Disc-type airborne vehicle and radial flow gas turbine engine used therein

A radial flow gas turbine engine, comprising:

• (a) an annular compressor section having decreasing side wall members in the radial dimension wherein air is compressed under action of a plurality of counter-rotating compressor blades and delivered to an annular diffuser zone;
• (b) air intake means of radial length at least about one-third the radial length of said engine, said air intake means being in constant communication with said compressor section and delivering a supply of air thereto, said supply of air continuously impinging upon the entire width of said plurality of said compressor blades;
• (c) an annular combustion chamber including upper and lower counter-rotating combustion chamber walls having air delivery openings therein with said annular diffuser zone delivering compressed air directly into said combustion chamber and around said counter-rotating combustion chamber walls and into said combustion chamber through said air delivery openings in said counter-rotating combustion chamber walls;
• (d) means for continuously delivering fuel directly into said combustion chamber for admixture therein with the compressed air delivered from said compressor section annular diffuser zone;
• and
• (e) an annular turbine section wherein counter-rotating turbine blades are driven by combustion products exhausting in radial flow from said combustion chamber.

A radial flow gas turbine engine, comprising:

• (a) an annular compressor section having decreasing side wall members in the radially axis wherein air is compressed under the action of a plurality of counter-rotating compressor blades;
• (b) air intake means of radial length at least about one-third the radial length of said engine, said air intake means being in constant communication with said compressor section and delivering a supply of air thereto, said supply of air continuously impinging upon the entire width of said plurality of compressor blades;
• (c) an annular combustion chamber receiving compressed air and radial flow from said compressor section, and including counter-rotating combustion chamber walls;
• (d) means for delivering fuel to said combustion chamber for admixture with the compressed air delivered thereto by said compressor section;
• (e) an annular turbine section wherein counter-rotating turbine blades are driven by combustion products exhausting in radial flow from said combustion chamber;
• (f) upper and lower rotor elements, each of said rotors carrying alternate compressor blades in said compressor section, one wall of said combustion chamber, and alternate turbine blades in said turbine section;
• and,
• (g) wherein each of the combustion chamber walls comprises air turbulating vanes arranged on said walls externally of the chamber defined by said walls, with the leading edges of said vanes disposed adjacent to and in air flow communication with the discharge areas of the compressor section, and with the trailing portions thereof extending substantially across the radial dimensions of the combustion chamber wall.

A radial flow gas turbine engine, comprising:

• (a) an annular compressor section having decreasing side wall members in the radial dimension wherein air is compressed under action of a plurality of counter-rotating compressor blades and delivered to an annular diffuser zone;
• (b) air intake means of radial length at least about one-third the radial length of said engine, said air intake means being in constant communication with said compressor section and delivering a supply of air thereto, said supply of air continuously impinging upon the entire width of said plurality of compressor blades;
• (c) an annular combustion chamber including upper and lower counter-rotating combustion chamber walls having air delivery openings therein with said annular diffuser zone delivering compressed air directly into said combustion chamber and around said counter-rotating combustion chamber walls and into said combustion chamber through said air delivery openings in said counter-rotating combustion chamber walls;
• (d) an annular turbine section having counter-rotating turbine blades driven by combustion products exhausting in radial flow from said combustion chamber;
• (e) upper and lower rotor elements, each of said rotors carrying alternate compressor blades in said compressor section, one of said counter-rotating combustion chamber walls and alternate turbine blades in said turbine section;
• and,
• (f) means for continuously delivering fuel directly into said combustion chamber for admixture therein with the compressed air delivered thereto from said compressor section annular diffuser zone comprising annular manifolding having stationary and rotor wall portions said rotor wall portions being carried by said upper rotor element inboardly of said combustion chamber.

A radial flow gas turbine engine, comprising:

• (a) an annular compressor section having decreasing side wall members in the radial axis wherein air is compressed under the action of a plurality of counter-rotating compressor blades;
• (b) air intake means of radial length at least about one-third the radial length of said engine, said air intake means being in constant communication with said compressor section and delivering a supply of air thereto, said supply of air continuously impining upon the entire width of said plurality of compressor blades;
• (c) an annular combustion chamber receiving compressed air and radial flow from said compressor section, and including counter-rotating combustion chamber walls;
• (d) means for delivering fuel to said combustion chamber for admixture with the compressed air delivered thereto by said compressor section;
• (e) an annular turbine section wherein counter-rotating turbine blades are driven by combustion products exhausting in radial flow from said combustion chamber;
• (f) upper and lower rotor elements, each of said rotors carrying alternate compressor blades in said compressor section, one wall of said combustion chamber, and alternate turbine blades and said turbine section;
• and,
• (g) air delivery holes in said combustion chamber walls, and means for delivering air from said compressor section to said combustion chamber through said air delivery holes comprising turbulating vanes carried by said combustion chamber walls and configured to further pressurize the air being delivered to said air delivery holes.

A radial flow gas turbine engine having an annular compressor section within an annular combustion section in turn arranged within an annular turbine section, said engine comprising:

• (a) a non-rotary central section encircled by said compressor section and including air intake means and fuel supply means;
• (b) counter-rotating upper and lower rotor elements journaled for rotation about said central section and each carrying
• (1) alternately arranged compressor blades in said compressor section,
• (2) a combustion chamber wall in said combustion section, and
• (3) alternately arranged turbine blade means in said turbine section;
• (c) non-rotary upper and lower engine support framing respectively annularly disposed above and below said upper and lower rotor elements;
• (d) fuel delivery means between said central section and the combustion chamber defined by such combustion chamber walls, and including annular fuel manifold means receiving fuel from said fuel supply means, said fuel manifold means being in part arranged in fixed relationship with respect to one of such engine support framing means and in part carried by the rotor element support thereby;
• and,
• (e) vent means interconnected between said fuel manifold means and an upstream stage of said compressor section and providing reduced pressure in said fuel manifold means to scavenge fuel vapor therefrom.