Systems and methods for producing traveling waves along surfaces exposed to supersonic fluid flows
AssigneeThe Texas A&M University System
InventorIman Borazjani
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A supersonic flow system in which a supersonic flow is encountered includes a surface configured to be exposed to a supersonic fluid flow, wherein the surface includes an upstream end and a downstream end opposite the upstream end, a wave generator coupled to the surface and including one or more actuators configured to selectably induce strain in the surface, and a wave controller in signal communication with the wave generator and configured to activate the one or more actuators to induce one or more travelling waves configured to travel along the surface between the upstream end and the downstream end of the surface.
Claims20
A jet engine in which a supersonic flow is encountered, the jet engine comprising:
- an inlet for receiving an inlet airflow and defining an upstream end of the jet engine;
- a combustor located downstream from the inlet for combusting at least some of the inlet airflow to produce an exhaust fluid flow;
- a nozzle located downstream from the combustor and defining a downstream end of the jet engine, the nozzle receiving and accelerating the exhaust fluid flow;
- a surface extending at least partially from the upstream end of the jet engine, through the combustor, and to the downstream end of the jet engine, the surface exposable to at least one of the inlet airflow and the exhaust fluid flow;
- a wave generator coupled to the surface and comprising one or more actuators configured to selectably induce strain in the surface;
- and
- a wave controller in signal communication with the wave generator, the wave controller comprising a processor and a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the wave controller to:
- activate the one or more actuators to induce one or more travelling waves along the surface.
A jet engine in which a supersonic flow is encountered, the jet engine comprising:
- an inlet for receiving a supersonic inlet airflow;
- a combustor located downstream from the inlet for combusting at least some of the inlet airflow to produce a supersonic exhaust fluid flow;
- a surface extending at least partially along the combustor of the jet engine;
- a wave generator coupled to the surface and comprising one or more actuators configured to selectably induce strain in the surface;
- and
- a wave controller in signal communication with the wave generator, the wave controller comprising a processor and a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the wave controller to:
- control activation of the one or more actuators to focus one or more shocks in the inlet airflow at a desired location in the combustor using one or more travelling waves generated by the wave generator.
A jet engine in which a supersonic flow is encountered, the jet engine comprising:
- an inlet for receiving a supersonic inlet airflow;
- a combustor located downstream from the inlet for combusting at least some of the inlet airflow to produce a supersonic exhaust fluid flow;
- a surface extending at least partially along the combustor of the jet engine;
- a wave generator coupled to the surface and comprising one or more actuators configured to selectably induce strain in the surface;
- and
- a wave controller in signal communication with the wave generator, the wave controller comprising a processor and a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the wave controller to:
- control activation of the one or more actuators to intensify one or more shocks in the inlet airflow using one or more travelling waves generated by the wave generator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.