Cooled exhaust nozzle flaps
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorRobert E. Warburton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Divergent flaps of an axisymmetric exhaust nozzle include a hot inner gas path wall spaced from an outer wall to define a cooling fluid channel therebetween along the length of the flap from the upstream end of the flap near the divergent nozzle throat to near the downstream end of the flap. A slot or other opening in the flap inner wall at or just downstream of the nozzle throat communicates with the upstream end of the channel. Openings in the flap outer wall near the downstream end of the flap provide communication between the channel and external ambient air at a higher pressure than the gas at the nozzle throat. Ambient air thus travels upstream through the channel, convectively cooling the hot inner wall and exits through the slot in the inner wall at or near the throat to film cool the gas path side of the inner wall.
Claims10
A variable area axisymmetric exhaust nozzle having an axis, a throat, and an exit, and comprising a plurality of movable first flaps circumferentially disposed about said axis defining a diverging nozzle, each flap having an upstream end substantially at said throat and a downstream end substantially at said exit, at least every other one of said flaps being a cooled flap, said cooled flaps each including an inner wall forming a portion of a gas flow path through said nozzle and an outer wall disposed radially outwardly of said inner wall, said outer wall having a forward and rearward end portion, each of said cooled flaps having a cooling fluid channel defined between said inner and outer wall, said channel extending over substantially the full length of said cooled flap and having a forward end and rearward end, said inner wall of each of said cooled flaps having at least one first opening therethrough into said forward end of said channel at or immediately downstream of said throat, and said outer wall of each of said cooled flaps having at least one second opening through said rearward end portion thereof communicating with said rearward end of said channel, said second opening adapted to communicate with a supply of cooling fluid at a pressure greater than the fluid pressure in the gas flow path at said first opening under at least some nozzle operating conditions to cause said cooling fluid to enter said channel via said second opening and to exit said channel into said gas flow path via said first opening thereby convectively cooling said inner wall over substantially its entire length.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.