Drive device for an aircraft

Abstract

According to the invention, a drive device for an aircraft is provided, which has a shaft turbine coupled to an impeller via a shaft. The impeller has an intake side and a thrust side. The shaft turbine is mounted in the area of the intake side of the impeller. The drive device is also designed for mounting externally on an aircraft fuselage and/or inside an aircraft fuselage and/or in a casing on a wing.

Claims

1. A drive device for an aircraft with a shaft turbine which is coupled via a shaft to an impeller which has an intake side and a thrust side, wherein the shaft turbine is mounted in the area of the intake side of the impeller, the drive device is designed for mounting on an aircraft fuselage and/or inside an aircraft fuselage and/or in a casing or on a wing; wherein the exhaust gases of the shaft turbine are guided via exhaust ducts, of which there are at least one exhaust duct around the impeller, in the area of the thrust side of the impeller.

2. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein the energy of the shaft turbine is fed to the impeller via the shaft.

3. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust gases of the shaft turbine are so guided away via an exhaust duct system that the exhaust gases are directed into the area of the intake side of the impeller.

4. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein a thrust tube is provided in the area of the thrust side next to the impeller.

5. The drive device according to claim 4, wherein an exhaust duct system comprises two channels which have a roughly circular cross-section and narrow conically against the direction of flight.

6. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein an exhaust duct system comprises two channels which have a roughly circular cross-section and narrow conically against the direction of flight.

7. The drive device according to claim 6, wherein there is provided in the area of a thrust tube a heat exchanger which is so designed that the heat energy contained in the exhaust gas flow is introduced via the heat exchanger into the thrust tube and thus into the thrust jet.

8. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust gases of the shaft turbine are guided into the area of the thrust side of the impeller and into a thrust tube.

9. The drive device according to claim 8, wherein there is provided in the area of the thrust tube a heat exchanger which is so designed that the heat energy contained in the exhaust gas flow is introduced via the heat exchanger into the thrust tube and thus into a thrust jet.

10. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein the impeller has a rotor and a housing, wherein the impeller is made of a carbon-fiber composite.

11. The drive device according to claim 10, wherein the rotor is connected directly to the shaft turbine via the shaft.

12. The drive device according to claim 10, wherein the rotor is connected to the shaft turbine via a gear stage and a clutch.

13. A drive device for an aircraft with a shaft turbine which is coupled via a shaft to an impeller which has an intake side and a thrust side, wherein the shaft turbine is mounted in the area of the intake side of the impeller, the drive device is designed for mounting on an aircraft fuselage and/or inside an aircraft fuselage and/or in a casing or on a wing, wherein a thrust tube is provided in the area of the thrust side next to the impeller and there is provided in the area of the thrust tube a heat exchanger which is so designed that the heat energy contained in the exhaust gas flow is introduced via the heat exchanger into the thrust tube and thus into a thrust jet.

14. The drive device according to claim 13, wherein the heat exchanger includes heat exchanger fins extending in the longitudinal direction of the aircraft fuselage, which extend into an exhaust duct system and into the thrust tube.

15. A drive device for an aircraft with a shaft turbine which is coupled via a shaft to an impeller which has an intake side and a thrust side, wherein the shaft turbine is mounted in the area of the intake side of the impeller, the drive device is designed for mounting on an aircraft fuselage and/or inside an aircraft fuselage and/or in a casing or on a wing, wherein there is mounted in the area against the direction of flight behind the impeller and in the area of the thrust tube a stator device which has a fixed guide vane ring which deflects the airflow axially to the direction of flight.

16. The drive device according to claim 15, wherein a heat exchanger is so integrated in the stator device that the heat energy from the exhaust gas flow may be introduced via the stator device into a thrust jet.

17. The drive device according to claim 16, wherein guide vanes of the guide vane rinq of the stator device are in the form of hollow moldings, so designed that the exhaust gas flow of the shaft turbine is brought into the guide vanes over a jacket wall of the stator device and the exit of the cooled exhaust gas flow is effected via slits made in the end sections of the guide vanes.

