Cooling system and cooling method for cooling core area of aircraft engine

Abstract

The invention provides a cooling system and a cooling method for cooling a core area of an aircraft engine. The aircraft engine comprises a transient deflation valve used for adjusting the working state of a gas compressor under the transient working condition of the aircraft engine, and the cooling system comprises a draught fan arranged to introduce external gas into the engine; the connecting pipeline is provided with a gas inlet end and a gas outlet end, the gas inlet end is connected to the fan, and gas introduced by the fan enters the connecting pipeline through the gas inlet end; and the adapter connector is arranged at the air outlet end of the connecting pipeline and is configured to be detachably connected with the air path outlet of the transient deflation valve. According to the cooling system and the cooling method, the cooling efficiency is high, connection and installation are convenient, the occupied space is small, the manufacturing cost is low, and use is flexible.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of aircraft structure design, and particularly relates to a cooling system and a cooling method for cooling an engine core area of an aircraft. BACKGROUND

[0002] The current engine core area of a civil aircraft engine generally includes a compressor, a combustor and a turbine located in an engine inner duct. When the aircraft engine is working, the turbine converts the high-energy airflow from the engine combustor into shaft power to drive the compressor to maintain the operation of the engine. During this period, the operation of the engine combustor is very critical and important. After the aircraft arrives at the destination or after a day of flight, the engine needs to be shut down. After the engine is shut down, due to the absence of a large amount of external airflow flowing into the engine core components, the engine core components will have a significant temperature rise phenomenon within a certain period of time after the engine is shut down. After the aviation kerosene sprayed by the fuel nozzle of the engine is burned, some fuel will inevitably remain on the fuel nozzle, and the temperature rise of the engine will cause the temperature of the fuel nozzle to rise above the fuel coking threshold within a certain period of time after the engine is shut down. This results in more and more serious fuel nozzle coking in the cumulative operation, which requires the fuel nozzle to be replaced in a relatively short period of time, which brings a big problem to the operation of the fleet and the cost of the engine.

[0003] In addition, during the route operation or test flight, when engine failure occurs and hole detection and other urgent troubleshooting work needs to be carried out, due to the continuous heating of the hot end components of the engine, it takes several hours to cool them down. Therefore, a cooling device for rapidly cooling the engine core area is needed. At present, a special cooling vehicle with an air extractor is commonly used on the route. When in use, the cooling vehicle needs to be connected to the tail nozzle, and the air extractor needs to be turned on to extract air, so that the airflow flows from front to back. However, this device is expensive and occupies a large space, and there is a lot of room for improvement. SUMMARY

[0004] In order to overcome the deficiencies in the prior art, the present application provides a cooling system for cooling an engine core area of an aircraft, the aircraft engine comprising a transient bleed valve for adjusting the working state of the compressor under transient operating conditions, the cooling system comprising: a fan arranged to introduce external air into the interior of the engine; a connection pipeline having an air inlet end and an air outlet end, the air inlet end being connected to the fan, and the air introduced by the fan entering the connection pipeline through the air inlet end; and an adapter joint provided at the air outlet end of the connection pipeline and configured to be detachably connected with the gas outlet of the transient bleed valve.

[0005] According to an aspect of the present application, the adapter joint has a port portion matched with the shape of the gas outlet of the transient bleed valve; and the cooling system further comprises a fixing clamp for maintaining the adapter joint in the position connected with the gas outlet of the transient bleed valve.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present application, the adapter fitting includes a first adapter fitting and a second adapter fitting, the first adapter fitting and the second adapter fitting being connected to the gas path outlet of two transient bleed valves of an aircraft engine, respectively, the connection line including a first connection line and a second connection line, the first connection line and the second connection line being connected to the fan; the first adapter fitting is arranged at one end of the first connection line, and the second adapter fitting is arranged at one end of the second connection line.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present application, the fan and the connection line of the cooling system are installed in the bulge area of the inlet duct of the aircraft engine.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present application, the connection line includes a fan line and an adapter fitting connection line which are detachably connected to each other, the adapter fitting connection line being a hard pipe, and the fan line being a soft pipe.

