Air system for aircraft powerplant
An aircraft powerplant assembly includes a compressor rotor, a compressor vane structure, a diffuser structure, a combustor and an air system. The compressor rotor includes a rotor stage and a rotor hub. The rotor hub includes a hub wall connected to a rotor base. An outer surface of the hub wall forms an inner peripheral boundary of a first section of an air passage. The compressor vane structure is radially outboard of the hub wall. The diffuser structure includes a diffuser nozzle and a diffuser plenum. The combustor is disposed in the diffuser plenum. The air system includes an air circuit and a heat exchanger. The air system is configured to bleed compressed air from the diffuser plenum through a circuit inlet, cool the compressed air with the heat exchanger to provide cooled air, and direct the cooled air into the air passage through a circuit outlet.
1 . An assembly for an aircraft powerplant, comprising:
a compressor rotor configured to rotate about an axis, the compressor rotor including a rotor stage and a rotor hub, the rotor stage including a rotor base and a plurality of compressor blades connected to the rotor base, the plurality of compressor blades arranged circumferentially about the rotor base in a compressor blade array, the rotor hub comprising a hub wall connected to the rotor base, an outer surface of the hub wall tapering radially inward towards the axis as the hub wall projects axially away from the rotor base, the outer surface of the hub wall forming an inner peripheral boundary of at least a first section of an air passage, and a seal element projecting radially out from the hub wall;
a compressor vane structure axially next to the rotor stage and radially outboard of the hub wall, the compressor vane structure comprising a seal land and a plurality of compressor vanes arranged circumferentially about the axis in a compressor vane array, the seal land configured to form a seal with the seal element, and the seal element forming an axial boundary of a second section of the air passage upstream of the first section of the air passage;
a diffuser structure including a diffuser nozzle and a diffuser plenum, the diffuser nozzle radially outboard of the hub wall and the air passage;
a combustor disposed in the diffuser plenum;
a core flowpath extending longitudinally across the plurality of compressor blades and through the compressor vane structure, the diffuser nozzle and the diffuser plenum into the combustor; and
an air system including an air circuit and a heat exchanger, the air circuit extending longitudinally from a circuit inlet through the heat exchanger to a circuit outlet, and the air system configured to bleed compressed air from the diffuser plenum through the circuit inlet, cool the compressed air with the heat exchanger to provide cooled air, and direct the cooled air into the air passage through the circuit outlet.
2 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the air system is configured to direct the cooled air into the second section of the air passage through the circuit outlet.
3 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the air system is configured to direct the cooled air into the second section of the air passage through the circuit outlet to impinge against the seal element.
4 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the air system is configured to direct the cooled air into the second section of the air passage through the circuit outlet, and the second section of the air passage is radially outboard of the first section of the air passage.
5 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the air system is configured to direct the cooled air into the second section of the air passage through the circuit outlet, and the second section of the air passage is radially inboard of and partially formed by the compressor vane structure.
6 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the air system is configured to direct the cooled air along an axial trajectory through the circuit outlet into the air passage.
7 . The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a baffle wall mounted to the diffuser structure, the baffle wall following a contour of the rotor hub and forming an outer peripheral boundary of at least the first section of the air passage.
8 . The assembly of claim 7 , wherein an air cavity is disposed between the baffle wall and the diffuser structure.
9 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rotor stage is a last compressor rotor stage upstream of the diffuser structure along the core flowpath.
10 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser nozzle is axially next to the compressor vane structure.
11 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein
the diffuser nozzle includes an inner nozzle wall and an outer nozzle wall; and
the inner nozzle wall and the outer nozzle wall radially diverge away from one another as the inner nozzle wall and the outer nozzle wall project axially away from the compressor vane structure.
12 . The assembly of claim 11 , wherein
the diffuser nozzle further includes a plurality of struts arranged circumferentially about the axis in a strut array; and
each of the plurality of struts projects radially across the core flowpath from the inner nozzle wall to the outer nozzle wall.
13 . The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a rotating structure configured to rotate about the axis;
the rotating structure including the compressor rotor and a turbine rotor; and
the combustor disposed axially along the axis between the compressor rotor and the turbine rotor.
14 . The powerplant of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises an air-to-air heat exchanger.