18. An aircraft comprising a fuselage and wings, together with a drive device with a shaft turbine which is coupled via a shaft to an impeller which has an intake side and a thrust side, wherein the shaft turbine is mounted in the area of the intake side of the impeller, and the drive device is designed for mounting on and/or inside the fuselage and/or in a casing or on the wings; wherein the exhaust gases of the shaft turbine are guided via exhaust ducts, of which there are at least one exhaust duct around the impeller, in the area of the thrust side of the impeller.

19. The aircraft according to claim 18, wherein an impeller air supply device is provided, which guides air from outside the aircraft into the area between the shaft turbine and the intake side of the impeller.

20. The aircraft according to claim 18, wherein a turbine air supply device is provided, which guides air from outside the aircraft and/or from the thrust jet to an intake side of the shaft turbine.

21. The aircraft according to claim 20, wherein an air supply device is provided, which guides air from outside the aircraft into the area between the shaft turbine and the intake side of the impeller.

22. The aircraft according to claim 18, wherein the drive device is provided in the fuselage in an area behind a cockpit and/or in each case at least one drive device is provided in the wings or in a housing on the wings and/or outside on the fuselage.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is described in detail below with the aid of the Figures, which show in:

(2) FIG. 1 a schematic perspective partial view of an aircraft with a drive device according to the invention, in which the drive device is in the form of a turbine

(3) FIG. 2 a schematic perspective partial view of the drive device according to the invention with a heat exchanger according to a first embodiment

(4) FIG. 3 a further schematic perspective partial view of the drive device according to the invention with a heat exchanger according to the first embodiment

(5) FIG. 4 a schematic perspective partial view of the drive device according to the invention with a heat exchanger according to a second embodiment with one impeller

(6) FIG. 5 the schematic perspective partial view of FIG. 4 in a detail view

(7) FIG. 6 the schematic perspective partial view of FIG. 4 in a further detail view

(8) FIG. 7 a schematic perspective partial view of the drive device according to the invention with a heat exchanger according to a second embodiment with two impellers

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(9) A drive device 1 for an aircraft 2 (FIG. 1) according to the invention is described below.

(10) The drive device 1 is described by way of example with the aid of a sport aircraft 2.

(11) The drive device 1 is mounted in the aircraft 2 in the area behind the seats or behind the cockpit 3 in the aircraft fuselage 4.

(12) This drive device 1 comprises a shaft turbine 5 which is connected by a turbine 6 to an impeller 7.

(13) The design of the drive device 1 and in particular its arrangement in an aircraft 2 is also explained below with the aid of a direction of flight 10, wherein the direction of flight 10 extends from an aircraft rear towards the nose of the aircraft.

(14) The impeller 7 has a housing 8 and a rotor 9 (airscrew, impeller-rotor, propeller). An inlet side of the impeller is described as the intake side 12. An outlet side of the impeller is described as the thrust side 13.

(15) The turbine 5 uses as fuel common aviation fuels such as e.g. kerosene.

(16) In the direction of flight 10 in the area behind the cockpit, the shaft turbine 5 is mounted in the aircraft fuselage 4.

(17) The rotor 9 of the impeller 7 is mounted in the direction of flight behind the shaft turbine 5 within the aircraft fuselage 4. This means that the shaft turbine 5 is positioned on the intake side 12, approximately flush axially with the impeller 7.

(18) The shaft turbine 5 is connected to the rotor 9 of the impeller 7 via the drive shaft 6.

(19) Provided in the area and following, against the direction of flight 10, is a thrust tube 14 on the thrust side 13 of the impeller 7 extending towards the aircraft rear or against the direction of flight 10.

(20) The shaft turbine 5 has two exhaust outlets 15 extending horizontally transversely to the direction of flight 10.