[0009] In addition, for the above-mentioned cooling system, the present application also provides a cooling method for cooling the core area of an aircraft engine, the aircraft engine including a transient bleed valve for adjusting the working state of the compressor under transient working conditions of the aircraft engine and a gas path outlet connected to the transient bleed valve; the cooling method includes:

[0010] connecting the connection line connected to the fan to the gas path outlet of the transient bleed valve by means of the adapter fitting located at the gas outlet end of the connection line;

[0011] starting the fan to generate a cooling airflow, and making the cooling airflow flow from the gas path outlet of the transient bleed valve, through the transient bleed valve, and into the inner duct of the engine.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present application, the connection line is connected to the fan or the fan line of the fan before the fan is started.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present application, the step of connecting the connection line connected to the fan to the gas path outlet of the transient bleed valve further includes using a fixing clamp to hold the adapter fitting in the position connected to the gas path outlet of the transient bleed valve.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present application, in the step of connecting the connection line connected to the fan to the gas path outlet of the transient bleed valve, the gas path outlet of the transient bleed valve is the gas path outlet of the transient bleed valve connected to the high-pressure stage compressor of the aircraft engine, and in the step of starting the fan to operate, the outside air introduced by the fan flows into the inner duct of the engine at the position of the high-pressure stage compressor via the transient bleed valve.

[0015] The cooling system and method according to the present application utilizes the gas path outlet of the transient bleed valve as the inlet of the cooling air flow, and the cooling air flow is introduced into the engine core duct at the position of the compressor, usually at the position of the high pressure stage compressor, and the position where the cooling air flow is introduced is close to the fuel nozzle of the engine, so that the cooling air flow directly acts on the fuel nozzle, and the cooling air flow delivery efficiency is high.

[0016] Compared with the existing cooling equipment, the cooling system according to the present application occupies less space, has lower cost, and the installation scheme is fast. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] For a more complete understanding of the present application, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a cooling system for cooling the core area of an aircraft engine according to a preferred embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0019] Figure 2A And Figure 2B A schematic perspective view and a plan view of an adapter fitting according to a preferred embodiment of the present application are shown respectively.

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a cooling system according to a preferred embodiment of the present application arranged in the bulge area of an aircraft is shown.

[0021] LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0022] 1 Engine fan

[0023] 2 Medium pressure stage compressor

[0024] 3 High pressure stage compressor

[0025] 4 Transient bleed valve

[0026] 41 Gas path outlet

[0027] 5 Bulge area

[0028] 10 Fan

[0029] 20 Connection pipeline

[0030] 21 Fan connection pipeline

[0031] 22 Adapter fitting connection pipeline

[0032] 30 Adapter fitting

[0033] 31 Port portion DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The application will be further described below in connection with specific embodiments and drawings, and more details are set forth in the following description in order to fully understand the application, but the application can be implemented in many other ways different from the description, and those skilled in the art can make similar generalizations, deductions and extensions according to the actual application without departing from the concept of the application, and therefore the protection scope of the application should not be limited by the content of the specific embodiments.

[0035] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a cooling system for cooling the core zone of an aircraft engine according to a preferred embodiment of the application is shown. The cooling system according to this embodiment mainly comprises a fan 10, a connecting pipe 20 and an adapter joint 30. The fan 10 of the cooling system is arranged to introduce gas from the outside environment into the interior of the engine of the aircraft. The connecting pipe 20 of the cooling system has an air inlet end and an air outlet end, and the air inlet end of the connecting pipe 20 is connected to the fan 10 so that the gas introduced by the fan 10 can flow into the connecting pipe 20 through the air inlet end and then be transmitted into the engine. The adapter joint 30 of the cooling system is arranged at the air outlet end of the connecting pipe 20, and the adapter joint 30 is configured to be detachably connected to the gas passage outlet 41 of the transient bleed valve 4. Preferably, the rotational speed of the fan 10 of the cooling system is adjustable, so that the rotational speed of the fan can be adjusted according to the specific application scenario, and the cooling efficiency of the cooling system can be correspondingly controlled.

