IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,140,084
Granted Patent B2
US 12,140,084 · App. 18/439,253 · Granted Nov 12, 2024

Geared gas turbine engine

Inventor: Craig W Bemment (Derby, GB)
Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
F02C9/24F01D19/00F02C9/18F02C7/268F02C7/36
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,140,084
App. No.
18/439,253
Granted
Nov 12, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A gas turbine engine for an aircraft and a method of operating a gas turbine engine on an aircraft. Embodiments disclosed include a gas turbine engine for an aircraft including: an engine core has a turbine, a compressor, and a core shaft; a fan located upstream of the engine core, the fan has a plurality of fan blades; a nacelle surrounding the engine core and defining a bypass duct and bypass exhaust nozzle; and a gearbox that receives an input from the core shaft and outputs drive to the fan wherein the gas turbine engine is configured such that a jet velocity ratio of a first jet velocity exiting from the bypass exhaust nozzle to a second jet velocity exiting from an exhaust nozzle of the engine core at idle conditions is greater by a factor of 2 or more than the jet velocity ratio at maximum take-off conditions.

Claims (116)

1. A method of operating a gas turbine engine on an aircraft, the gas turbine engine comprising:

an engine core comprising a turbine, a combustor, a compressor, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor;

a fan located upstream of the engine core, the fan comprising a plurality of fan blades;

a nacelle surrounding the engine core and defining a bypass duct and a bypass exhaust nozzle; and

a gearbox that receives an input from the core shaft and outputs drive to the fan so as to drive the fan at a lower rotational speed than the core shaft, wherein the method comprises operating the gas turbine engine to provide propulsion such that a jet velocity ratio, R J , of a first jet velocity exiting from the bypass exhaust nozzle to a second jet velocity exiting from an exhaust nozzle of the engine core is defined as:

R

J

=

V

B

⁢

C

B

V

C

⁢

C

C

⁢

η

L

⁢

P

⁢

T

⁢

η

F

where V B is a fully expanded first jet velocity, C B is a thrust coefficient of the bypass exhaust nozzle, V C is a fully expanded second jet velocity, C C is a thrust coefficient of the engine core exhaust nozzle, η LPT is an isentropic efficiency of a lowest pressure turbine of the engine core and η F is an isentropic efficiency of a fan tip;

the jet velocity ratio, R J , is between around 0.75 and 1.3 at maximum take-off conditions;

each fan blade has a radial span extending from a hub to a tip, and a ratio of a radius of each fan blade at its hub to a radius of each fan blade at its tip is in a rang of 0.25 to 0.4;

a bypass ratio, defined as a ratio of a mass flow rate of a flow through the bypass duct to a mass flow rate of a flow through the core at cruise conditions, is in a range of 10 to 17;

a fan tip loading defined as dH/U tip 2 is between 0.28 and 0.38 at cruise conditions, where dH is an enthalpy rise across the fan and U d is a translational velocity of the leading edge of a fan tip; and a specific thrust, defined as a net thrust of the engine divided by a total mass flow through the engine, is between 80 Nkg-1s and 110 N kg −1 s at the cruise conditions.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein: the bypass ratio is in a range of 10 to 12; the fan tip loading is between 0.29 and 0.35 at the cruise condition; and the specific thrust is between 90 Nkg −1 s and 105 Nkg −1 s at the cruise condition.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein: the bypass ratio is in a range of 10.5 to 11.5; the fan tip loading is between 0.31 and 0.34 at cruise conditions; and the specific thrust is between 95 Nkg −1 s and 105 Nkg −1 s at the cruise conditions.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein: the jet velocity ratio, t, is between around 0.8 and 1.0 at the maximum take-off conditions; the bypass ratio is in a range of 10 to 12; the fan tip loading is between 0.31 and 0.35 at the cruise conditions; and the specific thrust is between 90 Nkg −1 s and 100 Nkg −1 s at the cruise conditions.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein: the jet velocity ratio, t, is between around 0.8 and 1.0 at the maximum take-off conditions; the ratio of the radius of each fan blade at its hub to the radius of each fan blade at its tip is in a range of 0.27 to 0.32; the bypass ratio is in a range of 10 to 12; the fan tip loading is between 0.3 and 0.35 at the cruise conditions; and the specific thrust is between 90 Nkg −1 s and 100 Nkg −1 s at the cruise conditions.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein an area of a final rotor of the low pressure turbine is in a range of 0.25 m 2 to 0.38 m 2 .

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein a fan diameter is around 215 cm.

8. A method of operating a gas turbine engine on an aircraft, the gas turbine engine comprising:

an engine core comprising a turbine, a combustor, a compressor, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor;

a fan located upstream of the engine core, the fan comprising a plurality of fan blades;

a nacelle surrounding the engine core and defining a bypass duct and a bypass exhaust nozzle; and

a gearbox that receives an input from the core shaft and outputs drive to the fan so as to drive the fan at a lower rotational speed than the core shaft, wherein the method comprises operating the gas turbine engine to provide propulsion such that a jet velocity ratio, R J , of a first jet velocity exiting from the bypass exhaust nozzle to a second jet velocity exiting from an exhaust nozzle of the engine core is defined as:

