Abstract:
The present invention relates to turbine fan aircraft use. In particular, the present invention is directed toward a turbine fan driven by a piston or rotary (e.g., Wankel) engine. The present invention makes possible the most flexible and effective installation of a ducted fan with a fixed horsepower source, namely a conventional internal combustion engine. Effectiveness being defined as full utilization of the engine&#39;s available horsepower at the chosen flight points. In a further embodiment of the present invention, a novel heat exchanger may be provided which removes waste heat with minimal drag while boosting the fan system&#39;s effective thermal efficiency by increasing the enthalpy of the working fluid. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, bypass air from the turbine may be used to supercharge the piston or rotary engine.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority from Provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 60/286,517 filed on Apr. 27, 2001, and incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to turbine fan aircraft use. In particular, the present invention is directed toward a turbine fan driven by an Otto cycle engine such as a piston or rotary (e.g., Wankel) engine. The present invention makes possible the most flexible and effective installation of a ducted fan with a fixed horsepower source, namely a conventional Otto Cycle engine Effectiveness being defined as full utilization of the engine&#39;s available horsepower at the chosen flight points. In a further embodiment of the present invention, a novel heat exchanger is provided which removes waste heat with minimal drag while boosting the fan system&#39;s effective thermal efficiency by increasing the enthalpy of the working fluid. In yet another embodiment of the present invention bypass air from the turbine is used to supercharge the piston or rotary engine. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Gas turbine engines (e.g., Jet, fanjet, and the like) are known in the art for propelling jet aircraft. While powerful and efficient, they are very costly to purchase and maintain, placing them out of the reach of most individual aircraft owners, hobbyists, and homebuilders. 
     Ducted fans are also known in the art. Ducted fans are typically driven by piston engines or, in some instances, rotary (e.g., wankel) engines. A ducted fan typically comprises a propeller rotating within a duct housing. The duct reduces tip losses significantly. However, the drag created by the duct can be significant. As a result, ducted fans generally work best only at lower speeds. 
     Thus, a need exists in the art to provide a low-cost turbine type propulsion system which is affordable. The present inventor has experimented with driving turbines with Otto Cycle engines (e.g., piston engines and the like) with success. However, such a design presents problems when operating at altitude versus seal level. 
     If one uses a conventional fan of a given flow rate and pressure ratio coupled to a fixed horsepower source a problem arises as a result of changing air density with altitude. If the aircraft mission is to cruise as fast as possible, while using minimum power and fuel, climbing to high altitude is the most practical way to accomplish this. The thinner air at 35,000 feet produces much less drag than at sea level, and makes it possible to fly at high speed on quite limited horsepower. 
     The problem with the conventional fan/fixed horsepower source combination, is that if the designer optimizes the fan for high altitude cruise, there may be nowhere near enough horsepower to drive the fan at sea level (because of higher air density) and takeoff performance may be severely impaired. If on the other hand the designer optimizes the fan for takeoff, then cruise performance sufferers as the fan can&#39;t ingest enough air to fully absorb the engines horsepower. 
     With the operation of conventional Otto Cycle engines, it is known that only about 25% of the heat energy produced by burning fuel actually goes to mechanical energy. Approximately 30% may be lost through the primary cooling system, 35% goes out the exhaust, and the remainder, about 15% may be radiated from the engine itself. The waste heat represents a potential resource for augmenting thrust, improving performance and reducing fuel consumption. 
     In a typical aircraft application using an Otto Cycle engine, provision must be made for removal of waste heat. This may be typically accomplished by an exhaust pipe vented to the atmosphere, and cooling air routed to a heat exchanger. While these methods have worked effectively for a long time they are not set up so as to benefit the aircraft, only getting rid of the waste heat. 
     Aircraft use less fuel at a given speed the higher they go, but their is a limit to how high they can go without the use of a turbo-supercharger. Adding a turbo-supercharger adds weight, cost, and heat to the engine compartment. A need exists, therefore, to provide such supercharging or other altitude compensation without the added weight and complexity of a supercharger or turbo-supercharger. 
     Water injection for boosting the output of internal combustion engines has been used for many years. During WWII, all the major participants used some version of this idea on their fighter aircraft. The water must be injected as a fine mist to get the optimum benefit. The finer the mist the better; the small droplets have much more surface area than do large droplets, and therefore absorb the heat energy in the combustion chamber more efficiently. 
