Flush Variable Bleed Valve Assembly for Compressor Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current variable bleed valve (VBV) assemblies in turbine engines are heavy, occupy excessive space, and cause aerodynamic performance losses due to bleed cavities and acoustic resonance, leading to compressor instabilities during low-speed operations.
Innovation Solution
A VBV assembly with a sliding door mechanism that remains flush with the casing in the closed position, eliminating the bleed cavity and using a unison ring to actuate multiple doors concurrently, reducing weight and space, and minimizing acoustic excitations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional VBV assembly with a closed door is used, then the valve can control bleed flow, but it creates a bleed cavity that causes aerodynamic performance losses and acoustic resonance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the traditional closed VBV door configuration that creates bleed cavities. Instead, it uses an open door configuration where the door is positioned to allow bleed flow to pass through without creating a closed cavity space, thereby eliminating the source of aerodynamic performance losses and acoustic resonance while maintaining compressor stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by using an open door configuration rather than a closed one. The door is positioned to be open to the bleed cavity, allowing bleed flow to pass through the door assembly without creating a sealed cavity, thus eliminating the harmful aerodynamic effects while maintaining the valve's control function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional VBV assembly with multiple separate doors is used, then each door can be controlled independently, but the assembly becomes heavy and occupies excessive space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate VBV doors into a single integrated door assembly. This unified structure reduces the total number of components, thereby decreasing the overall weight and space occupation of the VBV assembly while maintaining the ability to control bleed flow through the integrated door mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated door assembly serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a single structural component, provides unified control for bleed flow, and eliminates the need for multiple separate door mechanisms. This multi-functional design reduces weight and space while maintaining control flexibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional VBV assembly with separate doors is used, then each door can be actuated independently, but the assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate door actuation mechanisms into a single integrated door assembly with unified control. This reduces the complexity of the VBV assembly by eliminating multiple separate actuation systems while maintaining the capability to control bleed flow through the integrated door structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated door assembly provides universal control functionality, allowing a single actuation mechanism to control the entire door assembly rather than requiring separate controls for each door. This reduces device complexity while maintaining adaptability in door actuation control.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed for a variable bleed valve assembly. An example variable bleed valve assembly a variable bleed valve (VBV) door corresponding to a bleed port and a first unison ring, the VBV door coupled to the first unison ring, the first unison ring to move in a circumferential direction between a first position and a second position causing the VBV door to move between the first position and the second position.