IP Library Granted Patent US 11,428,242
Granted Patent B2
US 11,428,242 · App. 16/715,528 · Granted Aug 30, 2022

Compressor flowpath

Inventors: Lisa I. Brilliant (Middletown, CT); Becky E. Rose (Colchester, CT); Yuan Dong (Glastonbury, CT); Stanley J. Balamucki (The Villages, FL)
Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
F04D29/547F02K3/04F02K3/06F04D19/028F04D25/045F04D29/321F04D29/522F04D29/563F04D29/681F05D2220/3217F05D2220/36F05D2260/606
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,428,242
App. No.
16/715,528
Filed
Dec 16, 2019
Granted
Aug 30, 2022
Kind
B2
Art Unit
3745
USPC
415/182.1
Abstract

A compressor section for a gas turbine engine according to an example of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a low pressure compressor including a plurality of rotor blades arranged about an axis, a high pressure compressor, and a core flowpath passing through the low pressure compressor. The core flowpath at the low pressure compressor defines an inner diameter and an outer diameter relative to the axis. The outer diameter has a slope angle relative to the axis.

Claims (39)

1. A gas turbine engine comprising:

a fan section including a fan surrounded by an outer housing;

a compressor section including a low pressure compressor having three stages defining an axis, a high pressure compressor including a greater number of stages than the low pressure compressor, and a core flowpath passing through the low pressure compressor;

a turbine section including a high pressure turbine having two stages and a low pressure turbine having five stages, the high pressure turbine driving the high pressure compressor, and the low pressure turbine driving the low pressure compressor and the fan section; and

wherein the core flowpath in the low pressure compressor has an inner diameter and an outer diameter relative to the axis, the outer diameter has a slope angle that is between 10 degrees and 15 degrees relative to the axis, and wherein the inner diameter of the core flowpath increases through the low pressure compressor along a fluid flow direction; and

wherein the fan delivers air into a bypass duct, and a portion of air into the compressor section, with a bypass ratio defined as the volume of air delivered into the bypass duct compared to the volume of air delivered into the compressor section, and the bypass ratio being greater than 10.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the slope angle slopes toward the axis along a fluid flow direction of the core flowpath.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 2 , wherein the outer diameter is defined by one of a plurality of rotor blades of the low pressure compressor.

4. The gas turbine of claim 1 , wherein the low pressure compressor includes at least one variable vane situated in the core flowpath.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the low pressure compressor includes an exit guide vane located in a low pressure compressor outlet section of the core flowpath.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the gas turbine engine is a two-spool turbofan.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein a pressure ratio across the fan section is less than 1.6 across the fan blade alone.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the low pressure turbine includes an inlet, an outlet, a pressure ratio greater than 5, the pressure ratio of the low pressure turbine being pressure measured prior to the inlet as related to pressure at the outlet prior to an exhaust nozzle.

9. The gas turbine engine of claim 8 , wherein:

the gas turbine engine is a two-spool turbofan;

the slope angle slopes toward the axis along a fluid flow direction of the core flowpath;

the low pressure turbine includes a greater number of stages than the low pressure compressor; and

the low pressure compressor includes a greater number of stages than the high pressure turbine.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 9 , wherein the fan section has only a single fan stage comprising the fan.

11. The gas turbine engine of claim 9 , wherein the outer diameter is defined by one of a plurality of rotor blades of the low pressure compressor.

12. The gas turbine engine of claim 9 , wherein the low pressure compressor includes an exit guide vane located in a low pressure compressor outlet section of the core flowpath.

13. The gas turbine of claim 9 , wherein the low pressure compressor includes at least one variable vane situated in the core flowpath.

14. A gas turbine engine comprising:

a fan section including a fan surrounded by an outer housing;

a compressor section including a three-stage low pressure compressor defining an axis, a high pressure compressor including a greater number of stages than the low pressure compressor, and a core flowpath passing through the low pressure compressor;

a turbine section including a two-stage high pressure turbine and a low pressure turbine including five stages, the high pressure turbine driving the high pressure compressor, the low pressure turbine driving the low pressure compressor and driving the fan section through a geared architecture, the low pressure turbine including a greater number of stages than the low pressure compressor, the low pressure compressor including a greater number of stages than the high pressure turbine; and

wherein the core flowpath within the low pressure compressor has an inner diameter and an outer diameter relative to the axis, the outer diameter has a slope angle that is less than 10 degrees relative to the axis, and wherein the inner diameter of the core flowpath increases through the low pressure compressor along a fluid flow direction; and

wherein the fan delivers air into a bypass duct, and a portion of air into the compressor section, with a bypass ratio defined as the volume of air delivered into the bypass duct compared to the volume of air delivered into the compressor section, and the bypass ratio being greater than 10.

15. The gas turbine engine of claim 14 , wherein the slope angle is between 5 degrees and 7 degrees.

16. The gas turbine engine of claim 15 , wherein the slope angle slopes toward the axis along a fluid flow direction of the core flowpath.

17. The gas turbine engine of claim 16 , wherein the outer diameter is defined by one of a plurality of rotor blades of the low pressure compressor.

18. The gas turbine engine of claim 15 , wherein a pressure ratio across the fan section is less than 1.6 across the fan blade alone.

19. The gas turbine engine of claim 18 , wherein the low pressure turbine includes an inlet, an outlet, a pressure ratio greater than 5, the pressure ratio of the low pressure turbine being pressure measured prior to the inlet as related to pressure at the outlet prior to an exhaust nozzle.

20. The gas turbine engine of claim 19 , wherein:

the geared architecture is an epicyclic gear train;

a gear reduction ratio of the epicyclic gear train is greater than 2.25;

the gas turbine engine is a two-spool turbofan;

the slope angle slopes toward the axis along a fluid flow direction of the core flowpath; and

the fan section has only a single fan stage comprising the fan.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 27, 2023
From: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
To: RTX CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064714/0001 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE AND REMOVE PATENT APPLICATION NUMBER 11886281 AND ADD PATENT APPLICATION NUMBER 14846874. TO CORRECT THE RECEIVING PARTY ADDRESS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 054062 FRAME: 0001. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CHANGE OF ADDRESS. Recorded Mar 4, 2021
From: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
To: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055659/0001 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 4, 2020
From: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
To: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 054062/0001 →