Managing spool bearing load using variable area flow nozzle
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsZbigniew M. Grabowski, Michael Winter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A turbine engine provides a spool supporting a turbine. The spool is arranged in a core nacelle and includes a thrust bearing. A fan is arranged upstream from the core nacelle and is coupled to the spool. A fan nacelle surrounds the fan and core nacelle and provides a bypass flow path that includes a fan nozzle exit area. A flow control device is adapted to effectively change the fan nozzle exit area. A controller is programmed to monitor the thrust bearing and command the flow control device in response to an undesired load on the thrust bearing. Effectively changing the fan nozzle exit area with the flow control device actively manages the bearing thrust load to desired levels.
Claims9
A turbine engine comprising:
- a bearing, and a sensor in communication with the bearing and configured to detect a load condition;
- a fan nacelle including a nozzle exit area;
- a flow control device adapted to effectively change the nozzle exit area;
- and
- a controller in communication with the sensor and configured to command the flow control device in response to an undesired load on the bearing to adjust the fan nozzle exit area.
A turbine engine comprising:
- a bearing;
- a nacelle including a nozzle exit area;
- a flow control device adapted to effectively change the nozzle exit area;
- a controller programmed to monitor the bearing and command the flow control device in response to an undesired load on the bearing;
- and
- wherein the bearing supports a spool having a turbine, and the nacelle is a core nacelle surrounding the turbine, and a fan is arranged upstream from the core nacelle and coupled to the spool, the fan nacelle surrounding the fan and core nacelle and providing a bypass flow path that includes the nozzle exit area, wherein the spool is a low pressure spool, and the turbine is a low pressure turbine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.