System and method for controlling contrail formation
AssigneeRtx Corporation
InventorTimothy S. Snyder
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system includes an engine of an aircraft, an oil buffer tube disposed on a bottom side of the engine, a valve disposed at or near an end of the oil buffer tube, and a control device. The control device is configured to obtain data indicating at least one operational condition associated with the aircraft or the engine. The control device is also configured to, in response to determining a first operational condition, control the valve to a first position, wherein the valve in the first position directs oil buffer air to an exhaust of the engine. The control device is also configured to, in response to determining a second operational condition, control the valve to a second position, wherein the valve in the second position directs the oil buffer air away from the exhaust of the engine.
Claims15
A system comprising:
- an engine of an aircraft having a hot exhaust nozzle to exhaust hot exhaust gas flow;
- an oil buffer tube disposed on a bottom side of the engine;
- a valve disposed near an end of the oil buffer tube;
- and
- a control device configured to:
- obtain data indicating at least one operational condition associated with the aircraft or the engine;
- in response to determining a first operational condition, control the valve to a first position, wherein the valve in the first position directs oil buffer air to a first portion of the oil buffer tube arranged in a first direction towards the hot exhaust nozzle and a lubrication atomization zone in the hot exhaust gas flow of the engine to atomize oil in the oil buffer air and to promote contrail formation;
- and
- in response to determining a second operational condition, control the valve to a second position, wherein the valve in the second position directs the oil buffer air to a second portion of the oil buffer tube arranged in a second direction to exhaust the oil buffer air into a surrounding airflow and away from the hot exhaust nozzle and the lubrication atomization zone of the engine to minimize contrail formation.
A method comprising:
- obtaining data indicating at least one operational condition associated with at least one of an aircraft or an engine of the aircraft having a hot exhaust nozzle to exhaust hot exhaust gas flow;
- in response to determining a first operational condition, controlling a valve to a first position, the valve disposed near an end of an oil buffer tube disposed on a bottom side of the engine, wherein the valve in the first position directs oil buffer air to a first portion of the oil buffer tube arranged in a first direction towards the hot exhaust nozzle and a lubrication atomization zone in the hot exhaust gas flow of the engine to atomize oil in the oil buffer air and to promote contrail formation;
- and
- in response to determining a second operational condition, controlling the valve to a second position, wherein the valve in the second position directs the oil buffer air to a second portion of the oil buffer tube arranged in a second direction to exhaust the oil buffer air into a surrounding airflow and away from the hot exhaust nozzle and the lubrication atomization zone of the engine to minimize contrail formation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.