PROPULSION SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT

Abstract

An aircraft comprising a turbine engine, an atomizer, a reservoir, a conduit connecting the reservoir to the atomizer, and a unit for controlling the flow of liquid in the atomizer. The turbine engine, the atomizer, the reservoir, the conduit and the control unit are fixed to the aircraft. This allows cleaning in flight of at least some parts of the turbine engine.

Claims

1. Aircraft comprising a propulsion system that comprises: a dual-flow turbine engine comprising: an inlet for receiving air, an outlet for expelling air, an annular separator for obtaining, between the inlet and the outlet, a first passage for a primary airflow and a second passage external and concentric to the first passage for a secondary airflow, and a low-pressure compressor situated in the first passage in order to compress the primary airflow; an aqueous-liquid atomizer comprising a first atomization outlet situated between the turbine-engine inlet and the low-pressure compressor in the first passage in order to inject an aqueous liquid therein; first fixing means fixing the atomizer inside the turbine engine; a reservoir for containing the aqueous liquid, housed and fixed in the aircraft; second fixing means fixing the reservoir in the aircraft; a conduit fluidically connecting the reservoir to the atomizer; and a control unit configured to control a flow of aqueous liquid atomized by the atomizer.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir is fluidically connected to an inlet arranged so as to allow introduction of aqueous liquid from the outside of the aircraft.

3. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir is: included in the annular separator, included in a front cone of the turbine engine, fixed in the low-pressure compressor by second fixing means or fixed in a nacelle of the turbine engine by the second fixing means.

4. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the turbine engine comprises a fan situated between the inlet of the turbine engine and the low-pressure compressor and in that the first atomization outlet is situated between said fan and the low-pressure compressor.

5. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the atomizer comprises a second atomization outlet situated between the inlet of the turbine engine and the low-pressure compressor in the second passage in order to inject the aqueous liquid therein.

6. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir is fluidically connected to a system for de-icing the annular separator or the low-pressure compressor.

7. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir is fluidically connected to a recovery system in order to recover aqueous liquid between the low-pressure compressor and the outlet.

8. The aircraft according to claim 1, comprising a heating means for heating the aqueous liquid in the turbine engine.

9. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the heating means comprises a water circuit for recovering heat generated by the turbine engine.

10. The aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising at least a second turbine engine and a second aqueous-liquid atomizer situated in the second turbine engine and fluidically connected to the reservoir.

11. The aircraft according to claim 1, comprising another propulsion system that comprises: another dual-flow turbine engine comprising: another inlet for receiving air, another outlet for expelling air, another annular separator for obtaining, between the other inlet and the other outlet, another first passage for a primary airflow and another second passage external and concentric to the first passage for another secondary airflow, and another low-pressure compressor situated in the other first passage in order to compress the other primary airflow; another aqueous-liquid atomizer comprising another first atomization outlet situated between the other turbine-engine inlet and the other low-pressure compressor in the other first passage in order to inject an aqueous liquid therein; other first fixing means fixing the other atomizer inside the other turbine engine; another reservoir for containing the aqueous liquid, housed and fixed in the aircraft; other second fixing means fixing the reservoir in the aircraft; and another conduit fluidically connecting the other reservoir to the other atomizer.

12. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is fixed to the aircraft by third fixing means.

13. Method for cleaning an aircraft turbine engine, comprising the steps of: providing an aircraft according to claim 1, providing an aqueous liquid in the reservoir, igniting the turbine engine, and injecting aqueous liquid into the turbine engine by means of the atomizer.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said injecting occurs during a rolling period of the aircraft.

15. Method for de-icing an aircraft turbine engine, comprising the steps of: providing an aircraft according to claim 1, providing a de-icing liquid in the reservoir, igniting the turbine engine, and injecting de-icing liquid into the turbine engine by the atomizer.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0075] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of the claimed subject matter will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the FIGURE is a cross sectional view illustrating elements of a propulsion system for an aircraft in one embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0076] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described on the basis of specific examples and with reference to the drawings, but such embodiments should not be limited thereby. The drawings described are only schematic and are not limiting.

[0077] In the context of the present document, the terms “first” and “second” are used only to differentiate the different elements and do not imply an order between these elements. In the drawings, identical or similar elements may have the same reference signs.

[0078] The FIGURE is a cross sectional view illustrating elements of a propulsion system for an aircraft in one embodiment of the disclosure. The propulsion system comprises a turbine engine 10 that includes in particular: an air inlet 31, a front cone 14, a fan 13, an annular separator 12, a low-pressure compressor 11, a high-pressure compressor 15 and an air outlet 32. The annular separator 12 separates a first passage 21 for a primary airflow from a second passage 22 for a secondary airflow, the second passage 22 being concentric with, and external to, the first passage. The annular separator 12 is in some embodiments annular.

