# US 12,768,278 B2 · Fan guide vane with leading edge deicing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,768,278 B2 - Document ID: US12768278B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/765,549 - Filed: 2024-07-08 - Published: 2026-01-08 - Granted: 2026-10-20 - Earliest claimed: 2024-07-08 - Assignees: Rtx Corporation - Applicants: RTX Corporation - Inventors: Ioannis Alvanos; David A. Welch - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12768278B2 ## CPC - F01D 9/041: {using blades (F01D5/148 takes precedence)} - F01D 5/18: Hollow blades, {i.e. blades with cooling or heating channels or cavities (structure of hollow blades in general F01D5/147)}; Heating, heat-insulating or cooling means on blades - F01D 9/042: {fixing blades to stators (fixing stator-rings in the casing or to each other F01D25/246)} - F01D 25/02: De-icing means for engines having icing phenomena - F02K 3/06: with front fan - F05D 2240/121: related to the leading edge of a stator vane - F05D 2260/213: by the provision of a heat exchanger within the cooling circuit - F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D) - F02K: JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (features of jet-propulsion plants common to gas-turbine plants, air intakes or fuel supply control of air-breathing jet-propulsion plants F02C7/00, F02C9/00) - F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS ## Abstract A fan exit guide vane with a load member and cooling cavity including an inner attachment region opposite an outer attachment region; a load member cavity formed within the fan exit guide vane extending spanwise through the fan exit guide vane from the inner attachment region to the outer attachment region; the load member extending through the load member cavity beyond each of the inner attachment region and the outer attachment region of the fan exit guide vane; a cooling cavity formed within the fan exit guide vane extending spanwise through the fan exit guide vane between the inner attachment region and the outer attachment region; and a leading edge deicing structure in fluid communication with the cooling cavity and the leading edge. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fan exit guide vane with load carrying member and leading edge deicing comprising: a leading edge and a trailing edge opposite chordwise from the leading edge; a radially inner attachment region opposite spanwise from a radially outer attachment region; a span dimension extending between the radially inner attachment region and the radially outer attachment region; a chord dimension extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge; a pressure side opposite a suction side of the fan exit guide vane; a load member cavity formed within the fan exit guide vane extending spanwise through the fan exit guide vane from the radially inner attachment region to the radially outer attachment region; the load member extending through the load member cavity beyond each of the radially inner attachment region and the radially outer attachment region of the fan exit guide vane; a cooling cavity formed within the fan exit guide vane extending spanwise through the fan exit guide vane between the radially inner attachment region and the radially outer attachment region; a leading edge deicing structure in fluid communication with the cooling cavity and the leading edge; and at least one leading edge deicing structure flow passage is fluidly coupled with the load member cavity. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fan exit guide vane with load carrying member and leading edge deicing according to claim 1, wherein the load member being configured to support a load path in tension along the span dimension of the fan exit guide vane between the radially inner attachment region spanwise and the radially outer attachment region; the cooling cavity being configured to support heat transfer from a working fluid to a fan bypass flow; and the leading edge deicing structure is configured to suppress ice formation proximate the leading edge. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The fan exit guide vane with load carrying member and leading edge deicing according to claim 1, further comprising: a heat exchanger thermally coupled to the cooling cavity and flow passages fluidly coupled between the heat exchanger and the leading edge. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The fan exit guide vane with load carrying member and leading edge deicing according to claim 1, further comprising: electronics thermally coupled to the cooling cavity and flow passages fluidly coupled between the heat exchanger and the leading edge. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The fan exit guide vane with load carrying member and leading edge deicing according to claim 1, further comprising: a working fluid pipe thermally coupled to the cooling cavity and flow passages fluidly coupled between the heat exchanger and the leading edge. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The fan exit guide vane with load carrying member and leading edge deicing according to claim 1, further comprising: face sheet orifices on a face sheet attached to the pressure side between the leading edge and trailing edge; the face sheet enclosing the cooling cavity. ### Claim 7 A gas turbine engine with a fan exit guide vane with load carrying member and leading edge deicing comprising: a fan located within a fan duct; an array of fan exit guide vanes supported within the fan duct downstream from the fan, the array of fan exit guide vanes span across the fan duct attached to a radially inner surface of the fan duct and a radially outer surface of the fan duct; each of the fan exit guide vanes comprising a leading edge and a trailing edge opposite chordwise from the leading edge; a radially inner attachment region opposite spanwise from a radially outer attachment region, the radially inner attachment region in operative communication with the radially inner surface of the fan duct, the radially outer attachment region in operative communication with the radially outer surface of the fan duct; a span dimension extending between the radially inner attachment region and the radially outer attachment region; a chord dimension extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge; a pressure side opposite a suction side of the fan exit guide vane; a load member cavity formed within at least one fan exit guide vane in the array, the load member cavity extending spanwise through the at least one fan exit guide vane from the radially inner attachment region to the radially outer attachment region; the load member extending through the load member cavity beyond each of the radially inner attachment region and the radially outer attachment region of the at least one fan exit guide vane; the load member in operative communication with the radially inner surface and the radially outer surface; the cooling cavity formed within the fan exit guide vane extending spanwise through the fan exit guide vane between the radially inner attachment region and the radially outer attachment region; a leading edge deicing structure in fluid communication with the cooling cavity and the leading edge; and at least one leading edge deicing structure flow passage is fluidly coupled with the load member cavity. