Method and apparatus for reducing the temperature of air entering a compressor of a turbojet engine by variably injecting fluid into the incoming air
AssigneeMSE Technology Applications, Inc.
InventorVladimir Balepin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A turbojet engine has a capability for propelling an air-borne vehicle over an extremely wide range of operating speeds. A vehicle can be propelled from take-off conditions through speeds in excess of Mach 5. The engine is equipped with a cooling fluid injection system which cools intake air at high operating speeds. Cooling of intake air permits continued turbojet engine operation at speeds which produce stagnation air inlet temperature in excess of those which critical compressor components can tolerate. The inlet air entering the compressor is pre-cooled with injected fluid so that its temperature is reduced below the critical operating temperature limits of the critical compressor components.
Claims10
A method of propelling an air borne vehicle with a turbojet engine at supersonic speeds which comprises the steps of:
- conveying a source of consumable cooling fluid with the vehicle;
- reducing the temperature of air entering a compressor of the engine, after the vehicle reaches supersonic speed, by injecting the consumable cooling fluid into the air at a variable rate and permitting the fluid to evaporate into a gas;
- the rate of fluid injection being controlled to cool the inlet air to a temperature lower than a desired compressor outlet temperature so that temperature increases produced by action of the compressor do not result in the outlet temperature exceeding the desired outlet temperature.
Apparatus for propelling an air borne vehicle with a turbojet engine at supersonic speeds which comprises:
- means for conveying a source of consumable cooling fluid with the vehicle;
- and
- means for reducing the temperature of air entering a compressor of the engine by injecting the consumable cooling fluid into the air at a variable rate and permitting the fluid to evaporate into a gas, the rate of fluid injection being controlled to cool the inlet air to a temperature sufficiently lower than a desired compressor outlet temperature so that temperature increases produced by action of the compressor does not result in the outlet temperature exceeding the desired outlet temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.