Asymmetric Inlet Particle Separator for Gas Turbine Engines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engines operating in environments with sand and dust particles face reduced cooling performance due to particle ingestion, and existing particle separators are not efficiently designed for space-constrained mobile platforms.
Innovation Solution
An asymmetric inlet particle separator is designed for gas turbine engines, featuring an offset inlet with a duct that includes a bend and a splitter, separating airflow into scavenge and engine branches, with a secondary flow source to draw particles into the scavenge branch, effectively removing particles without extending fully around the engine's centerline.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a particle separator is designed to remove sand and dust particles effectively, then particle removal efficiency is improved, but the space required for the separator increases
Solution Approach 1:
The particle separator employs an asymmetric design where the inlet is offset from the centerline of the gas turbine engine. The duct includes a bend at an angle of about 70 degrees to about 110 degrees, creating a tortuous path that maximizes particle separation within a compact volume. This asymmetric configuration allows the separator to achieve effective particle removal (up to 75% of particles sized 0-1000 micrometers) while occupying minimal space on mobile platforms.
Solution Approach 2:
The separator utilizes a three-dimensional tortuous path through the duct, with the bend angle of about 70 degrees to about 110 degrees creating a complex flow pattern. This dimensional complexity allows the separator to achieve extended particle separation path length within a compact footprint, effectively removing particles without requiring a large linear space arrangement.
2Reliability
If a symmetric particle separator is used, then particle separation is effective, but it occupies excessive space on mobile platforms
Solution Approach 1:
The particle separator employs an asymmetric design where the inlet is offset from the centerline of the gas turbine engine. The duct includes a bend at an angle of about 70 degrees to about 110 degrees, creating a tortuous path that maximizes particle separation within a compact volume. This asymmetric configuration allows the separator to achieve effective particle removal (up to 75% of particles sized 0-1000 micrometers) while occupying minimal space on mobile platforms.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the inlet is positioned at the centerline, then airflow is uniform, but particle separation efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The particle separator employs an asymmetric design where the inlet is offset from the centerline of the gas turbine engine. The duct includes a bend at an angle of about 70 degrees to about 110 degrees, creating a tortuous path that maximizes particle separation within a compact volume. This asymmetric configuration allows the separator to achieve effective particle removal (up to 75% of particles sized 0-1000 micrometers) while occupying minimal space on mobile platforms.
Solution Approach 2:
The offset inlet position and bent duct configuration create a tortuous flow path that preliminarily directs particles toward the separation zone before the main separation occurs at the splitter. This preliminary action ensures that particles are positioned optimally for separation while the airflow remains sufficiently uniform to maintain engine performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The asymmetric design efficiently removes up to 75% of particles sized 0-1000 micrometers, improving component life and reducing accumulation in cooling conduits while saving space and weight in mobile platforms.
Implementation Method 1
a secondary flow source in fluid communication with the scavenge branch configured to draw air with entrained particles into the scavenge branch
Implementation Method 2
The duct includes a bend upstream from a splitter... the bend is defined by an angle of about 70 degrees to about 110 degrees and the bend defines a tortuous path to the splitter from the inlet
Implementation Method 3
The inlet is elliptical, and has a minor axis that is oblique to a vertical axis defined along a diameter of the annulus. The annulus defines an annulus centerline, and at least the inlet is offset from and asymmetric relative to the annulus centerline
Data Source
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AI summary
An asymmetric inlet particle separator (200) for a gas turbine engine (100) includes an inlet (202) having a first cross-sectional shape, and a duct (204) downstream of the inlet. The duct includes a bend (238) upstream from a splitter (226), a scavenge branch (228) and an engine airflow branch (230). The splitter is outside of a line of sight from the inlet and the splitter separates the scavenge branch from the engine airflow branch. The asymmetric inlet particle separator includes an annulus (206) downstream of the engine airflow branch configured to be coupled to the gas turbine engine. The annulus has a second cross-sectional shape, and the engine airflow branch transitions from the first cross-sectional shape to the second cross-sectional shape.