Asymmetric turboprop booster

• US 6,041,589 A
• Filed: 01/09/1998
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Nelson, Joey L., Giffin, Rollin G. III
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, TAE JUN
• Application Number:
  US09/004,856
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 60/226.1, 60/226.3, 60/262
• US Class Current: 60/226.1
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 3/075 controlling flow ratio between flows

Abstract

A booster-compressor assembly for supercharging air into a core engine that powers propellers of a turboprop aircraft engine includes an asymmetric annular booster duct aft of the propellers and disposed about a centerline with at least one symmetric annular rotor section with a row of rotor blades disposed therein. The booster duct has a booster flowpath that includes a core flowpath to a core engine inlet and a bypass flowpath around the core engine inlet and the flowpaths circumscribed about the centerline and not symmetric with respect to each other. A low bypass flow rate means sets the airflow through the bypass flowpath such that a bypass flow rate per unit area through the bypass flowpath is substantially less than a core flow rate per unit area through the core flowpath.

Claims

1. A booster-compressor assembly for supercharging air into a core engine that powers propellers of a turboprop aircraft engine, said assembly comprising:

a partially asymmetric annular booster duct aft of the propellers disposed about a centerline;

said booster duct having at least one symmetric annular rotor section with a row of rotor blades disposed therein;

said booster duct having a booster flowpath including a core flowpath to a core engine inlet and a bypass flowpath around said core engine inlet, said flowpaths circumscribed about said centerline and not symmetric with respect to each other; and

a low bypass flow rate means for setting booster flow rate through said booster flowpath such that a bypass flow rate per unit area through said bypass flowpath is substantially less than a core flow rate per unit area through said core flowpath.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

said booster duct having in axially downstream serial flow communication, an asymmetric annular inlet section, said symmetric annular rotor section, and an asymmetric annular outlet section,

said low bypass flow rate means comprising bypass inlet guide vanes disposed across said bypass flowpath in said inlet section, and

said bypass inlet guide vanes circumferentially angled in a flow closing direction at an inlet bypass stagger angle in a rotational direction of said rotor.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, further comprising core inlet guide vanes disposed across said core flowpath in said inlet section and said core inlet guide vanes circumferentially angled in a non closed direction with a core stagger angle not in said rotational direction of said rotor.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3, said low bypass flow rate means further comprising;

a booster duct inlet having a circular inner inlet surface of a constant inner radius,

core and bypass annular inlet sectors to said core and bypass flowpaths respectively,

said core and bypass annular inlet sector having a core and bypass radial heights as measured radially outward from said inner inlet surface, and

said core radial height greater than said bypass radial height.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, said low bypass flow rate means further comprising;

a booster duct inlet having a circular inner inlet surface of a constant inner radius,

core and bypass annular inlet sectors to said core and bypass flowpaths respectively,

said core and bypass annular inlet sector having a core and bypass radial heights as measured radially outward from said inner inlet surface, and

said core radial height greater than said bypass radial height.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

said row of rotor blades comprising a row of sub-sonic impulse rotor blades, said row of impulse rotor blades causing a first static pressure of the air at an outlet of said row of impulse rotor blades to be substantially equal to a second static pressure of the air at an inlet of said row of impulse rotor blades along streamlines through said booster flowpath throughout an operating range of the turboprop aircraft engine;

a row of exit guide vanes aft of said row of impulse rotor blades;

said core and bypass flowpaths being axially-converging flowpath along said exit guide vanes so as to cause the static pressure of said air at an exit of said row of exit guide vanes to be substantially equal to the static pressure of said air at an entrance of said row of exit guide vanes along said streamlines through an operating range of said turboprop aircraft engine; and

said booster flowpath having a constant cross-sectional area along said impulse rotor blades and each of said impulse rotor blades includes an inlet angle and an exit angle, said inlet angle being equal to said exit angle.

7. An assembly as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a thrust producing nozzle aft of said row of exit guide vanes and along said bypass flowpath.

8. An assembly as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a diffuser disposed between said bypass annular inlet sector and said annular rotor section along said bypass flowpath.

9. An assembly as claimed in claim 8, said low bypass flow rate means further comprising:

said row of exit guide vanes having core and bypass exit guide vanes disposed across said core and bypass flowpaths respectively,

said core and bypass exit guide vanes circumferentially angled at core and bypass stagger angles respectively, and

said bypass stagger angle greater than said core stagger angle.

10. An assembly as claimed in claim 9, further comprising said diffuser disposed in said inlet section.

11. An assembly as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

a propeller hub drivingly connected to said propeller,

said impulse rotor blades mounted to said hub, and

said hub providing a cylindrical inner surface of said booster flowpath through said inlet section and said rotor section.

12. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a propeller hub drivingly connected to said propeller,

said impulse rotor blades mounted to said hub,

said hub providing a cylindrical inner surface of said booster flowpath through said inlet section and said rotor section, and

said booster duct having cylindrical outer core and bypass surfaces along said core and bypass flowpaths through said inlet section and said rotor section.

13. An assembly as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

a propeller hub drivingly connected to said propeller,

said impulse rotor blades mounted to said hub, and

said hub provides a cylindrical inner surface of said booster flowpath.

14. An assembly as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

said booster duct having in axially downstream serial flow communication, an asymmetric annular inlet section, said symmetric annular rotor section, and an asymmetric annular outlet section,

said low bypass flow rate means comprising bypass inlet guide vanes disposed across said bypass flowpath in said inlet section, and

said bypass inlet guide vanes circumferentially angled in a flow closing direction at an inlet bypass stagger angle in a rotational direction of said rotor.

15. An assembly as claimed in claim 14, further comprising core inlet guide vanes disposed across said core flowpath in said inlet section and said core inlet guide vanes circumferentially angled in a non closed direction with a core stagger angle not in said rotational direction of said rotor.

16. An assembly as claimed in claim 15, said low bypass flow rate means further comprising:

a booster duct inlet having a circular inner inlet surface of a constant inner radius,

core and bypass annular inlet sectors to said core and bypass flowpaths respectively,

said core and bypass annular inlet sector having a core and bypass radial heights as measured radially outward from said inner inlet surface, and

said core radial height greater than said bypass radial height.

17. An assembly as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

said booster duct having in axially downstream serial flow communication, a symmetric annular inlet section, said symmetric annular rotor section, and an asymmetric annular outlet section,

said low bypass flow rate means comprising bypass inlet guide vanes disposed across said bypass flowpath in said inlet section, and

said bypass inlet guide vanes circumferentially angled in a flow closing direction at an inlet bypass stagger angle in a rotational direction of said rotor.

18. An assembly as claimed in claim 17, further comprising core inlet guide vanes disposed across said core flowpath in said inlet section and said core inlet guide vanes circumferentially angled in a non closed direction with a core stagger angle not in said rotational direction of said rotor.

19. An assembly as claimed in claim 18, further comprising;

a booster duct inlet having a circular inner inlet surface of a constant inner radius,

core and bypass annular inlet sectors to said core and bypass flowpaths respectively,

said core and bypass annular inlet sector having a core and bypass radial heights as measured radially outward from said inner inlet surface, and

said core radial height equal to said bypass radial height.