[0036] In the aircraft engine, the gas passage connected via the transient bleed valve 4 is part of the engine air system, mainly used to adjust the working state of the compressor of the engine under transient operating conditions (such as acceleration and deceleration processes), to ensure stable and efficient operation of the engine. The transient bleed valve 4 generally comprises a valve body, a valve core, an actuator and the like. The actuator can control the opening of the valve core according to the instructions of the engine control system, thereby adjusting the bleed amount. The gas passage of the transient bleed valve 4 communicates the area of the engine compressor with the outside of the engine via the transient bleed valve 4. The gas passage outlet 41 of the transient bleed valve 4 is usually located at a position near the outlet of the inner duct of the engine on the outer wall of the inner duct, and the adapter joint 30 of the cooling system according to the application can be conveniently connected to the gas passage outlet 41 of the transient bleed valve at this position.

[0037] In the aircraft engine, the compressor is one of the core components of the aircraft engine, and its main function is to compress the air entering the engine to increase its pressure and temperature, and to create efficient conditions for fuel combustion in the combustion chamber. In a typical aircraft engine compressor, the compressor is located at the front end of the engine. Specifically, as shown in Figure 1 , the compressor comprises a medium-pressure stage compressor 2 and a high-pressure stage compressor 3. The medium-pressure stage compressor 2 is immediately followed by the fan 1, and the high-pressure stage compressor is located after the medium-pressure stage compressor 2 and before the combustion chamber. The transient bleed valve 41 is usually arranged to communicate with the high-pressure stage compressor 3 of the engine.

[0038] Furthermore, some aircraft engines feature a multi-stage transient bleed design, whereby separate transient bleed valves are provided for different compressors. For example, two or three stages of transient bleed valves may be provided, connecting the intermediate- and high-pressure-stage compressors, respectively. For aircraft engines with multi-stage transient bleeds, the adapter connector 30 of the cooling system according to the present invention is preferably connected to the transient bleed valve outlet connected to the high-pressure-stage compressor. This allows ambient air to enter the internal duct closer to the fuel nozzle, thereby improving fuel nozzle cooling efficiency.

[0039] For engines with multiple transient bleeds, the cooling system according to the present invention may include multiple connecting pipes and multiple adapter joints. Figure 1 As shown, the cooling system includes Figure 1 The first connecting line (upper) and the second connecting line (lower) are both connected to the blower 1 and are used to direct the ambient air introduced by the blower 1 to the air outlet 41 of the transient air bleed valve. Correspondingly, a first adapter connector is provided at the end of the first connecting line, while a second adapter connector is provided at the end of the second connecting line. The first and second adapter connectors can be connected to the air outlets 41 of two transient air bleed valves located at different locations on the engine.

[0040] Figure 2A and Figure 2B An adapter connector 30 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The adapter connector 30 includes a port portion 31 shaped to match the gas outlet 41 of the transient purge valve and an extension tube. The port portion 31 includes a mating surface and a mating opening protruding from the mating surface. Preferably, a sealing groove with an embedded sealing ring can be designed at the mating surface to improve airtightness when connected to the gas outlet. Figure 2B The figure shows a square outer contour joint, but those skilled in the art should understand that the outer contour of the joint of the adapter connector 30 is not limited thereto, as long as it can match the shape of the transient deflation valve gas outlet 41.

[0041] The cooling system also includes a fixture for mounting and securing the adapter connector 30. This fixture removably secures the adapter connector in place in connection with the transient bleed valve's air outlet, preventing it from becoming detached from the outlet due to factors such as vibration, thereby ensuring continued reliable operation of the cooling system. Preferably, a press-type fixture can be used to secure the adapter connector. The press-type fixture includes a clamp and a pressing handle. The clamp is configured to clamp onto a wall, while the pressing handle is used to quickly actuate the clamp to clamp and release it.

[0042] In use of the cooling system, the press-type fixing clamp is fixedly connected to the adapter joint 30, and then the fixing clamp is clamped to the end of the outer wall of the engine inner duct, so as to realize the position keeping of the adapter joint 31. Compared with other fixing means, the operation time of installation and dismounting of the press-type clamp is significantly shortened, the compatibility is better, and the reliability of the connection of the adapter joint of the cooling system can be met.

[0043] In use, the first and second adapter joints are connected to the gas path outlet of the transient bleed valve connected to the high-pressure stage compressor 3. Figure 1 In the preferred embodiment shown, the first and second adapter joints are both connected to the gas path outlet of the transient bleed valve connected to the high-pressure stage compressor 3. In other alternative embodiments, the first adapter joint can be connected to the gas path outlet of the transient bleed valve connected to the high-pressure stage compressor, and the second adapter joint can be connected to the gas path outlet of the transient bleed valve connected to the intermediate-pressure stage compressor.

