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US 10,371,061 B2Granted
Turbine section of high bypass turbofan
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsPaul R. Adams, Shankar S. Magge, Joseph Brent Staubach, Wesley K. Lord, Frederick M. Schwarz, Gabriel L. Suciu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A turbofan engine has an engine case and a gaspath through the engine case. A fan has a circumferential array of fan blades. The engine further has a compressor, a combustor, a gas generating turbine, and a low pressure turbine section. A speed reduction mechanism couples the low pressure turbine section to the fan. A bypass area ratio is greater than about 6.0. The low pressure turbine section airfoil count to bypass area ratio is below about 170.
Claims33
A turbofan engine comprising:
- a fan including a circumferential array of fan blades, and a core including a core flowpath, the fan configured to communicate a portion of air into the core flowpath and a portion of air into a bypass flowpath;
- a compressor in fluid communication with the fan, the compressor including a low pressure compressor section and a high pressure compressor section, the low pressure compressor section including a low pressure compressor section inlet with a low pressure compressor section inlet annulus area;
- a fan duct including a fan duct annulus area outboard of the low pressure compressor section inlet, wherein the ratio of the fan duct annulus area to the low pressure compressor section inlet annulus area defines a bypass area ratio that is between 8.0 and 20.0;
- a combustor in fluid communication with the compressor;
- a shaft assembly having a high portion and a low portion;
- a turbine in fluid communication with the combustor, the turbine having a high pressure turbine section coupled to the high portion of the shaft assembly to drive the high pressure compressor section, and a low pressure turbine section coupled to the low portion of the shaft assembly to drive the fan, the low pressure turbine section including blades and vanes, and a low pressure turbine airfoil count defined as the numerical count of all of the blades and vanes in the low pressure turbine section;
- an epicyclic gearbox coupled to the fan and rotatable by the low pressure turbine section through the low portion of the shaft assembly to allow the low pressure turbine to turn faster than the fan, the gearbox having a speed reduction ratio between 2:1 and 13:1 determined by the ratio of diameters within the gearbox;
- and
- an engine intermediate case, including an engine forward mount location configured to support an engine mount when the engine is mounted, and an engine thrust case including an engine aft mount location configured to support an engine mount and react at least a thrust load when the engine is mounted;
- wherein a ratio of the low pressure turbine airfoil count to the bypass area ratio is less than 150;
- wherein the low pressure turbine section further includes a maximum gas path radius and the fan blades include a maximum radius, and a ratio of the maximum gas path radius to the maximum radius of the fan blades is equal to or greater than 0.35,and is less than 0.55;
- and
- wherein each of the low pressure compressor section, high pressure compressor section, low pressure turbine section and high pressure turbine section include a plurality of stages.
10 more elements
A turbofan engine comprising:
- a fan including a circumferential array of fan blades, and a core including a core flowpath, the fan configured to communicate a portion of air into the core flowpath and a portion of air into a bypass flowpath;
- a compressor in fluid communication with the fan, the compressor including a low pressure compressor section and a high pressure compressor section, the low pressure compressor section including a low pressure compressor section inlet with a low pressure compressor section inlet annulus area;
- a fan duct including a fan duct annulus area outboard of the low pressure compressor section inlet, wherein the ratio of the fan duct annulus area to the low pressure compressor section inlet annulus area defines a bypass area ratio that is between 8.0 and 20.0;
- a combustor in fluid communication with the compressor;
- a shaft assembly having a high portion and a low portion;
- a turbine in fluid communication with the combustor, the turbine having a two-stage high pressure turbine section coupled to the high portion of the shaft assembly to drive the high pressure compressor section, and a four-stage low pressure turbine section coupled to the low portion of the shaft assembly to drive the fan, the low pressure turbine section including blades and vanes, and a low pressure turbine airfoil count defined as the numerical count of all of the blades and vanes in the low pressure turbine section;
- and
- an epicyclic gearbox coupled to the fan and rotatable by the low pressure turbine section through the low portion of the shaft assembly to allow the low pressure turbine to turn faster than the fan, the gearbox having a speed reduction ratio between 2:1 and 13:1 determined by the ratio of diameters within the gearbox;
- wherein a ratio of the low pressure turbine airfoil count to the bypass area ratio is less than 150;
- and
- wherein the low pressure turbine section further includes a maximum gas path radius and the fan blades include a maximum radius, and a ratio of the maximum gas path radius to the maximum radius of the fan blades is equal to or greater than 0.35,and is less than 0.55.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.