Flow inlet
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsEric E. Adamson, Spencer Robert Fugal
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus is formed of a cowl and a flow inlet formed on an interior surface of the cowl. The flow inlet has a supersonic compression section attached to a subsonic diffusion section at a throat. The supersonic compression section includes an at least partially elliptical compression ramp which extends along an approximately 180 degree arc along the interior surface. The flow inlet may form part of an aircraft. A method of air flow using the flow inlet is also disclosed.
Claims18
An apparatus comprising:
- a cowl;
- and
- a flow inlet formed on an interior surface of the cowl, said flow inlet comprising an upper duct extending from a forward end of the cowl to an aft end of the cowl, a supersonic compression section attached to a subsonic diffusion section at a throat, the supersonic compression section comprising a forward portion of the upper duct and an at least partially elliptical compression ramp which extends along an approximately 180 degree arc along the interior surface.
An aircraft comprising:
- a cowl;
- and
- a supersonic flow inlet formed on an interior surface of the cowl, said flow inlet comprising an upper duct extending from a forward end of the cowl to an aft end of the cowl, a supersonic compression section attached to a subsonic diffusion section at a throat, the supersonic compression section comprising a forward portion of the upper duct and an at least partially elliptical compression ramp which extends along an approximately 180 degree arc along the interior surface.
A method of diffusing airflow comprising:
- flowing airflow into a supersonic compression section of a flow inlet formed on an interior surface of a cowl, said supersonic compression section comprising an at least partially elliptical compression ramp which extends along an approximately 180 degree arc along the interior surface;
- and
- compressing the airflow as it flows through the flow inlet.
The method of claim 18, further comprising flowing the airflow from the supersonic compression section into and through a subsonic diffusion section, and diffusing the airflow into subsonic airflow within the subsonic diffusion section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.