Patent ID: 9719352
Date: 2017-08-01
CPC Classifications: B64D,F01D

Claim:
1. A compartment based inlet particle separator system for an aircraft that includes an auxiliary power unit (APU) system compartment, the system comprising: a separation barrier wall disposed within the APU system compartment and configured to divide the APU system compartment into an air inlet compartment and an APU compartment, the separation barrier wall having an APU air inlet port formed therein that provides fluid communication between the air inlet compartment and the APU compartment; a ram air inlet opening formed in the air inlet compartment for receiving a flow of ram air; a diffuser disposed within the air inlet compartment and having a diffuser inlet, a diffuser outlet, a bypass port disposed between the diffuser inlet and the diffuser outlet, an inner surface that defines a cross sectional flow area, a first height and a first width adjacent the diffuser inlet, and a second height and a second width adjacent the diffuser outlet, the cross sectional flow area increasing between the diffuser inlet and the diffuser outlet, the first height greater than the second height, the first width less than the second width, the diffuser inlet coupled to receive ram air from the ram air inlet opening, the diffuser outlet in fluid communication with, and configured to discharge ram air into, the air inlet compartment, the bypass port in fluid communication with the APU air inlet port; a plurality of flow control surfaces rotationally mounted within the diffuser and movable between a first position, in which the flow control surfaces direct ram air through the bypass port and into the APU air inlet port, and a second position, in which the flow control surfaces direct ram air through the diffuser outlet; and an inlet particle separator (IPS) disposed within the air inlet compartment between the diffuser outlet and the APU air inlet port.