| CPC B64C 21/04 (2013.01) [B64C 2039/105 (2013.01); B64C 2230/06 (2013.01)] | 16 Claims |
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1. A drag reduction system for an aircraft, comprising:
an aircraft component comprising a skin panel having an inner surface and an outer surface for contact with an ambient flow,
wherein the outer surface comprises an upstream area for laminar flow and a downstream area for turbulent flow and/or transitional flow,
wherein the skin panel comprises
a plurality of first micro pores for blowing air from inside the aircraft component into the ambient flow, the first micro pores being arranged in the downstream area of the outer surface of the skin panel,
a plurality of second micro pores arranged in the upstream area of the outer surface of the skin panel,
wherein the system comprises a hybrid laminar flow control (HLFC) system configured to suction boundary layer air from the ambient flow through the second micro pores and direct the suctioned air into an HLFC exhaust path,
wherein inside the aircraft component a plenum is provided for pressurized air to be discharged through the second micro pores,
wherein the plenum is in fluid connection to a cabin air ejector to provide the pressurized air from the cabin,
wherein the plenum is also in fluid connection to a ram air inlet to provide the pressurized air in form of ambient air,
wherein the ambient air is mixed with the cabin air,
wherein the plenum is further connected to a multi-purpose pump that is also connected to an air exhaust of the hybrid laminar flow control (HLFC) system,
wherein the multi-purpose pump is disposed downstream of the HLFC system and is fluidly connected to the air exhaust, and
wherein the multi-purpose pump is configured to receive the HLFC exhaust air from the air exhaust and configured to mix HLFC exhaust air with the cabin air and ambient air in the plenum.
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