Multistage infrared suppression exhaust system
AssigneesBell Textron Inc., General Electric Company
InventorsRobert Michael Laramee, Michael E. Rinehart, William Steyer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
One embodiment includes a multistage infrared suppression exhaust system for an aircraft, including: a stage one including a first exhaust conduit to receive a first exhaust air flow at a first temperature-pressure product T1P1, a second exhaust conduit to receive a second exhaust air flow at a second temperature-pressure product T2P2, and a flow integrator mechanically configured to mix the first exhaust air flow with the second exhaust air flow in an integration chamber while preventing back pressure into the second exhaust conduit; and a stage two including a stage two cooling airflow to cool the mixed first and second exhaust air flows.
Claims35
A multistage infrared suppression exhaust system for an aircraft, comprising:
- a stage one comprising a first exhaust conduit to receive a first exhaust air flow at a first temperature-pressure product T1P1, a second exhaust conduit to receive a second exhaust air flow at a second temperature-pressure product T2P2, and a flow integrator mechanically configured to mix the first exhaust air flow with the second exhaust air flow in an integration chamber while preventing back pressure into the second exhaust conduit;
- and
- a stage two comprising a stage two cooling airflow to cool the mixed first and second exhaust air flows.
A rotary aircraft, comprising:
- an airframe;
- a rotor;
- a primary engine bay comprising a primary engine to drive the rotor;
- a secondary power unit (SPU) bay comprising an SPU;
- and
- an exhaust system coupled to a primary engine exhaust and an SPU exhaust, comprising:
- a first exhaust inlet to receive a primary engine exhaust at a first temperature and pressure, and a second exhaust inlet to receive a secondary engine exhaust at a second temperature and pressure, an exhaust integrator having a nested chute structure mechanically configured to integrate the secondary engine exhaust with the primary engine exhaust, and means to prevent back pressure;
- and
- conduits to receive air from the primary engine bay and the SPU bay, and to mix the air with the integrated exhaust.
20-21. (canceled)
A multi-stage exhaust cooling system, comprising:
- a first exhaust inlet to receive a first airflow from a first exhaust source, the first airflow having a first mechanical vector and a first temperature;
- a second exhaust inlet to receive a second airflow from a second exhaust source, the second airflow having a second mechanical vector and a second temperature;
- a first stage comprising airflow integration means to integrate the first airflow with the second airflow into a first-stage airflow having a third temperature between the first temperature and the second temperature, the airflow integration means comprising means to prevent backpressure airflow;
- and
- a second stage comprising means to mix the first-stage airflow with a first cool air source, the first cool air source having a fourth temperature lower than the third temperature, to provide a second-stage airflow having a fifth temperature between the third temperature and the fourth temperature.
An apparatus, comprising:
- means to receive a first exhaust flow from the first exhaust source, the first exhaust flow having a temperature-pressure profile T1P1;
- means to receive a second exhaust flow from the second exhaust source, the second exhaust flow having a temperature-pressure profile T2P2;
- means to integrate the first and second exhaust flows to an integrated exhaust flow having a temperature-pressure profile T3P3;
- means to mix the integrated exhaust flow with first cooling air to provide a cooled exhaust flow having a temperature-pressure profile T4P4;
- means to mix the cooled exhaust flow with a second cooling air to provide a final cooled exhaust flow having a temperature-pressure profile T5P5;
- and
- means to expel the final cooled exhaust flow away from the aircraft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.