     When the water droplets are subjected to the heat and pressure in the combustion chamber, their volume increases more than the volume increase from heating the same mass of air. This results in greater cylinder pressure for the same heat released in the combustion chamber, and more horsepower. There are other benefits too; the water droplets stabilize and smooth the flame front in the combustion chamber suppressing detonation. By suppressing detonation, the engine can operate at higher BMEP (brake mean effective pressure), which also equates to greater horsepower. 
     The only downside is a higher rate of acid build up in the oil, which is detrimental to the engines bearing surfaces. This happens without water injection, as part of the normal bi-product of combustion is water vapor which combines in the oil to form acids. An engine using water injection would have to have its oil changed more frequently. 
     Prior Art water injection systems typically employed an atomizer type misting sprayer to inject water droplets into the intake of an engine. However, such an atomizer sprayer may not provide consistent, uniform, and small enough droplets of water. A finer and more consistent mist may provide better performance for a water injection system. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The solution to the above mentioned problems, is to use what is termed herein a bimodal Fan. The fan is designed to be able to vary its flow rate and therefore its thrust and power requirement. Pressure ratio does not change. This is analogous to a variable pitch propeller which changes its pitch with decreasing air density and increasing airspeed to optimize performance. This is accomplished in the bimodal Fan by having two concentric but separate flow paths. The inner flow path may be fully open all the time and may be sized to provide best take off performance with the horsepower available. The second, outer flow path, concentric to the first, may be fully closed at take off, by a radial array of movable vanes or shutters. 
     In a second embodiment of the present invention, a low loss heat exchanger may be provided, the purpose of which is to transfer the waste heat of the Otto Cycle engine, (from the exhaust and cooling water), directly to the fan discharge air down stream of the fan. This serves two purposes: removal of he engine&#39;s waste heat, and boosting the fan system&#39;s effective thermal efficiency by increasing the enthalpy of the working fluid (fan discharge air). The heat exchanger may be constructed of a cluster of thin walled tubes which vary in cross sectional shape. 
     Using the primary fan to supercharge the engine provides an additional 6-8,000 feet of altitude capability, increasing cruising speed and lowering fuel consumption for a given speed and reducing engine wear. It also may be beneficial to a turbo-charged engine by either increasing its altitude capability over that offered by the turbo-charger alone, or reduce engine wear by letting the turbo-charger operate at a lower boost pressure than it would by itself but maintaining the same level of performance. The fan supercharger system is very simple: pressurized air from the inner fan flow path may be routed through hollow struts that inject it into a collector plenum which may be attached to the outside of the outer flow path shell. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, an air mister nozzle uses high velocity air through an annular orifice. Instead of the classic perfume type mister (atomizer) which is an air jet intersecting a small water tube, this nozzle uses air from a small centrifugal blower or fan, to create the same bernoulli effect. The crucial difference is the geometry and construction of the nozzle itself. Air enters through the rear of the nozzle and passes through an array of holes into a plenum chamber. 
     The center bullet provides the contour for the narrow annular nozzle. The bullet is concentric to the nozzle body and fastened in place by a lock-nut. The narrow annular gap is on the order of 0.010 inches all the way around. The advantage of this, is that it provides the opportunity to precisely control the entry of the water into the high velocity flow stream. This is accomplished by a circumferential gap leading from an annular water chamber to the nozzle annulus. 
     Water is metered through a simple orifice (not shown) and brought to the nozzle by flexible tubing. The water enters the nozzle and fills the annular water chamber which feeds water to the circumferential gap introducing water into the airflow. As water emerges from the small gap, the shearing action of the high velocity air forms the small droplets desired for this application. This type of nozzle allows for even, efficient distribution of water with a limited amount of air mass flow, and at modest pressures. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side cutaway view of the apparatus of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 1 illustrating further details of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a side cutaway view of the water nozzle of an alterative embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of the water nozzle of FIG. 3 along line A—A. 