15 . The powerplant of claim 1 , further comprising:
a compressor section including the compressor rotor and the compressor vane structure;
a combustor section including the diffuser structure and the combustor;
a turbine section; and
a bypass flowpath bypassing the compressor section, the combustor section and the turbine section;
the heat exchanger configured to receive bypass air bled from the bypass flowpath.
16 . The powerplant of claim 1 , further comprising:
a compressor section including the compressor rotor and the compressor vane structure;
a combustor section including the diffuser structure and the combustor;
a turbine section; and
a bypass flowpath bypassing the compressor section, the combustor section and the turbine section;
the air system further including a second air circuit, the second air circuit extending longitudinally from a second circuit inlet through the heat exchanger to a second circuit outlet, the second circuit inlet fluidly coupling the second air circuit to the bypass flowpath, and the second circuit outlet fluidly coupling the second air circuit to the bypass flowpath.
17 . An assembly for an aircraft powerplant, comprising:
a compressor rotor configured to rotate about an axis, the compressor rotor including a rotor stage and a rotor hub, the rotor stage including a rotor base and a plurality of compressor blades connected to the rotor base, the plurality of compressor blades arranged circumferentially about the rotor base in a compressor blade array, the rotor hub including a seal element and a hub wall connected to the rotor base, the hub wall tapering radially inward towards the axis as the hub wall projects axially away from the rotor base, the seal element projecting radially out from the hub wall, and the rotor hub forming a peripheral boundary of an air passage;
a compressor vane structure axially next to the rotor stage and radially outboard of the hub wall, the compressor vane structure comprising a seal land and a plurality of compressor vanes arranged circumferentially about the axis in a compressor vane array, the seal land radially outboard of and configured to form a seal with the seal element;
a core flowpath extending longitudinally across the plurality of compressor blades and through the compressor vane structure; and
an air system including an air circuit and a heat exchanger, the air circuit extending longitudinally from a circuit inlet through the heat exchanger to a circuit outlet, and the air system configured to bleed compressed air from the core flowpath downstream of the rotor stage through the circuit inlet, cool the compressed air with the heat exchanger to provide cooled air, and direct the cooled air into the air passage through the circuit outlet in an axial direction towards the seal element.
18 . The assembly of claim 17 , further comprising:
a diffuser structure including a diffuser nozzle and a diffuser plenum, the diffuser nozzle radially outboard of the hub wall; and
a combustor disposed in the diffuser plenum;
the core flowpath extending longitudinally from the compressor vane structure through the diffuser nozzle and the diffuser plenum into the combustor; and
the circuit inlet fluidly coupled to the diffuser plenum.
19 . An assembly for an aircraft powerplant, comprising:
a compressor rotor configured to rotate about an axis, the compressor rotor including a rotor stage and a rotor hub, the rotor stage including a rotor base and a plurality of compressor blades connected to the rotor base, the plurality of compressor blades arranged circumferentially about the rotor base in a compressor blade array, the rotor hub comprising a hub wall connected to the rotor base, the hub wall tapering radially inward towards the axis as the hub wall projects axially away from the rotor base, and the hub wall forming an inner peripheral boundary of at least a first section of an air passage;
a compressor vane structure axially next to the rotor stage and radially outboard of the hub wall;
a diffuser structure including a diffuser nozzle and a diffuser plenum, the diffuser nozzle radially outboard of the hub wall;
a combustor disposed in the diffuser plenum;
a core flowpath extending longitudinally across the plurality of compressor blades and through the compressor vane structure, the diffuser nozzle and the diffuser plenum into the combustor;
a baffle wall mounted to the diffuser structure, the baffle wall following a contour of the rotor hub and forming an outer peripheral boundary of at least the first section of the air passage, wherein an air cavity is disposed radially and/or axially between the baffle wall and the diffuser structure; and
an air system including an air circuit and a heat exchanger, the air circuit extending longitudinally from a circuit inlet through the heat exchanger to a circuit outlet, and the air system configured to bleed compressed air from the core flowpath through the circuit inlet, cool the compressed air with the heat exchanger to provide cooled air, and direct the cooled air into the air passage through the circuit outlet in an axial direction towards a seal element, the seal element forming an axial boundary of the air passage.