US 11,835,064 B1
Electric fan array for distortion tolerance of turbofan engines
Robert W. Heeter, Indianapolis, IN (US); Daniel E. Molnar, Jr., Indianapolis, IN (US); Kathryn A. Sontag, Indianapolis, IN (US); and Michael G. Meyer, Indianapolis, IN (US)
Assigned to Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc., Indianapolis, IN (US); and Rolls-Royce Corporation, Indianapolis, IN (US)
Filed by Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc., Indianapolis, IN (US); and Rolls-Royce Corporation, Indianapolis, IN (US)
Filed on Dec. 27, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/089,029.
Int. Cl. F04D 29/66 (2006.01); F02C 3/04 (2006.01); F02C 6/00 (2006.01); F04D 25/06 (2006.01); F04D 27/00 (2006.01); F02C 9/16 (2006.01)
CPC F04D 29/661 (2013.01) [F02C 3/04 (2013.01); F02C 6/00 (2013.01); F02C 9/16 (2013.01); F04D 25/06 (2013.01); F04D 27/004 (2013.01); F05D 2220/76 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A gas turbine engine comprising
an outer case that extends circumferentially around an axis of the gas turbine engine to define a portion of a flow path of the gas turbine engine,
an engine core arranged radially inward of the outer case that extends along the axis of the gas turbine engine, the engine core including a compressor configured to rotate about the axis of the gas turbine engine to compress the air that flows into the engine core, a combustor configured to receive the compressed air from the compressor, and a turbine coupled to the compressor and configured to rotate about the axis of the gas turbine engine in response to receiving hot, high-pressure products of the combustor to drive rotation of the compressor, and
a fan system including a fan array located axially forward of the engine core that replaces a mechanically driven fan and a control unit coupled to the fan array, the fan array having a plurality of electric fans spaced apart around the axis of the gas turbine engine that are each configured to rotate about a fan axis, and the control unit configured to vary individually a rotation speed of each electric fan included in the fan array in response to a pressure differential in the flow path of the gas turbine engine upstream of the engine core to minimize pressure and swirl distortions in the gas turbine engine.