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The gas turbine engine with a fan exit guide vane with load carrying member and leading edge deicing according to claim 7, wherein the load member being configured to support a load path in tension along the span dimension of the at least one fan exit guide vane between the radially inner surface spanwise and the radially outer surface of the fan duct, and the cooling cavity being configured to support heat transfer from a working fluid and/or electronics to a fan bypass flow and the leading edge deicing structure being configured to suppress ice formation proximate the leading edge. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The gas turbine engine with a fan exit guide vane with load carrying member and leading edge deicing according to claim 7, further comprising: a heat exchanger thermally coupled to the cooling cavity and flow passages fluidly coupled between the heat exchanger and the leading edge. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The gas turbine engine with a fan exit guide vane with load carrying member and leading edge deicing according to claim 7, further comprising: electronics thermally coupled to the cooling cavity and flow passages fluidly coupled between the heat exchanger and the leading edge. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The gas turbine engine with a fan exit guide vane with load carrying member and leading edge deicing according to claim 7, further comprising: a working fluid pipe thermally coupled to the cooling cavity and flow passages fluidly coupled between the heat exchanger and the leading edge. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The gas turbine engine with a fan exit guide vane with load carrying member and leading edge deicing according to claim 7, wherein the array of the fan exit guide vane includes at least one of a symmetrically aligned circular pattern of cooling cavity and an asymmetrically aligned circular pattern of cooling cavity; and at least one of a symmetrically aligned circular pattern of leading edge deicing structure and an asymmetrically aligned circular pattern of leading edge deicing structure. ### Claim 13 A process for supporting a structural load path in a gas turbine engine with a fan exit guide vane with load carrying member and leading edge deicing comprising: locating a fan within a fan duct; supporting an array of fan exit guide vanes within the fan duct downstream from the fan; attaching the array of fan exit guide vanes spanned across the fan duct to a radially inner surface of the fan duct and a radially outer surface of the fan duct; each of the fan exit guide vanes comprising a leading edge and a trailing edge opposite chordwise from the leading edge; a radially inner attachment region opposite spanwise from a radially outer attachment region; coupling the radially inner attachment region in operative communication with the radially inner surface of the fan duct; coupling the radially outer attachment region in operative communication with the radially outer surface of the fan duct; a span dimension extending between the radially inner attachment region and the radially outer attachment region; a chord dimension extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge; a pressure side opposite a suction side of the fan exit guide vane; forming a load member cavity within at least one fan exit guide vane in the array; extending the load member cavity spanwise through the at least one fan exit guide vane from the radially inner attachment region to the radially outer attachment region; extending the load member through the load member cavity beyond each of the radially inner attachment region and the radially outer attachment region of the at least one fan exit guide vane; coupling the load member in operative communication with the radially inner surface and the radially outer surface; forming the cooling cavity within the fan exit guide vane extending spanwise through the fan exit guide vane between the radially inner attachment region and the radially outer attachment region; coupling a leading edge deicing structure in fluid communication with the cooling cavity and the leading edge; and fluidly coupling at least one leading edge deicing structure flow passage with the load member cavity. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The process of claim 13, further comprising: configuring the load member to support a load path in tension along the span dimension of the at least one fan exit guide vane between the radially inner surface spanwise and the radially outer surface of the fan duct; configuring the cooling cavity to support heat transfer from a working fluid and/or electronics to a fan bypass flow; and configuring the leading edge deicing structure to suppress ice formation proximate the leading edge. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The process of claim 13, further comprising: thermally coupling a heat exchanger to the cooling cavity; and fluidly coupling flow passages between the heat exchanger and the leading edge. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The process of claim 13, further comprising: thermally coupling electronics to the cooling cavity; and fluidly coupling flow passages between the electronics and the leading edge. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The process of claim 13, further comprising: thermally coupling a working fluid pipe to the cooling cavity; and fluidly coupling flow passages between the working fluid pipe and the leading edge. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The process of claim 13, further comprising: inserting the load member within the array of fan exit guide vanes with at least one of a symmetrically aligned circular pattern and an asymmetrically aligned circular pattern; inserting at least one of a heat exchanger, electronics and working fluid pipe within the array of fan exit guide vanes with at least one of a symmetrically aligned circular pattern and an asymmetrically aligned circular pattern; and fluidly coupling the leading edge deicing structure within the array of fan exit guide vanes with at least one of a symmetrically aligned circular pattern and an asymmetrically aligned circular pattern. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The process of claim 13, further comprising: enclosing a predetermined volume of the fan exit guide vane for the cooling cavity and the leading edge deicing structure, the predetermined volume of the cooling cavity being greater than a normal volume responsive to the load member accounting for a structural tension load that would otherwise be required to be maintained by material of the fan exit guide vane removed to form the cooling cavity and the leading edge deicing structure.