US 11,933,220 B1
Systems and methods for controlling an air flow path for a propulsion system air intake
Raja Ramamurthy, Montreal (CA); Eray Akcayoz, Cote-Saint-Luc (CA); Mark Cunningham, Montreal (CA); and Roberto Marrano, Boucherville (CA)
Assigned to Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp., Longueuil (CA)
Filed by Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp., Longueuil (CA)
Filed on Oct. 31, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/977,737.
Int. Cl. F02C 7/05 (2006.01); F02C 7/042 (2006.01); F02C 7/057 (2006.01); F02C 9/18 (2006.01)
CPC F02C 7/05 (2013.01) [F02C 7/042 (2013.01); F02C 7/057 (2013.01); F02C 9/18 (2013.01); F05D 2220/323 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An air intake for an aircraft propulsion system, the air intake comprising:
an air inlet duct, the air inlet duct including an intake inlet and a gas path floor of the air intake;
a core flow duct, the core flow duct including a core flow outlet, the core flow duct extending between and to the air inlet duct and the core flow outlet;
a bypass flow duct, the bypass flow duct including a bypass flow outlet, the bypass flow duct extending between and to the air inlet duct and the bypass flow outlet, the bypass flow duct including the gas path floor;
a splitter separating the core flow duct and the bypass flow duct;
a flow control device including an inflatable boot and a fluid regulator, the inflatable boot is disposed on a portion of the gas path floor facing the splitter, the inflatable boot is selectively positionable in a fully inflated position, a fully deflated position, and a plurality of intermediate positions between the fully inflated position and the fully deflated position to control an air flow path for air flowing through the air inlet duct, the core flow duct, and the bypass flow duct, and the fluid regulator is connected in fluid communication with a pressurized fluid source to direct a pressurized fluid from the pressurized fluid source to the inflatable boot to selectively position the inflatable boot; and
an engine control system, the engine control system in signal communication with the fluid regulator, the engine control system including a processor in communication with a non-transitory memory storying instructions, which instructions when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
identify a cruising condition of the aircraft propulsion system; and
control the fluid regulator to selectively position the inflatable boot in the fully inflated position based on the identified cruising condition.