Thrust efficient gas turbine engine
AssigneeRaytheon Technologies Corporation
InventorJayant Sabnis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A disclosed gas turbine engine includes a gas generator section for generating a gas stream flow and a propulsor section for generating propulsive thrust as a mass flow rate of air through a bypass flow path. The propulsor section includes a fan driven by a power turbine through a speed reduction device at a second rotational speed lower than a first rotational speed of the power turbine. An Engine Unit Thrust Parameter (“EUTP”) defined as net engine thrust divided by a product of the mass flow rate of air through the bypass flow path, a tip diameter of the fan and the first rotational speed of the power turbine is between 0.05 and 0.13 during operation of the gas turbine engine.
Claims30
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- a propulsor section including a number of fan blades that each have a fan tip diameter greater than 50 inches and less than 160 inches, wherein the propulsor section is configured to generate a bypass flow;
- a compressor section including a low pressure compressor and a high pressure compressor;
- a turbine section including a high pressure turbine coupled to the high pressure compressor and a power turbine coupled to the low pressure compressor, wherein the power turbine rotates at a first rotational speed between 8,416 rpm and 11,835 rpm during engine operation;
- a geared architecture defining a driving connection between the power turbine and the fan, wherein a net engine thrust is between 16,000 lbf and 120,000 lbf, a mass flow rate the bypass flow is between 625 lbm/sec and 80,000 lbm/sec;
- and
- an Engine Unit Thrust Parameter (“EUTP”) defined as net engine thrust divided by a product of a mass flow rate of the bypass flow, the fan tip diameter of the fan and the first rotational speed of the power turbine in operation is between 0.05 and 0.13.
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- a gas generator section generating a gas stream flow with higher energy per unit mass flow than that contained in ambient air during engine operation;
- a power turbine converting the gas stream flow into shaft power, the power turbine rotating at a first rotational speed between 8,416 rpm and 12,500 rpm during engine operation;
- a speed reduction device driven by the power turbine;
- and
- a propulsor section including a fan coupled to the power turbine through the speed reduction device and rotatable at a second rotational speed lower than the first rotational speed, a fan tip diameter of the fan is between fifty (50) and one-hundred sixty (160) inches, a mass flow rate of a bypass flow is between 625 lbm/sec and 80,000 lbm/sec and a net engine thrust is between 16,000 lbf and 33,000 lbf during engine operation and an Engine Unit Thrust Parameter (“EUTP”), defined as net engine thrust divided by a product of the mass flow rate of the bypass flow, a tip diameter of the fan and the first rotational speed of the power turbine of the gas turbine engine during operation is between 0.05 and 0.13.
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- a gas generator section defining a core flow path portion through a low pressure compressor, a high pressure compressor, a combustor a high pressure turbine and a part of a power turbine, the power turbine converting a gas stream flow with higher energy per unit mass flow than that contained in ambient air into shaft power by rotating at a first rotational speed during engine operation;
- a speed reduction device driven by the power turbine;
- and
- a propulsor section including a fan driven by the power turbine through the speed reduction device at second rotational speed that is less than the first rotational speed, wherein a fan tip diameter is between fifty (50) and one-hundred sixty (160) inches, a net engine thrust is between 16,000 lbf and 120,000 lbf, a mass flow rate of a bypass flow is between 625 lbm/sec and 80,000 lbm/sec, the first rotational speed is between 8,416 rpm and 12,500 rpm and an Engine Unit Thrust Parameter (“EUTP”), defined as the net engine thrust divided by a product of the mass flow rate of the bypass flow, the tip diameter of the fan and the first rotational speed of the power turbine for the gas turbine engine is between 0.05 and 0.13 during operation of the gas turbine engine at one of a climb, cruise and/or takeoff operating condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.