Gas turbine engine with axial movable fan variable area nozzle
AssigneeRaytheon Technologies Corporation
InventorsGregory A. Kohlenberg, Sean P. Zamora
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A turbofan engine includes fan section including a plurality of fan blades, a gear train, a low spool including a low pressure turbine and a low pressure compressor, the low pressure turbine driving the plurality of fan blades through the gear train, and a high spool including a high pressure turbine driving a high pressure compressor. A fan nacelle at least partially surrounds a core nacelle to define a fan bypass flow path. A fan variable area nozzle is in communication with the fan bypass flow path and defines a fan nozzle exit area between the fan nacelle and the core nacelle. The fan variable area nozzle varies the fan nozzle exit area.
Claims30
A turbofan engine comprising:
- a fan section including a plurality of fan blades;
- an epicyclic gear train having a gear reduction ratio of greater than 2.3:1;
- a low spool including a low pressure turbine and a low pressure compressor, the low pressure turbine driving the plurality of fan blades through the gear train, the low pressure turbine having a pressure ratio greater than 5:1;
- a high spool including a high pressure turbine driving a high pressure compressor;
- a fan nacelle and a core nacelle, the fan nacelle at least partially surrounding the core nacelle;
- a fan bypass flow path defined between the core nacelle and the fan nacelle, and a bypass ratio greater than 10:1;
- a fan variable area nozzle in communication with the fan bypass flow path and defining a fan nozzle exit area between the fan nacelle and the core nacelle;
- a controller;
- wherein the controller controls the fan variable area nozzle, varying the fan nozzle exit area in operation to adjust fan bypass air flow in the fan bypass flow path in a plurality of flight conditions;
- and
- wherein the fan variable area nozzle includes a first fan nacelle section and a second fan nacelle section moveable axially along an engine axis of rotation relative to the first fan nacelle section, defining an auxiliary port that varies the fan nozzle exit area and adjusts a pressure ratio of the fan bypass airflow, the auxiliary port extending between the first fan nacelle section and the second fan nacelle section, and an entrance angle into the auxiliary port is less than 20 degrees relative to an outer wall of the second fan nacelle section defining the fan bypass flow path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.