Pre-cooler inlet ducts that utilize active flow-control and systems and methods including the same

• Main Authors: Packard, Nathan O, Willie, Robert H, Tretow, Paul R
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 11.06.2019
• Subjects: AEROPLANES; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; AIRCRAFT; ARRANGEMENTS OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSIONTRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; BLASTING; COMBUSTION ENGINES; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; COSMONAUTICS; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLUID DYNAMICS, i.e. METHODS OR MEANS FOR INFLUENCING THE FLOWOF GASES OR LIQUIDS; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS; FLYING SUITS; GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; HEATING; HELICOPTERS; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS; HYDRAULICS OR PNEUMATICS IN GENERAL; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAMTURBINES; PARACHUTES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; STEAM ENGINES; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS

Pre-cooler inlet ducts that utilize active flow-control and systems and methods including the same are disclosed herein. The systems include a pre-cooler inlet duct for a jet engine that is configured to receive a pre-cooler air stream and to direct the pre-cooler air stream into a heat exchanger. The pre-cooler inlet duct includes a flow-directing surface, which defines at least a portion of the pre-cooler inlet duct, and an active flow-control device. The active flow-control device is located to modify a boundary layer fluid flow within a boundary layer adjacent the flow-directing surface to resist separation of the boundary layer from the flow-directing surface when the pre-cooler air stream flows through the pre-cooler inlet duct. The methods include methods of resisting boundary layer separation in the pre-cooler inlet duct by flowing the pre-cooler air stream across the flow-directing surface and modifying the boundary layer with the active flow-control device.