Variable Turbine Engine Intake for Crosswind Flow Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbine engines face reduced performance and efficiency due to wind conditions such as crosswind and wind shear, which cause air stream separation from the engine intake, especially during takeoff and landing, and minimizing the intake's axial length to reduce drag affects performance.
Innovation Solution
A variable engine intake system that adjusts based on wind conditions using sensors to detect crosswind or wind shear, adjusting the engine intake by extending it to minimize air flow detachment from fan blades, and includes features like anti-ice systems and actuators to control fan blades, inlet guide vanes, and intake length.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the engine intake axial length is minimized to reduce drag, then fuel efficiency is improved, but air stream separation from the engine intake occurs during crosswind and wind shear conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the engine intake axial length variable rather than fixed. The intake can dynamically adjust its length based on operating conditions - extending during crosswind and wind shear to prevent air stream separation, and retracting during normal conditions to minimize drag and improve fuel efficiency. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between fuel efficiency and air stream attachment reliability.
2Reliability
If the engine intake is extended to prevent air flow detachment during wind conditions, then performance is maintained, but drag increases
Solution Approach 1:
The intake system dynamically adjusts its configuration based on detected wind conditions. During normal flight, the intake remains retracted to minimize drag. When crosswind or wind shear is detected, the intake extends to maintain stable air flow attachment and prevent performance degradation. This dynamic behavior allows the system to optimize between drag and performance stability as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of intake axial length in response to changing operational parameters (wind conditions). By monitoring wind parameters and adjusting the intake length accordingly, the system optimizes performance while minimizing drag during normal operations. This parameter change approach allows the intake to adapt to different flight conditions and resolve the contradiction between drag and performance stability.
3Productivity
If a variable engine intake system is implemented to adjust to wind conditions, then performance and fuel efficiency are optimized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The variable intake system integrates multiple functions into a single mechanism: it adjusts intake length, controls inlet guide vanes, and coordinates with anti-ice systems. This multi-functionality is achieved through a unified control architecture that manages all components through a single controller, reducing the overall complexity compared to having separate independent systems for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors that continuously monitor wind conditions and provide feedback to the controller. This feedback mechanism enables automatic adjustment of the intake system without requiring complex manual control mechanisms. The sensor-based feedback loop simplifies the control architecture by allowing the system to self-regulate based on real-time conditions, optimizing fuel efficiency while managing complexity through automation.
Data Source
AI summary
A turbine engine including a fan having a plurality of fan blades, a nacelle that extends circumferentially about the fan, an engine intake including an engine inlet, and a variable engine intake system. The nacelle includes a fan cowl and an inlet cowl that is movable with respect to the fan cowl. The engine inlet is defined from a leading edge of the nacelle to the plurality of fan blades. The variable engine intake system adjusts the inlet cowl axially between a fully retracted position and a fully extended position to adjust an inlet length of the engine inlet. The inlet cowl maintains contact with the fan cowl when the inlet cowl is extended.