R

J

=

V

B

⁢

C

B

V

C

⁢

C

C

⁢

η

L

⁢

P

⁢

T

⁢

η

F

where V B is a fully expanded first jet velocity, C B is a thrust coefficient of the bypass exhaust nozzle, V C is a fully expanded second jet velocity, C C is a thrust coefficient of the engine core exhaust nozzle, η LPT is an isentropic efficiency of a lowest pressure turbine of the engine core and η F is an isentropic efficiency of a fan tip;

the jet velocity ratio, R J , is between around 0.75 and 1.3 at maximum take-off conditions;

each fan blade has a radial span extending from a hub to a tip, and a ratio of a radius of each fan blade at its hub to a radius of each fan blade at its tip is in a rang of 0.25 to 0.4;

an overall pressure ratio defined as a ratio of a stagnation pressure upstream of the fan to a stagnation pressure at an exit of a highest pressure compressor is between 40 and 65 at cruise conditions;

a par ratio of the gearbox is between 3 and 4; and

wherein a temperate of a flow at an exit of the combustor, at a position immediately upstream of a first turbine vane, is in a range of 1700K to 2000K at the maximum take-off conditions.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein: the overall pressure ratio is between 40 and 50 at the cruise conditions; the gear ratio of the gearbox is between 3.1 and 3.4; and wherein the temperature of the flow at the exit of the combustor, at the position immediately upstream of the first turbine vane, is in a range of 1750K to 1950K at the maximum take-off conditions.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein: the overall pressure ratio is between 45 and 50 at the cruise conditions; the gear ratio of the gearbox is between 3.2 and 3.4; and wherein the temperature of the flow at the exit of the combustor, at the position immediately upstream of the first turbine vane, is in a range of 1850K to 1950K at the maximum take-off conditions.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein: the bypass ratio is in a range of 10 to 12; the fan tip loading is between 0.29 and 0.35 at the cruise conditions; the specific thrust is between 90 Nkg −1 s and 105 Nkg −1 s at the cruise conditions; an overall pressure ratio defined as a ratio of a stagnation pressure upstream of the fan to a stagnation pressure at an exit of a highest pressure compressor is between 40 and 50 at the cruise condition; a gear ratio of the gearbox is between 3.0 and 3.5; and wherein a temperature of a flow at an exit of the combustor, at a position immediately upstream of a first turbine vane, is in a range of 1750K to 1950K at the maximum take-off condition.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein: the ratio of the radius of each fan blade at its hub to the radius of each fan blade at its tip is in a range of 0.27 to 0.32; and the jet velocity ratio, R J , is between around 0.8 and 1.0 at the maximum take-off conditions.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein: the bypass ratio is in a rang of 10 to 11.5; the fan tip loading is between 0.31 and 0.34 at the cruise conditions; the specific thrust is between 90 Nkg −1 s and 100 Nkg −1 s at the cruise conditions; an overall pressure ratio defined as a ratio of a stagnation pressure upstream of the fan to a stagnation pressure at an exit of a highest pressure compressor is between 40 and 50 at the cruise conditions; a par ratio of the gearbox is between 3.2 and 3.4; and wherein a temperature of a flow at an exit of the combustor, at a position immediately upstream of a first turbine vane, is in a rang of 1850K to 1950K at the maximum take-off conditions.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein: the ratio of the radius of each fan blade at its hub to the radius of each fan blade at its tip is in a range of 0.28 to 0.31; and the jet velocity ratio, j, is between around 0.8 and 1.0 at the maximum take-off conditions.

15. A method of operating a gas turbine engine on an aircraft, the gas turbine engine comprising:

an engine core comprising a turbine, a combustor, a compressor, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor;

a fan located upstream of the engine core, the fan comprising a plurality of fan blades;

a nacelle surrounding the engine core and defining a bypass duct and a bypass exhaust nozzle; and

a gearbox that receives an input from the core shaft and outputs drive to the fan so as to drive the fan at a lower rotational speed than the core shaft, wherein the method comprises operating the gas turbine engine to provide propulsion such that a jet velocity ratio, R J , of a first jet velocity exiting from the bypass exhaust nozzle to a second jet velocity exiting from an exhaust nozzle of the engine core is defined as:

R

J

=

V

B

⁢

C

B

V

C

⁢

C

C

⁢

η

L

⁢

P

⁢

T

⁢

η

F

where V B is a fully expanded first jet velocity, C B is a thrust coefficient of the bypass exhaust nozzle, V C is a fully expanded second jet velocity, C C is a thrust coefficient of the engine core exhaust nozzle, η LPT is an isentropic efficiency of a lowest pressure turbine of the engine core and η F is an isentropic efficiency of a fan tip;

the jet velocity ratio, t, is between around 0.75 and 1.3 at maximum take-off conditions; and each fan blade has a radial span extending from a hub to a tip, and a ratio of a radius of each fan blade at its hub to a radius of each fan blade at its tip is in a range of 0.25 to 0.4.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein:

the jet velocity ratio, R J , is between around 2 and 3 at idle conditions; and

the jet velocity ratio, R J , is between around 0.75 and 1.3 at cruise conditions.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein a specific thrust, defined as a net thrust of the engine divided by a total mass flow through the engine, is between 90 Nkg −1 s and 105 Nkg −1 s at the cruise conditions.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein a fan tip loading defined as dH/U is between 0.29 and 0.35 at the cruise conditions, where dH is an enthalpy rise across the fan and U d is a translational velocity of a leading edge of a fan tip.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the ratio of the radius of each fan blade at its hub to the radius of each fan blade at its tip is in a range of 0.27 to 0.32.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein a bypass ratio, defined as a ratio of a mass flow rate of a flow through the bypass duct to a mass flow rate of a flow through the core at the cruise conditions, is in a range of 10 to 12.

Priority Claims (1)
GB 1907256 · May 23, 2019 · national
Continuity (5)
Continuation 18135526 · Apr 17, 2023
Continuation 17870270 · Jul 21, 2022
Continuation 17411617 · Aug 25, 2021
Continuation 16526221 · Jul 30, 2019
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