[0079] The propulsion system further comprises an atomizer 2 that is housed in the aircraft and fixed to the aircraft by a first fastener or first fixing means 6, a reservoir 4 that is housed in the aircraft and fixed to the aircraft by a second fastener or second fixing means 7, and a conduit 3 that is housed in the aircraft and fixed to the aircraft by a fourth fastener or fourth fixing means 8.

[0080] The conduit 3 allows an aqueous liquid to pass from the reservoir 4 to the atomizer 2.

[0081] The propulsion system further comprises a control unit, such as a microprocessor based or field-programmable gate array (FPGA) based controller, which can be fixed to the aircraft by one or more fasteners or by a third fastener or third fixing means, and making it possible to control the flow of aqueous liquid atomized by the atomizer. In some embodiments, the control unit, or any control unit described herein, may include logic carry out by a processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like, or any combinations thereof, and can include discrete digital or analog circuit elements or electronics, or combinations thereof.

[0082] The atomizer 2 comprises a first atomization outlet 5 fluidically connected to the reservoir 4 by the conduit 3 and oriented so as to send the aqueous liquid into the low-pressure compressor 11. The first atomization outlet 5 makes it possible to inject aqueous liquid into the first passage 21.

[0083] The atomizer 2 is fixed in the aircraft by second fixing means 6. The atomizer 2 may for example be fixed to the annular separator 12. The atomizer 2 may comprise an element including the first atomization outlet 5 having a roughly circular or roughly star shape. The atomizer 2 may comprise a second atomization outlet situated between the inlet 31 and the low-pressure compressor 11, in the second passage 22, to inject the aqueous liquid into the second passage 22.

[0084] The reservoir 4, the conduit 3 and the atomizer 2 are included in a cleaning assembly 1 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. This cleaning assembly 1 comprises the control unit in some embodiments.

[0085] The turbine engine 10 is housed in a nacelle of the aircraft.

[0086] In one embodiment, the aqueous liquid makes it possible to de-ice the elements with which it comes into contact. It can comprise a de-icing liquid in some embodiments.

[0087] In one embodiment, the reservoir 4 is at least partially supplied by a system for de-icing the annular separator 12 or a system for de-icing the low-pressure compressor 11. The coupling between the de-icing system and the reservoir 4 may for example be done by a three-way valve and/or by a venturi system.

[0088] In one embodiment, the reservoir 4 is at least partially supplied by a liquid-recovery system arranged to recover aqueous liquid downstream of the low-pressure compressor 11. This liquid-recovery system may be between the low-pressure compressor 11 and the high-pressure compressor 15, or downstream of the high-pressure compressor 15. This liquid-recovery system may comprise a VBV (variable bleed vane) system, for example disposed between the low-pressure compressor 11 and the high-pressure compressor 15. This liquid-recovery system may comprise a condensation system. In one embodiment, the aqueous liquid circulates in a closed circuit by this liquid-recovery system.

[0089] In one embodiment, the aqueous liquid is heated by the turbine engine 10, for example via a water system making it possible to recover heat generated by the turbine engine 10. This makes it possible to improve cleaning and to cool the turbine engine 10. In particular, the aqueous liquid may be heated by an injected-air system or by a circulation circuit around the turbine engine 10. The aqueous liquid may be also heated by an electric heater or other heating techniques currently known or developed in the future.

[0090] The turbine engine 10 may for example be disposed on a fuselage of an aircraft, in a fuselage of an aircraft, on a wing of an aircraft, under a wing of an aircraft or in the wing of an aircraft.

[0091] In one embodiment, the reservoir 4 is provided with a drainage system, for example a drainage system similar to the one in fuel tanks making it possible to empty the reservoir 4 through a reservoir outlet other than the atomizer 2. This drainage system may for example make it possible to reduce the mass of the aircraft in flight.

[0092] In one embodiment, a plurality of turbine engines of an aircraft are provided with an aqueous-liquid atomizer fluidically connected to the same reservoir 4. In some embodiments, each aqueous-liquid atomizer is arranged as described above and connected to the reservoir 4 by its own conduit, and each conduit is arranged as described above. This may be the case in a four-engined aircraft for example.

[0093] In other words, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a propulsion system for an aircraft. The propulsion system comprises a turbine engine, an atomizer, a reservoir, a conduit connecting the reservoir to the atomizer, and a unit for controlling the flow of liquid in the atomizer. The turbine engine, the atomizer, the reservoir, the conduit and the control unit are fixed to the aircraft.

[0094] The propulsion system may allow the cleaning of at least some parts of the turbine engine.

[0095] Embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in relation to specific embodiments, which have a purely illustrative value and must not be considered to be limitative. In general terms, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the examples illustrated and/or described above. The use of the verbs “comprise”, “include”, “have”, or any other variant, as well as conjugations thereof, may in no way exclude the presence of elements other than those mentioned. The use of the indefinite article “a” or “an” or of the definite article “the”, to introduce an element, does not exclude the presence of a plurality of these elements. Any reference numbers in the claims do not limit the scope thereof.

[0096] While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter.