and bleed case 44 of the present invention may be used in commercial jet engines equipped with multistage compressors. The air bleed system 40 and bleed case 44 preferably is located in the low pressure chamber 22 at station 2.5 and is designed to result in minimal flow disturbance to the LPC and no discernible effect to LPC aerodynamic metrics.
While the present disclosure has shown and described details of exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by one skilled in the art that various changes in detail may be effected therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by claims that may be supported by the written description and drawings. Further, where these exemplary embodiments (and other related derivations) are described with reference to a certain number of elements it will be understood that other exemplary embodiments may be practiced utilizing either less than or more than the certain number of elements.