(21) The exhaust outlets 15 lead into two exhaust ducts 11, in the form of channels. The exhaust ducts 11 direct the exhaust gases of the shaft turbine 5 past the impeller 7 into a thrust-side area 13 of the thrust tube 14. In this way, the exhaust gases of the shaft turbine heat the air emitted by the impeller 7 on the thrust side in the thrust tube 14 and in addition increase the thrust of the overall drive device 1.

(22) The air needed for combustion in the shaft turbine 5 is supplied via a turbine air supply device 16.

(23) The turbine air supply device 16 has a suction intake 17 (shown only schematically) lying outside the aircraft fuselage 4 and leading into a turbine air supply channel 18, wherein the turbine air supply channel is connected to an intake side of the shaft turbine 5 lying upstream in the direction of flight 10.

(24) Also provided is an impeller air supply device 20.

(25) The impeller air supply device 20 has at least one suction intake 21 located outside the aircraft fuselage 4. The suction intake 21 leads into an impeller air supply channel 22 which extends roughly along a center line of the aircraft fuselage against the direction of flight as far as the intake side 12 of the impeller 7.

(26) Via the impeller air supply device 20, the impeller 7 is supplied with the necessary volume flow to generate thrust.

(27) Both the turbine air supply device 16 and also the impeller air supply device 20 may have suitable chokes or flaps which are connected to a drive device or engine control unit and may be controlled in such a way that the air volume flows required for operation may be made available to the shaft turbine 5 and the impeller 7.

(28) According to an alternative embodiment, it is also possible to provide a single air supply device, similar in design to the impeller air supply device 20 described above, but with only one flap leading into a further air supply channel, wherein the piston engine is supplied via this air supply channel with the air needed for combustion.

(29) It is also possible to provide a channel which is so designed that air is withdrawn from the thrust tube, i.e. from the thrust jet, by means of a flap, and is then made available via the channel to the turbine as combustion air.

(30) According to alternative, however not preferred, embodiments it may for example be provided that the exhaust duct system is so designed that a major part of the exhaust gases are fed to the turbine in the area of the intake side 12 of the impeller 7.

(31) Alternatively, the exhaust gases may also be directed via the exhaust duct system to the outside of the aircraft or into the open air.

(32) According to a further embodiment, not illustrated, at least two drive devices may be mounted on the wings of an aircraft.

(33) Accordingly, one, two or more such drive devices may be mounted outside the fuselage. The turbine is located, in the direction of flight, ahead of the two or more impellers in the fuselage.

(34) One, two or more impellers are mounted on the side of the fuselage and are driven by the shaft turbine through a mechanical link. The exhaust gases of the turbine are introduced via a mounting connection of the impeller, either directly or via a heat exchanger.

(35) Here it is advantageous that the high volume flow of the impeller need not be directed into the fuselage via large air inlets. Because the turbine, in the direction of flight, is mounted ahead of the impeller or at the side next to the impeller, the exhaust gases may be directed into the thrust tube of the impeller.

(36) According to such an embodiment, the drive device 1 has a housing encompassing both the shaft turbine 5 and the impeller 7.

(37) An aircraft provided with two drive devices according to the invention then has an extremely efficient drive device and two extremely efficient engines, which suggest the appearance of a jet engine, but are accompanied by the advantages described above, apart from authorization and the associated wider scope of use.

(38) Preferred embodiments of the drive device according to the invention are explained below.

(39) Located in the area against the direction of flight 10 behind the impeller 7 and in the area of the thrust tube 14 is a stator device 19. The stator device includes a fixed guide vane ring 23, which deflects the airflow axially in the direction of flight 10. In this way, more thrust is generated, since the thrust jet downstream of the stator device 19 is substantially swirl-free. This is obtained by the fact that guide vanes 24 of the guide vane ring 23 on the thrust side 13 change from being at an angle to the direction of flight 10 to being axial to the direction of flight 10. Consequently, the cross-section also expands, the thrust jet expands and the thrust is increased.