     FIG. 5 is an enlargement of area B of the water nozzle of FIG.  3 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The solution to the above mentioned problems, is to use what is termed herein a bimodal Fan. The fan is designed to be able to vary its flow rate and therefore its thrust and power requirement. Pressure ratio does not change. This is analogous to a variable pitch propeller which changes its pitch with decreasing air density and increasing airspeed to optimize performance. 
     FIG. 1 is a side cutaway view of the apparatus of bimodal Fan of the present invention illustrating the two concentric but separate flow paths. Inner flow path  130  may be fully open all the time and may be sized to provide best take off performance with the horsepower available. The second, outer flow path  105 , concentric to the first, may be fully closed at take off, by a radial array of movable vanes or shutters  245 . Each vane  245  rides in a conventional bushing  230  and has a crank arm  215  attached to the outer end of its pivot shaft  210 . 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 1 illustrating further details of the present invention. Vane arms  215  may be in turn pinned to a synch-ring  225  which rides around the periphery of the fan case  235  and may be actuated by conventional means; (i.e., a pneumatic cylinder, hydraulic cylinder, mechanical gears, sprockets or the like). Sealing between the inner flow path  130  and outer flow path  105  may be accomplished by conventional labyrinth air seals  240 . 
     FIG. 2 also illustrates the relationship between inner rotor blade  265 , attached to outer rotor blade  270 . Inner stator  275  interacts with inner rotor  265  while outer stator  280  interacts with outer rotor  270  to produce thrust in two concentric paths. 
     As altitude increases, vanes  245  may be gradually opened by the pilot to increase airflow, and therefore thrust and airspeed. Likewise as the pilot descends, the vanes  245  may be gradually closed to prevent overloading of the engine, and provide for optimum low altitude thrust for approach and landing. 
     While the fan is operating in the low altitude configuration, (outer flow path  105  closed), the outer fan  270  may be turning at the same speed, but may be in fact stalled and using up some of the available power somewhat by “beating up” the air inside the outer flow path  105 . This may be referred to as windage loss, and would degrade low altitude performance somewhat. 
     Also, as the inlet may be sized for cruise at high altitude it may be too large at low altitude resulting in “spillage drag”, which may be the result of the excess air regurgitating out of the mouth of the inlet, and “spilling” down the sides of the aircraft increasing turbulence and drag, thus reducing performance during low altitude climb. 
     This may be eliminated with a variable inlet, but at the price of increased weight, complexity and cost, obviously, the bimodal Fan may be more expensive and slightly heavier than a conventional fan of the same size, however this should be more than offset by the bimodal fan&#39;s performance advantages. 
     The bimodal fan makes it possible to operate a conventional Otto Cycle engine at speeds beyond the reach of conventional propellers and be less costly to buy and operate than a gas turbine of similar performance. However, the bimodal fan of the present invention may be applied to many types of engines, including gas turbines and the like. 
     In a second embodiment of the present invention, a low loss heat exchanger  115  may be provided, the purpose of which is to transfer the waste heat of the Otto Cycle engine, (from the exhaust and cooling water), directly to the fan discharge air down stream of the fan. This serves two purposes; removal of the engine&#39;s waste heat, and boosting the fan system&#39;s effective thermal efficiency by increasing the enthalpy of the working fluid (fan discharge air). Heat exchanger  115  may be constructed of a cluster of thin walled tubes which vary in cross sectional shape. 
     At inlet end, the tube ends may be hexagonal in shape, nested together in a bundle to form a honeycomb arrangement. This should allow for an inlet to heat exchanger  115  that has minimal blockage drag effect for the incoming fan discharge air and minimal total pressure loss. The shape of the tube then transitions to a circular cross section so that cooling water medium can flow around it. After a given length the circular tube reverts back to the same hexagonal cross section shape to allow smooth exit of the fan discharge air. 
     Heat exchanger  115  for the cooling water may be fabricated from thin walled Aluminum tubing assembled into a bundle long enough to allow sufficient heat transfer form the cooling water to the fan discharge air. Cooling water may be fed in through inlet  145  and return to the engine via outlet  120 . The cooling water heat exchanger  115  may be followed by similar but shorter heat exchanger for the exhaust gases, fed with exhaust gases  150  as an inlet, with the exhaust gases exiting into the air stream of the fan through the inner nozzle  155 , only. 
