Patent Application
20200011245
The present disclosure relates to anti-icing systems and methods, and more particularly, to anti-icing systems and methods for aircraft nacelles and other aircraft components and surfaces.
Inlets for aircraft nacelles, wing leading edges, horizontal stabilizers, vertical fins, and other aircraft components may be subject to ice-build up during flight. A heat source such as bleed air from a gas turbine engine may be used to heat the components to prevent the ice build-up on such components. However, a large volume of gas turbine engine bleed air may be used in such systems, which can reduce the overall performance of the gas turbine engine.
An inlet assembly for a nacelle may comprise an inlet, a lip skin coupled to the inlet, the lip skin and the inlet forming a duct and an inner duct skin situated between the inlet and the lip skin, the inner duct skin separating the duct by defining a first chamber and a second chamber.
In various embodiments, the inlet may comprise an inner barrel, an outer barrel, and a bulkhead surface extending radially between the inner barrel and the outer barrel. The lip skin may comprise a first end, a second end, an interior surface, and an exterior surface, the interior surface coupled to an inner barrel and outer barrel of the inlet. The first chamber may be defined between an interior surface of the lip skin and an outer surface of the inner duct skin. The second chamber may be defined between an exterior surface of the inlet and an inner surface of the inner duct skin. A hot bleed air source may extend through the inlet and the inner duct skin, the hot bleed air source terminating in the first chamber. A hot bleed air source may be configured to supply bleed air to the first chamber and prevent formation of ice on at least a portion of the exterior surface of the lip skin. An interior surface of the inner duct skin may be coupled to the inner barrel and wherein an exterior surface of the inner duct skin is coupled to the lip skin at a first end. The lip skin may comprise a length measured from the first end to the second end. An exterior surface of the inner duct skin may be coupled to the interior surface of the lip skin at a second end, the second end positioned approximately two thirds the length of the lip skin. The interior surface of the inner duct skin may be coupled to the outer barrel and the exterior surface of the inner duct skin may be coupled to the lip skin at a second end.
A nacelle for a gas-turbine engine may comprise an inlet, a lip skin coupled to the inlet, the lip skin and the inlet forming a duct, and an inner duct skin situated between the inlet and the lip skin, the inner duct skin separating the duct by defining a first chamber and a second chamber.
In various embodiments, the nacelle may further comprise a fan cowling coupled to and axially aft of the inlet. The nacelle may further comprise a thrust reverser cowling coupled to and axially aft of the fan cowling. The nacelle may further comprise an exhaust nozzle coupled to and axially aft of the thrust reverser cowling. The inlet, the fan cowling, the thrust reverser cowling, and the exhaust nozzle may be coaxial.
A method of manufacturing an inlet assembly of a nacelle may comprise coupling a lip skin to an inlet such that a duct is formed between the lip skin and the inlet, wherein the lip skin comprises a first end, a second end, an interior surface, and an exterior surface, and the inlet comprises an inner barrel, an outer barrel, and a bulkhead surface extending radially between the inner barrel and the outer barrel, and coupling an inner duct skin to the inlet and the lip skin such that the inner duct skin separates the duct into a first chamber and a second chamber.
In various embodiments, coupling the inner duct skin to the inlet and the lip skin may comprise coupling each end of the inner duct skin between the inlet and the lip skin. Coupling the inner duct skin to the inlet and the lip skin may comprise coupling a first end of the inner duct skin between the inlet and the lip skin and coupling a second end of the inner duct skin to the lip skin. The second end of the inner duct skin may be coupled to the lip skin at a position approximately two thirds a length of the lip skin measured from the first end of the lip skin to the second end of the lip skin.
The foregoing features and elements may be combined in various combinations without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated otherwise. 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.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated in, and constitute a part of, this specification, illustrate various embodiments, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
The detailed description of various embodiments herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which show various embodiments by way of illustration. While these various embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, it should be understood that other embodiments may be realized and that logical, chemical, electrical, and mechanical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thus, the detailed description herein is presented for purposes of illustration only and not of limitation.
For example, the steps recited in any of the method or process descriptions may be executed in any order and are not necessarily limited to the order presented. Furthermore, any reference to singular includes plural embodiments, and any reference to more than one component or step may include a singular embodiment or step. Also, any reference to attached, fixed, connected, or the like may include permanent, removable, temporary, partial, full, and/or any other possible attachment option. Additionally, any reference to without contact (or similar phrases) may also include reduced contact or minimal contact.
For example, in the context of the present disclosure, methods, systems, and articles may find particular use in connection with aircraft gas turbine engine anti-ice systems. However, various aspects of the disclosed embodiments may be adapted for performance in a variety of other systems. As such, numerous applications of the present disclosure may be realized.
Various embodiments of the present disclosure may result in more efficient distribution of gas turbine engine bleed air for the purpose of anti-icing applications. Typically, inlets for aircraft leading nacelles, wing leading edges, horizontal stabilizers, vertical fins and other aircraft components may be subject to ice build-up during flight. A heat source may heat the components to prevent ice from building-up on such components. The heat source most commonly used is hot bleed air from a gas turbine engine that heats the backside of the external surface subject to ice build-up. Large volumes of hot bleed air may be used for such anti-icing applications, thereby reducing an overall efficiency associated with the gas turbine engine.
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In various embodiments, a hot bleed air source 212 may be positioned between inner barrel 202 and outer barrel 204. Hot bleed air source 212 may collect hot bleed air from a hot air source of the gas turbine engine, such as for example, a compressor discharge bleed air manifold and transport the hot bleed air toward lip skin 208. The hot bleed air may impinge on an interior surface of lip skin 208, thereby heating lip skin 208 and preventing formation of ice. Formation of ice on an exterior surface of lip skin 208 may alter the exterior geometry of lip skin 208, thereby adversely affecting the flow path and quality of air flowing into inlet 102. Hot bleed air source 212 may comprise any suitable anti-icing system, including but not limited to piccolo tube anti-icing systems, swirl anti-ice systems, or others.
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A block diagram illustrating a method 400 of manufacturing an inlet assembly of a nacelle is illustrated in
In various embodiments, coupling the inner duct skin to the inlet and the lip skin comprises coupling each end of the inner duct skin between the inlet and the lip skin. Coupling the inner duct skin to the inlet and the lip skin may comprise coupling a first end of the inner duct skin between the inlet and the lip skin and coupling a second end of the inner duct skin to the lip skin. The second end of the inner duct skin may be coupled to the lip skin at a position approximately two thirds a length of the lip skin measured from the first end of the lip skin to the second end of the lip skin.
Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described herein with regard to specific embodiments. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in a practical system. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of the disclosure. The scope of the disclosure is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” Moreover, where a phrase similar to “at least one of A, B, or C” is used in the claims, it is intended that the phrase be interpreted to mean that A alone may be present in an embodiment, B alone may be present in an embodiment, C alone may be present in an embodiment, or that any combination of the elements A, B and C may be present in a single embodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. Different cross-hatching is used throughout the figures to denote different parts but not necessarily to denote the same or different materials.
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media are provided herein. In the detailed description herein, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “various embodiments”, etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described. After reading the description, it will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the disclosure in alternative embodiments.
Furthermore, 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 “comprises”, “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.
