Back to results
US 2019/0055006 A1Published application
Embedded engines in hybrid blended wing body
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsRazvan Virgil Florea, William T. Cousins, Thomas G. Tillman, David J. Arend, John D. Wolter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hybrid wing aircraft has an engine embedded into a body of the hybrid wing aircraft. The embedded engine has a fan that is received within a nacelle. The body of the aircraft provides a boundary layer over a circumferential portion of a fan. A system delivers additional air to correct fan stability issues raised by the boundary layer.
Claims17
A hybrid wing aircraft comprising:
- an engine embedded into a body of said hybrid wing aircraft, such that said embedded engine has a fan received within a nacelle, and wherein a portion of said body providing a boundary layer over a circumferential portion of a circumference of said fan;
- said circumferential portion being an arc with a central angle less than or equal to 180 degrees;
- a system to deliver an additional amount of air to said circumferential portion to reduce the effect of said boundary layer on fan stability;
- wherein said system includes at least one tap with an outlet located upstream of the nacelle, said outlet configured to deliver said additional amount of air to said boundary layer at a location upstream of said nacelle;
- and
- wherein said system further includes an inlet to said tap in said body and further upstream of said fan than an outlet of said tap.
3 more elements
A method of operating a hybrid wing aircraft comprising:
- operating an embedded engine embedded into a body of said hybrid wing aircraft, wherein said embedded engine has a fan received within a nacelle, and wherein a portion of said body providing a boundary layer over a circumferential portion of a circumference of said fan;
- said circumferential portion being an arc with a central angle less than or equal to 180 degrees;
- delivering an additional amount of air to said circumferential portion to reduce the effect of said boundary layer on fan stability;
- wherein the additional amount of airflow is delivered by at least one tap with an outlet located upstream of the nacelle and an inlet in said body and further upstream of said fan than said outlet.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.