     The exhaust heat exchanger  115  may be fabricated from a welded bundle of thin walled stainless steel tubes also starting with a hexagonal cross section. The tube bundle has a sheet metal shell around it to channel the entry of the engine exhaust gases through inlet  150 . The exhaust gases impinge on the outside of the tubes in the section where the tubes may be circular in cross section. The front hexagonal section may be welded between tubes to hold the tubes together in the bundle and seal the exhaust gases. 
     The middle circular cross section allows for some heat transfer form the exhaust gases to the fan discharge air, but also functions as a manifold to evenly distribute the exhaust gases within the fan discharge tube. Lastly the tubes revert to their hexagonal cross section but with one important difference. The tubes nest together, but the gaps between the tubes may be not welded shut. The gaps allow the exhaust gases to squirt into the fan discharge stream  155  only, in an evenly distributed manner. 
     By using this honeycomb distribution method, the fan stream air should be heated evenly with low total pressure loss; which results in a net gain of the fluid velocity and an increase in fan system&#39;s thrust and efficiency. 
     The addition of these heat exchanger  115  may add cost, and modest amount of weight, which may be viewed a penalty. Also, even though the hexagonal configuration should have a minimal total pressure loss penalty, it won&#39;t be zero. 
     Using the primary fan to supercharge the engine provides an additional 6,000 to 8,000 feet of altitude capability, increasing cruising speed and lowering fuel consumption for a given speed and reducing engine wear. It also may be beneficial to a turbo-charged engine by either increasing its altitude capability over that offered by the turbo-charger alone, or reduce engine wear by letting the turbo-charger operate at a lower boost pressure than it would by itself but maintaining the same level of performance. 
     The fan supercharger system is very simple: pressurized air  110  from the inner fan flow path may be routed through hollow struts  135  that inject it into a collector plenum  140  which may be attached to case  235  outside of outer flow path  105 . At the top of the annular collector plenum  140  may be a pipe nipple to attach a hose that transmits the higher pressure air directly to the intake system of the Otto Cycle engine, or the inlet to the turbo-supercharger. The penalties of this system may be small. There may be a slight weight, cost, complexity increase. However, such system may in fact be less costly and weigh less than a conventional turbo or super-charger. 
     FIG. 3 is a side cutaway view of the water nozzle of an alterative embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of the water nozzle of FIG. 3 along line A—A. FIG. 5 is an enlargement of area B of the water nozzle of FIG.  3 . In this embodiment of the present invention, an air mister nozzle uses high velocity air through an annular orifice  520 . Instead of the classic perfume type mister (atomizer) which is an air jet intersecting a small water tube, this nozzle uses air from a small centrifugal blower or fan, to create the same bernoulli effect. 
     The crucial difference is the geometry and construction of the nozzle itself. Air enters through the rear  350  of the nozzle and passes through an array of holes into a plenum chamber (See, FIG.  4 ). Center bullet  310  provides the contour for the narrow annular nozzle  520 . Center bullet  310  is concentric to the nozzle body and fastened in place by a lock-nut  340 . The narrow annular gap  520  is on the order of 0.010 inches all the way around. 
     Water enters through inlet  330  into annular water chamber  320 . The advantage of this arrangement is that it provides the opportunity to precisely control the entry of the water into the high velocity flow stream. This is accomplished by a circumferential gap  510  leading from the annular water chamber  320  to the nozzle annulus. Water is metered through a simple orifice (not shown) and brought to the nozzle by flexible tubing. The water enters the nozzle and fills the annular water chamber  320  which feeds water to the circumferential gap  510  introducing water into the airflow. 
     As water emerges from the small gap  510 , the shearing action of the high velocity air forms the small droplets desired for this application. This type of nozzle allows for even, efficient distribution of water with a limited amount of air mass flow, and at modest pressures. Development and testing may determine the optimal size for bullet  310 , annular nozzle size, to circumferential gap size to produce optimal droplet size and spray pattern for a given air flow/pressure for a given application. The metering orifice can be changed or even made variable to control flow. 
     An optional embodiment may include a dual circuit where the nozzle could be fed by two separate water circuits, each with its own metering orifice; one for max load condition, and one for cruise condition. 
     While the preferred embodiment and various alternative embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it may be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.