초록 ▼

A system, method, and apparatus for throat corner scoop offtake for mixed compression inlets for high speed aircraft engine applications is disclosed. The throat corner scoops are small air intakes located inside the large mixed compression inlet. They are positioned in a region otherwise prone to g

A system, method, and apparatus for throat corner scoop offtake for mixed compression inlets for high speed aircraft engine applications is disclosed. The throat corner scoops are small air intakes located inside the large mixed compression inlet. They are positioned in a region otherwise prone to generate low pressure airflow. The throat corner scoops capture and remove the low pressure airflow from the bulk stream that is passed on to the engine. This location also provides inlet stability enhancement, and the airflow is used on the auxiliary systems.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A system for manipulating airflow for a high speed aircraft engine, comprising: a non-axi-symmetric, mixed compression inlet for a bulk airflow stream having a forward supersonic diffuser that receives a bulk airflow stream and transitions rearwardly through a minimum area th

What is claimed is: 1. A system for manipulating airflow for a high speed aircraft engine, comprising: a non-axi-symmetric, mixed compression inlet for a bulk airflow stream having a forward supersonic diffuser that receives a bulk airflow stream and transitions rearwardly through a minimum area throat region into a subsonic diffuser to provide subsonic airflow to a high speed aircraft engine; a scoop having a small air intake located inside the supersonic diffuser of the mixed compression inlet and positioned in a region prone to generate low pressure airflow as a component of the bulk airflow stream, the scoop capturing and removing the low pressure airflow from the bulk airflow stream; wherein the air intake of the scoop is located in the throat region rearwardly of where the supersonic diffuser first completely surrounds and confines the bulk airflow stream; and wherein the mixed compression inlet comprises a geometry that includes at least one corner defined by an upper wall and a lower wall that are joined at the corner, and the scoop is located in the corner and is defined by the side wall, which joins the upper and lower walls at a point laterally inboard from the corner relative to the bulk airflow stream. 2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the scoop provides inlet stability enhancement and a source of additional airflow for an auxiliary system. 3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary system is one of nacelle ventilation and an environmental control system. 4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the acute corner comprises a pair of corners located at opposite outboard sides of the mixed compression inlet, and the scoop comprises a pair of scoops, each of which is located in one of the acute corners. 5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the mixed compression inlet comprises a geometry that includes at least one acute corner defined by an upper wall and a lower wall that slope toward each other in a lateral outward direction and are joined at the acute corner, and the scoop is located in the acute corner and is defined by the side wall, which joins the upper and lower walls at a point laterally inboard from the acute corner relative to the bulk airflow stream. 6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the scoop comprises a plurality of discrete scoops, each of which is located in a low pressure airflow region inside the mixed compression inlet, each of which has an air intake located in a vicinity of the throat region and has a side wall that separates the low pressure airflow within the scoop from the bulk airflow stream in the supersonic diffuser. 7. A mixed compression inlet for a high speed aircraft engine, the mixed compression inlet being non-axi-symmetric, comprising: a forward supersonic diffuser that transitions through a minimum area throat region into a subsonic diffuser to provide to the aircraft engine subsonic airflow from a bulk airflow stream flowing through the mixed compression inlet; the mixed compression inlet having opposite outboard corners that join upper and lower walls of the mixed compression inlet; two throat corner scoops, each comprising a small air intake located inside the supersonic diffuser in the throat region at each of the corners, each air intake being located rearward from a most upstream point where the supersonic diffuser first completely surrounds and confines the bulk airflow stream, each throat corner scoop having an inboard wall spaced inboard from one of the corners and joining the upper and lower walls, each of the throat corner scoops capturing and removing low pressure airflow from the bulk airflow stream flowing through the mixed compression inlet that is passed on to the high speed aircraft engine, such that each of the throat corner scoops provides inlet stability enhancement and a source of additional airflow for at least one auxiliary system; and the inboard walls of the throat corner scoops separate the low pressure airflow within the throat corner scoops from the bulk airflow stream. 8. A mixed compression inlet according to claim 7, wherein the at least one auxiliary system is one of nacelle ventilation and an environmental control system. 9. A mixed compression inlet according to claim 7, wherein the upper and lower walls at each of the corners slope toward each other in an outboard direction, defining an acute configuration for each of the corners. 10. A method of manipulating airflow for a high speed aircraft engine, comprising: (a) providing a non-axi-symmetric, mixed compression inlet for a bulk airflow stream having a forward supersonic diffuser that transitions through a minimum area throat region into a subsonic diffuser for delivering subsonic airflow to the high speed aircraft engine, the supersonic diffuser having an upstream location where it first surrounds and confines the bulk airflow stream; (b) locating a scoop comprising a small air intake inside the mixed compression inlet downstream from the upstream location and within the throat region, and positioning the scoop in a region prone to generate low pressure airflow as a component of the bulk airflow stream; (c) capturing and removing the low pressure airflow from the bulk airflow stream with the scoop; and wherein step (a) comprises providing the mixed compression inlet with a geometry that includes at least one corner defined by upper and lower walls that join each other, and the scoop is located in the corner and is defined by an inboard side wall that joins the upper and lower walls at a point laterally inboard from the corner, the inboard side wall separating the low pressure airflow within the scoop from the bulk airflow stream within the mixed compression inlet. 11. A method according to claim 10, wherein step (c) comprises providing with the scoop inlet stability enhancement and a source of additional airflow for an auxiliary system selected from the group consisting of nacelle ventilation and an environmental control system. 12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the corner comprises a pair of corners located in the mixed compression inlet and on opposite outboard sides of the mixed compression inlet, and the scoop comprises a pair of scoops, each of which is located in one of the corners. 13. A method according to claim 10, wherein step (a) comprises providing the mixed compression inlet with a geometry that includes at least one acute corner defined by upper and lower walls that slope toward and join each other, and the scoop is located in the acute corner and is defined by an inboard wall that joins the upper and lower walls at a point laterally inboard from the acute corner.