[0044] In order to facilitate the connection, each connecting pipeline can be composed of two parts of the adapter joint connecting pipeline 22 and the fan pipeline 21. Preferably, the adapter joint connecting pipeline 22 can be a hard pipe, and the fan pipeline 21 can be a soft pipe. The fan 10, the fan pipeline 21, the adapter joint connecting pipeline 22, and the adapter joint 30 are sequentially detachably connected, so as to form the cooling air flow path of the cooling system, and the on-site connection is convenient.

[0045] In use, the ground maintenance personnel can select one or both of the first and second adapter joints to be connected to the gas path outlet 41 of the transient bleed valve according to the actual cooling needs, so that the appropriate amount of cooling air flow is input to the core area of the engine through one or two transient bleed valves.

[0046] In order to solve the problem of coking of the fuel nozzle of the aircraft engine, after the aircraft engine is parked and the engine is shut down, one of the first and second adapter joints of the cooling system is connected to the gas path outlet 41 of one transient bleed valve, and then the fan is started, the cooling system starts to operate, and the external air is continuously input from the gas path outlet 41 of the transient bleed valve through the connecting pipeline 20 by the fan 10 along the air flow path indicated by the solid arrow, Figure 1 After a period of work, the problem of coking of the fuel nozzle caused by heat accumulation after the engine is parked and shut down can be solved.

[0047] After the engine failure, the borescope inspection is required. The inspection needs to be carried out after the engine is stopped and cooled to a safe operating temperature. Generally, the borescope inspection requires the engine temperature to be close to the ambient temperature or within the range of equipment tolerance, which is usually required to be reduced to below 60℃ to avoid damage to the borescope equipment (such as industrial endoscope probe) caused by high temperature and to ensure the safety of the operator. In order to quickly cool the core area of the engine and meet the rapid borescope requirement after the engine failure, after the aircraft is parked and the engine is shut down, the first and second adapter joints of the cooling system are connected to the transient bleed valve air path outlet near the top and the transient bleed valve air path outlet near the bottom respectively, then the fan is started, the cooling system starts to run, and the external air is continuously introduced into the core area of the engine along the solid line and the dashed line shown in the air flow path, and through a period of work, the engine can be quickly cooled to meet the rapid borescope requirement after the engine failure. Figure 1 The use of two connection pipelines to connect the two transient bleed valves at the same time can transport cooling gas to the air path area involved, so that the temperature reduction of the core area of the engine is more comprehensive and balanced. Compared with the single connection cooling system, the multi-connection of the present application can more effectively reduce the temperature of different parts of the core area of the engine.

[0048] The cooling system according to the present application can be used as a ground support equipment (GSE). That is, the fan, the multi-connection pipeline and the corresponding adapter joints are integrated in a mobile device. The ground support equipment for cooling also has a power device for providing driving force for the mobile device and a control operation device for being operated by an operator. After the aircraft is parked and the engine is shut down, the system is moved to a position close to the aircraft, the adapter joints are connected to the transient bleed valve air path outlet of the engine, then the fan 10 is started, the cooling system starts to run, and the external air is continuously introduced into the engine at the position near the fuel nozzle to prevent the fuel nozzle from coking and to quickly cool the engine.

[0049] When used as a ground support equipment, the cooling system according to the present application can also be equipped with a heat exchanger to reduce the temperature of the cooling air flow provided by the fan, further improving the heat exchange efficiency. In addition, the adapter joints of the cooling system can be equipped with multiple joints, which can be the same or different to meet the connection requirements of different aircrafts.

[0050] The cooling system according to the present application can also be used as an airborne equipment. When used as an airborne equipment, as shown in Figure 3As shown, the cooling system can be arranged in the bulge area 5 of the aircraft. The installation of the fan 10 and the connecting pipeline 20 in the bulge area 5 can utilize the special airflow condition of the bulge area 5, so as to facilitate the fan 10 to more efficiently inhale the external air, and improve the introduction efficiency of the cooling air. On the other hand, the bulge area 5 is relatively open and convenient for arranging the pipeline, so that the installation of the entire cooling system is more compact and reasonable, and does not affect the normal operation of other components of the aircraft engine. By installing the fan and the connecting pipeline in the bulge area, in combination with other design features of the cooling system of the present application, efficient and stable cooling of the core area of the engine can be achieved without significantly increasing the overall weight and complexity of the aircraft engine, thereby providing a strong guarantee for the reliable operation of the aircraft engine.

[0051] By using the cooling system according to the present application, the gas generated by the fan 10 outside the engine is directly sent into the engine interior through the gas path outlet of the transient air release valve gas path, and is directly delivered to the high-pressure compressor 3 to enter the inner channel of the engine, and acts on the fuel nozzle close to the high-pressure compressor 3, so as to ensure that the temperature of the fuel nozzle is lower than the coking temperature of the fuel, and to slow down or avoid coking of the fuel nozzle, thereby prolonging the replacement time of the fuel nozzle, and reducing the operating cost of the aircraft and the maintenance cost of the engine. According to the cooling system of the present application, the connection and installation are convenient, the occupied space is small, the manufacturing cost is low, and the use is flexible.

[0052] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, but not to limit it; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions recorded in the above embodiments can be modified, or some technical features can be replaced by equivalents; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A cooling system for cooling the core area of ​​an aircraft engine, wherein the aircraft engine includes a transient bleed valve for adjusting the operating state of the compressor under transient operating conditions of the aircraft engine, characterized in that: The cooling system comprises: a blower arranged to introduce ambient air into the interior of the engine; a connecting pipeline, the connecting pipeline having an air inlet end and an air outlet end, the air inlet end being connected to the blower, and the gas introduced by the blower entering the connecting pipeline through the air inlet end; and An adapter joint is provided at the gas outlet end of the connecting pipeline and is configured to be detachably connected to the gas outlet of the transient deflation valve.

2. The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein: The adapter joint has a port portion that matches the shape of the gas outlet of the transient air release valve; The cooling system further includes a fixing fixture for holding the adapter connector in a position connected to the air circuit outlet of the transient air bleed valve.

3. The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein: The adapter connector includes a first adapter connector and a second adapter connector, wherein the first adapter connector and the second adapter connector are respectively connected to the gas outlets of the two transient air release valves of the aircraft engine. The connecting pipeline includes a first connecting pipeline and a second connecting pipeline, and the first connecting pipeline and the second connecting pipeline are both connected to the fan; The first adapter joint is provided at one end of the first connecting pipeline, and the second adapter joint is provided at one end of the second connecting pipeline.

4. The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein: The fan and the connecting pipes of the cooling system are installed in the bulge area of ​​the air inlet duct of the aircraft engine.

5. The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein: The connecting pipeline includes a fan pipeline and an adapter joint connecting pipeline that are detachably connected to each other. The adapter joint connecting pipeline is a hard pipe, and the fan pipeline is a soft pipe.

6. A cooling method for reducing the temperature of a core region of an aircraft engine, wherein the aircraft engine includes a transient bleed valve for adjusting the operating state of a compressor under transient operating conditions of the aircraft engine and an air outlet connected to the transient bleed valve, the cooling method comprising: Connecting the connecting pipe of the fan to the air outlet of the transient air release valve by means of an adapter joint at the air outlet end of the connecting pipe; The fan is turned on to generate a cooling airflow, and the cooling airflow is made to flow from the air path outlet of the transient air release valve through the transient air release valve into the internal passage of the engine.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein The method further comprises: before turning on the fan, connecting the connecting pipeline to the fan or a fan pipeline of the fan.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein The step of connecting the connecting pipe of the fan to the air outlet of the transient air release valve also includes using a fixing fixture to keep the adapter joint in a position connected to the air outlet of the transient air release valve.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein In the step of connecting the connecting pipe of the fan to the air outlet of the transient air release valve, the air outlet of the transient air release valve is the air outlet of the transient air release valve connected to the high-pressure compressor of the aircraft engine. In the step of starting the blower, the external gas introduced by the blower flows into the internal duct of the engine at the position of the high-pressure stage compressor through the transient bleed valve.

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