Heating system for aircraft engine liquid distribution system
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorDaniel Alecu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heating system for heating a component in a liquid distribution system of an aircraft engine. The liquid distribution system feeds a liquid to the component. The heating system includes an acoustic generator disposed in communication with the component via a liquid passage of the liquid distribution system. The liquid passage defines a length between the acoustic generator and the component. The acoustic generator generates a resonant frequency selected as a function of the length of the liquid passage to generate a standing wave in the liquid within the liquid passage. The standing wave transmitting energy to the component to heat the component.
Claims16
A heating system for heating a component in a liquid distribution system of an aircraft engine, the liquid distribution system feeding a liquid to the component, the heating system comprising:
- an acoustic generator disposed in communication with the component via a liquid passage of the liquid distribution system, the liquid passage defining a length between the acoustic generator and the component, the acoustic generator generating a resonant frequency selected as a function of the length of the liquid passage to generate a standing wave in the liquid within the liquid passage, the standing wave transmitting energy to the component to heat the component;
- wherein the acoustic generator is fluidly coupled to at least one additional component via at least one additional liquid passage of the liquid distribution system;
- and
- wherein the acoustic generator generates a multi-frequency signal to generate the standing wave in the liquid passage to heat the component and to generate at least one additional standing wave in the at least one additional liquid passage to heat the at least one additional.
A liquid distribution system for an aircraft engine, comprising:
- a storage tank for storing a liquid for the liquid distribution system;
- passages fluidly coupled to the storage tank, at least one of the passages having a component disposed in the at least one of the passages;
- a pump distributing the liquid throughout the liquid distribution system;
- and
- an acoustic generator disposed in the liquid distribution system and fluidly coupled to the component via the at least one of the passages, the at least one of the passages defining a length between the acoustic generator and the component, the acoustic generator generating a resonant frequency selected as a function of the length of the at least one of the passages to generate a standing wave in the liquid within the at least one of the passages, the standing wave transmitting energy to the component to heat the component;
- wherein the acoustic generator generates a multi-frequency signal to generate one or more additional standing waves in an additional one or more of the passages with components disposed in the additional one or more of the passages.
A method for heating a component in a liquid distribution system of an aircraft engine, the component disposed in a passage of the liquid distribution system, the method comprising:
- determining a resonant frequency of the passage based on a length of the passage defined between an acoustic generator disposed in the passage and the component;
- and
- generating, at the acoustic generator, a standing wave in the passage based on the resonant frequency to transmit energy to the component to thereby heat the component, and sweeping for the resonant frequency based on active feedback control.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.