(40) The exhaust duct system comprises two channel-like exhaust ducts 11. These have a roughly circular and flow-optimized cross-section, tapering conically in the axial direction towards the tail of the aircraft.

(41) The exhaust ducts 11 lead into the thrust tube in such a way that the exhaust gases of the shaft turbine 5 are guided into the area of the thrust side of the impeller. In this way a thrust gain is obtained from the heat energy of the exhaust gas flow of the shaft turbine 5.

(42) The drive device 1 has a heat exchanger device 25 in the area of the thrust tube 14. Due to the fact that the heat energy contained in the exhaust gas flow is introduced via the heat exchanger device 25 into the thrust tube 14 and therefore into the thrust jet, the heat energy is transferred to the cold thrust jet, which then expands or expands in volume. The narrowing of the flow control of the hot exhaust gas flow in the thrust tube 14 prevents a volume reduction of the hot exhaust gas by cooling from being offset by the increased volume of the cold impeller flow. This results in an increase in volume flow of the thrust jet and thus a thrust gain.

(43) The heat exchanger device 25 includes, according to a first embodiment of the heat exchanger device, heat transfer fins 26 extending in the direction of flight or in the longitudinal direction of the aircraft fuselage. They extend into the exhaust duct system 11 and into the thrust tube 14 (FIGS. 2 and 3).

(44) An area of the heat transfer fins 26 which extends into the exhaust duct system 11 is heated up by the hot exhaust gases flowing in the exhaust duct system 11. This heat energy is then transferred, via an area of the heat transfer fins extending into the thrust tube 14, into the passing thrust jet.

(45) The exhaust gas tubes of the exhaust duct system narrow against the direction of flight 10 in proportion to the cooling down of the exhaust gases. A jacket wall of the thrust tube 14 narrows to the same extent, so that the cross-section of the thrust tube 14 in which the thrust jet is guided is roughly constant. The increase in volume during heating up effects an acceleration of the thrust jet and therefore a thrust gain.

(46) According to a second embodiment of the heat exchanger device 25, the latter is integrated in the stator device 19 (FIGS. 4 to 7). In this case, the heat energy from the exhaust gas flow is introduced into the thrust jet via the stator device 19, leading to the increase in thrust described above.

(47) The guide vanes 24 of the stator device 19 are in the form of hollow moldings which bound channels 27. The exhaust gas flow of the turbine 5 is introduced into the channels 27 formed in the guide vanes 24 via a jacket wall of the stator device 19. The exit of the cooled exhaust gas flow is made via slits formed in the end sections of the guide vanes 24. The flow cross-section within the guide vanes 24 narrows according to the volume reduction of the exhaust gas during cooling.

(48) In this way, the flow retardation of the stator device 19 is offset by the heating up of the thrust jet (i.e. through the enlargement of the flow cross-section in the stator device 19 due to the alignment of the thrust jet in the axial direction, the expansion of the air due to heat may be offset in this area). This increases efficiency and counteracts any stalling at the guide vanes 24.

(49) The guide vanes may also be equipped with concentric heat exchanger plates 26. This makes it possible to transfer more heat energy to the impeller airflow. The guide vanes 24 may also be made considerably longer towards the aircraft rear, in order to provide a greater heat exchanger surface.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

(50) 1 drive device 2 aircraft 3 cockpit 4 aircraft fuselage 5 shaft turbine 6 shaft 7 impeller 8 housing 9 rotor 10 direction of flight 11 exhaust duct system 12 intake side 13 thrust side 14 thrust tube 15 exhaust outlet 16 turbine air supply device 17 suction intake 18 turbine air supply channel 19 stator device 20 impeller air supply device 21 suction intake 22 impeller air supply channel 23 guide vane ring 24 guide vane 25 heat exchanger device 26 heat exchanger fin 27 channel