Tip turbine engine and corresponding operating method

A turbine engine comprising:

• a fan rotatable about an axis in a fan plane, the fan including a plurality of radially-extending fan blades, at least one of the fan blades defining a compressor chamber extending radially therein, wherein the combustion path is radially outward of the diffuser in the fan plane;
• a combustor partially defining a combustion path extending axially within a combustion chamber through a combustion chamber outlet, the combustion path extending axially aft of the combustion chamber outlet;
• and
• a diffuser at a radially outer end of the compressor chamber, the diffuser turning core airflow from the compressor chamber toward the combustor, the diffuser disposed radially inward of the combustion path;
• and
• a turbine at an outer circumference of the fan aft of the combustor, the fan rotatably driven by the turbine and the turbine rotatably driven by the combustor, the combustor path extending axially rearwardly from the combustion chamber through the combustion chamber outlet and then through the turbine.

A turbine engine comprising:

• a fan rotatable about an axis, the fan including a plurality of radially-extending fan blades, at least one of the fan blades defining a compressor chamber extending radially therein;
• a combustor partially defining a combustion path extending axially within a combustion chamber through a combustion chamber outlet, the combustion path extending axially aft of the combustion chamber outlet, wherein the combustion path extends axially from a forward end of the combustion chamber to the combustion chamber outlet at a rearward end of the combustion chamber;
• and
• a diffuser at a radially outer end of the compressor chamber, the diffuser turning core airflow from the compressor chamber toward the combustor, the diffuser disposed radially inward of the combustion path
• a turbine at an outer circumference of the fan aft of the combustor, the fan rotatably driven by the turbine and the turbine rotatably driven by the combustor, the combustor path extending axially rearwardly from the forward end of the combustion chamber through the combustion chamber outlet and then through the turbine.

A turbine engine comprising:

• a fan rotatable about an axis, the fan including a plurality of fan blades, at least one fan blade defining a compressor chamber therein, the compressor chamber centrifugally compressing core airflow therein;
• a diffuser turning at least substantially all of the core airflow from the compressor chamber from a substantially radial direction toward a generally axial direction;
• a combustor receiving core airflow from the diffuser;
• and
• a turbine mounted to outer ends of the fan blades radially outwardly of the diffuser and aft of the combustor.

A method for operating a turbine engine including the steps of:

• a) centrifugally compressing core airflow within each of a plurality of fan blades rotating in a plane;
• b) turning at least substantially all of the compressed core airflow out of the plane toward a combustion chamber, wherein none of the core airflow flows radially from the fan blades into the combustion chamber;
• and
• c) mixing the compressed core airflow with fuel only after the compressed core airflow is turned out of the plane in said step b).