Turbofan engine having angled inlet pre-swirl vanes
A turbofan engine is provided. The turbofan engine includes a fan having a plurality of fan blades; a turbomachine operably coupled to the fan for driving the fan, the turbomachine having a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow order and together defining a core air flowpath; a nacelle surrounding and at least partially enclosing the fan, the nacelle defining a radius and a longitudinal axis; and an inlet pre-swirl vane located upstream of the plurality of fan blades and defining a chord, the inlet pre-swirl vane coupled to the nacelle, wherein the inlet pre-swirl vane is angled at a first angle with respect to the radius of the nacelle, and wherein the chord of the inlet pre-swirl vane is angled at a second angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the nacelle.
1. A turbofan engine comprising:
a fan comprising a plurality of fan blades;
a turbomachine operably coupled to the fan for driving the fan, the turbomachine comprising a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow order and together defining a core air flowpath;
a nacelle surrounding and at least partially enclosing the fan, the nacelle defining a radius and a longitudinal axis; and
an inlet pre-swirl vane located upstream of the plurality of fan blades and defining a chord, the inlet pre-swirl vane coupled to the nacelle, wherein the inlet pre-swirl vane is angled at a first angle with respect to the radius of the nacelle, and wherein the chord of the inlet pre-swirl vane is angled at a second angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the nacelle, wherein the inlet pre-swirl vane is one of a plurality of part span inlet guide vanes extending from the nacelle upstream of the plurality of fan blades and aft of an inlet of the nacelle, wherein the plurality of part span inlet guide vanes includes a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion of the plurality of part span inlet guide vanes are angled at the first angle with respect to the radius of the nacelle, and wherein the second portion of the plurality of part span inlet guide vanes are angled at a third angle with respect to the radius of the nacelle, wherein the first angle is different than the third angle.
2. The turbofan engine of claim 1 , wherein the inlet pre-swirl vane is angled at the first angle with respect to the radius of the nacelle in a clockwise direction from an inlet of the nacelle.
3. The turbofan engine of claim 1 , wherein the inlet pre-swirl vane is angled at the first angle with respect to the radius of the nacelle in a counterclockwise direction from an inlet of the nacelle.
4. The turbofan engine of claim 1 , wherein the first angle is variable between approximately 2 degrees and approximately 45 degrees.
5. The turbofan engine of claim 1 , wherein the second angle is variable between approximately 5 degrees and approximately 35 degrees.
6. The turbofan engine of claim 1 , wherein the first angle, the second angle, and the third angle are variable.
7. The turbofan engine of claim 1 , wherein the inlet pre-swirl vane includes an outer end and an inner end, wherein the inner end is radially inward from the outer end, and wherein the second angle of the chord at the outer end is greater than the second angle of the chord at the inner end.
8. The turbofan engine of claim 1 , wherein the inlet pre-swirl vane includes an outer end and an inner end, wherein the inner end is radially inward from the outer end, and wherein the second angle of the chord increases from the inner end to the outer end.
9. The turbofan engine of claim 1 , wherein the first portion is one of a top portion, a bottom portion, a first side portion, or a second side portion.
10. The turbofan engine of claim 9 , wherein the second portion is another of the top portion, the bottom portion, the first side portion, or the second side portion.
11. A nacelle assembly for a turbofan engine, the turbofan engine comprising a fan including a plurality of fan blades, the nacelle assembly comprising:
a nacelle surrounding and at least partially enclosing the fan, the nacelle defining a radius and a longitudinal axis; and
an inlet pre-swirl vane located upstream of the plurality of fan blades and defining a chord, the inlet pre-swirl vane coupled to the nacelle, wherein the inlet pre-swirl vane is one of a plurality of part span inlet guide vanes extending from the nacelle upstream of the plurality of fan blades and aft of an inlet of the nacelle,
wherein a first portion of the plurality of part span inlet guide vanes are angled at the first angle with respect to the radius of the nacelle, and wherein a second portion of the plurality of part span inlet guide vanes are angled at a third angle with respect to the radius of the nacelle, wherein the first angle is different than the third angle, and
wherein the chord of the inlet pre-swirl vane is angled at a second angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the nacelle.
12. The nacelle assembly of claim 11 , wherein the inlet pre-swirl vane is angled at the first angle with respect to the radius of the nacelle in a clockwise direction from an inlet of the nacelle.
13. The nacelle assembly of claim 11 , wherein the inlet pre-swirl vane is angled at the first angle with respect to the radius of the nacelle in a counterclockwise direction from an inlet of the nacelle.
14. The nacelle assembly of claim 11 , wherein the first angle is variable between approximately 2 degrees and approximately 45 degrees.
15. The nacelle assembly of claim 11 , wherein the second angle is variable between approximately 5 degrees and approximately 35 degrees.
16. The nacelle assembly of claim 11 , wherein the first angle, the second angle, and the third angle are variable.
17. The nacelle assembly of claim 11 , wherein the first angle is either 5 degrees or 7 degrees.
18. The nacelle assembly of claim 17 , wherein the third angle is either 10 degrees or 15 degrees.
19. The nacelle assembly of claim 11 , wherein the first portion is one of a top portion, a bottom portion, a first side portion, or a second side portion, and wherein the second portion is another of the top portion, the bottom portion, the first side portion, or the second side portion.
20. A turbofan engine comprising:
a fan comprising a plurality of fan blades;
a turbomachine operably coupled to the fan for driving the fan, the turbomachine comprising a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow order and together defining a core air flowpath;
a nacelle surrounding and at least partially enclosing the fan, the nacelle defining a radius and a longitudinal axis; and
a plurality of part span inlet guide vanes extending from the nacelle upstream of the plurality of fan blades and aft of an inlet of the nacelle, wherein the plurality of part span inlet guide vanes includes a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion of the plurality of part span inlet guide vanes are angled at a first angle with respect to the radius of the nacelle, and wherein the second portion of the plurality of part span inlet guide vanes are angled at a third angle with respect to the radius of the nacelle, wherein the first angle is different than the third angle.