United States Patent
US Patent 6729575: Propulsion system for a vertical and short…
US 6729575 · granted 2004-05-04
Abstract
The invention is a propulsion system for a V/STOL aircraft. In detail, the invention includes a turbo-fan engine having a fan section with a variable pitch fan, a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, said turbine section having a low-pressure turbine portion coupled to and driving the fan section and a high-pressure turbine portion coupled to and driving the compressor section. The engine further having a selectable operating point wherein a portion of the power generatable by the low-pressure turbine at a selected operating power setting is extracted to drive the fan section. A turbine outlet duct is included for directing the turbine section exhaust gases. A first angular shaped nozzle section is co-incident with the turbine outlet duct for directing exhaust from the fan section. A second nozzle section mounted to the first angular shaped nozzle section between the fan section and the compressor section. A system is included to shift said selectable operating point of said engine to a second operating point at the selected power setting increasing the power extracted by the low-pressure turbine portion of the turbine section; such that power extracted by the low-pressure turbine portion and applied to the fan section can be increased without changing the selected power setting and the pitch of the blades of the variable pitch fan section can be increased to absorb the increased power.
| Patent Number | 6729575 |
|---|---|
| Title | Propulsion system for a vertical and short takeoff and landing aircraft |
| Filed | 2002-04-01 |
| Granted | 2004-05-04 |
| Inventor(s) | Bevilaqua; Paul |
| Assignee | Lockheed Martin Corporation |
| Number of Claims | 48 |
Abstract
The invention is a propulsion system for a V/STOL aircraft. In detail, the invention includes a turbo-fan engine having a fan section with a variable pitch fan, a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, said turbine section having a low-pressure turbine portion coupled to and driving the fan section and a high-pressure turbine portion coupled to and driving the compressor section. The engine further having a selectable operating point wherein a portion of the power generatable by the low-pressure turbine at a selected operating power setting is extracted to drive the fan section. A turbine outlet duct is included for directing the turbine section exhaust gases. A first angular shaped nozzle section is co-incident with the turbine outlet duct for directing exhaust from the fan section. A second nozzle section mounted to the first angular shaped nozzle section between the fan section and the compressor section. A system is included to shift said selectable operating point of said engine to a second operating point at the selected power setting increasing the power extracted by the low-pressure turbine portion of the turbine section; such that power extracted by the low-pressure turbine portion and applied to the fan section can be increased without changing the selected power setting and the pitch of the blades of the variable pitch fan section can be increased to absorb the increased power.
Claim 1
A propulsion system for a V/STOL aircraft comprising: a turbofan engine comprising: a fan section having a variable pitch fan, a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbinesection, said turbine section having a low-pressure turbine portion coupled to and driving said fan section and a high-pressure turbine portion coupled to and driving said compressor section, said engine having a selectable operating point wherein aportion of the power generatable by said low-pressure turbine at a selected operating power setting is extracted to drive said fan section; a turbine outlet duct for directing said turbine section exhaust gases; and a first angular shaped nozzlesection co-incident with said turbine outlet duct for directing exhaust from said fan section; a second nozzle section mounted to said first angular shaped nozzle section between said fan section and said compressor section; means to shift saidselectable operating point of said engine to a second operating point at the selected power setting increasing the power extracted by said low-pressure turbine portion of said turbine section; such that power extracted by said low-pressure turbineportion and applied to said fan sec
Claims
48 totalA propulsion system for a V/STOL aircraft comprising: a turbofan engine comprising: a fan section having a variable pitch fan, a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbinesection, said turbine section having a low-pressure turbine portion coupled to and driving said fan section and a high-pressure turbine portion coupled to and driving said compressor section, said engine having a selectable operating point wherein aportion of the power generatable by said low-pressure turbine at a selected operating power setting is extracted to drive said fan section; a turbine outlet duct for directing said turbine section exhaust gases; and a first angular shaped nozzlesection co-incident with said turbine outlet duct for directing exhaust from said fan section; a second nozzle section mounted to said first angular shaped nozzle section between said fan section and said compressor section; means to shift saidselectable operating point of said engine to a second operating point at the selected power setting increasing the power extracted by said low-pressure turbine portion of said turbine section; such that power extracted by said low-pressure turbineportion and applied to said fan sec