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US 8,800,259 B2Granted
Thrust vector system
AssigneeRolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
InventorsCrawford F. Smith, III, Steve Bergeron
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In one embodiment, a nozzle of a gas turbine engine may be provided having a coanda injector and a fluidic injector which operate together to provide for a change in exhaust flow direction. The fluidic injector may be coincident with or downstream of the coanda injector and both may be used in high pressure ratio operations of the nozzle. The fluidic injector may be positioned opposite the coanda injector and, when activated, may provide for a region of separated flow on the same side of the nozzle as the fluidic injector. The coanda injector may provide additional momentum to an exhaust flow flowing through the nozzle and may encourage the flow to stay attached on the coanda injector side of the nozzle.
Claims20
A thrust vectoring device useful for aircraft, the device comprising:
- a nozzle having an upstream portion structured to flow an exhaust stream from a turbomachinery component of a gas turbine engine, the nozzle also having a first injection discharge opening located at a first flow stream location in the nozzle and operable for flowing fluid in a tangential direction relative to a surface of the nozzle, and a second injection discharge opening located at a second flow stream location and operable for flowing fluid in a non-tangential direction relative to the surface of the nozzle, the first injection discharge opening and the second injection discharge opening structured to receive a discharge stream from a gas path from within the gas turbine engine and direct the discharge stream to alter a direction of the exhaust stream that is flowed through the nozzle;
- wherein the first flow stream location is coincident with or upstream of the second flow stream location;
- wherein the first injection discharge opening is located on one side of the nozzle and the second injection discharge opening is located on another side of the nozzle, wherein the first injection discharge opening and the second injection discharge opening are collectively referred to as an injection discharge subsystem;
- and
- wherein the nozzle includes a plurality of injection discharge subsystems, the plurality of injection discharge subsystems operable together to produce a change in direction of a nozzle flow stream;
- wherein the first injection discharge opening is a coanda injector and the second injection discharge opening is a fluidic injector, and wherein at least one of the injection discharge subsystems includes the first flow stream location to be axially coincident with the second flow stream location.
3 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- an aircraft nozzle operable to convey a flow stream
- a first injector pair paired means for vectoring the flow stream of the nozzle;
- and
- a second injector pair for vectoring the flow stream of the nozzle located opposite the first injector pair;
- wherein the first injector pair includes a coanda injector at a first stream location and a fluidic injector at a second stream location;
- wherein the second injector pair includes a coanda injector at the first stream location and a fluidic injector at the second stream location;
- wherein the coanda injectors operable for flowing fluid in a tangential direction relative to a surface of the aircraft nozzle, and the fluidic injectors operable for flowing fluid in a non-tangential direction relative to the surface of the aircraft nozzle;
- wherein the first stream location is axially coincident with the second stream location.
5 more elements
A method comprising:
- operating a gas turbine engine to produce an exhaust flow;
- flowing the exhaust flow through a converging diverging nozzle;
- routing pressurized air to a plurality of fluidic injectors and a plurality of coanda injectors, wherein the coanda injectors operable for flowing fluid in a tangential direction relative to a surface of the nozzle, and the fluidic injectors operable for flowing fluid in a non-tangential direction relative to the surface of the nozzle;
- the plurality of fluidic injectors each located in separate regions of the converging diverging nozzle and paired with the plurality of coanda injectors to form at least a first injector pair and a second injector pair;
- wherein the first injector pair includes a coanda injector at a first stream location and a fluidic injector at a second stream location;
- wherein the second injector pair includes a coanda injector at the first stream location and a fluidic injector at the second stream location;
- wherein the first stream location is axially coincident with the second stream location;
- injecting pressurized air into the nozzle through the plurality of fluidic injectors and the plurality of coanda injectors, wherein the injecting includes providing a delivery of pressurized air through the plurality of fluidic injectors at a position coincident with delivery of pressurized air through the plurality of coanda injectors;
- and
- generating a thrust vector angle.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.