After-burning turbo-fan engine with a fixed geometry exhaust nozzle having a variable flow coefficient
AssigneeLockheed Fort Worth Company
InventorDouglas A. Terrier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An after-burning turbo-fan engine system (10) includes turbo-fan engine (14) for producing exhaust gas (20), and jet thrust therefrom. After-burning chamber (16) receives turbo-fan exhaust and injects a controllable amount of fuel into turbo-fan exhaust to cause after burning of the turbo-fan exhaust to produce after-burned exhaust (20). Nozzle (18) associates with after-burning chamber (16) for receiving after-burned exhaust (20). Nozzle (18) has a fixed geometry. Nozzle (18) flow coefficient control mechanism (22 and 24) controls the approach of after-burned exhaust (20) through nozzle (18) to change the nozzle (18) flow coefficient. This controls the volumetric flow rate of after-burned exhaust (20) through the nozzle (18).
Claims18
A turbo-fan engine after-burning system for controlling the flow of after-burned exhaust gas from a turbo-fan engine, comprising:
- an after-burning chamber for receiving exhaust gas and injecting a controllable amount of fuel into said turbo-fan exhaust to cause after burning of said turbo-fan exhaust to produce after-burned exhaust;
- a nozzle associated with said after-burning chamber for receiving said after-burned exhaust, said nozzle having a fixed geometry including a throat area;
- a nozzle coefficient control comprising a compressed gas flow mechanism for controlling the approach of said after-burned exhaust through said nozzle to change the nozzle coefficient of said nozzle by virtue of the presence of said compressed gas by effectively varying said nozzle throat area without mechanical changes to said nozzle geometry and, thereby, control the volumetric flow rate of said after-burned exhaust through said nozzle to improve engine after-burn thrust efficiency.
A method for controlling an after-burning turbo-fan engine, comprising the steps of:
- producing turbo-fan exhaust and turbo-fan power from a turbo-fan engine;
- receiving the turbo-fan exhaust in an after-burning chamber and injecting a controllable amount of fuel into the turbo-fan exhaust to cause after burning of the turbo-fan exhaust to produce after-burned exhaust;
- receiving the after-burned exhaust in a nozzle associated with the after-burning chamber, the nozzle having a fixed geometry including a throat area;
- controlling the approach of the after-burned exhaust through the nozzle using a nozzle coefficient control mechanism comprising a compressed gas flow mechanism for changing the nozzle coefficient of the nozzle by virtue of the presence of said compressed gas by effectively varying said nozzle throat area without mechanical changes to said nozzle geometry and, thereby, control the volumetric flow rate of said after-burned exhaust through said nozzle to improve engine after-burn thrust efficiency.
An after-burning turbo-fan engine system, comprising:
- a turbo-fan engine for producing a turbo-fan exhaust and turbo-fan power therefrom;
- an after-burning chamber for receiving said turbo-fan exhaust and injecting a controllable amount of fuel into said turbo-fan exhaust to cause after burning of said turbo-fan exhaust to produce after-burned exhaust;
- a nozzle associated with said after-burning chamber for receiving said after-burned exhaust, said nozzle having a fixed geometry including a throat area;
- a nozzle coefficient control mechanism comprising a compressed gas flow mechanism for controlling the approach of said after-burned exhaust through said nozzle to change the nozzle coefficient of said nozzle by virtue of the presence of said compressed gas by effectively varying said nozzle throat area without mechanical changes to said nozzle geometry and, thereby, control the volumetric flow rate of said after-burned exhaust through said nozzle to improve engine after-burn thrust efficiency.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.