Propulsion

EAS 3503
Engine Inlet

Merle Battel
Nordiana Ibrahim
Isabelle Minderjahn
Samira Eshghi
Ng Kuang chie
nurul Farehah

Content

TASK OF INLET
INTAKE CONFIGURATIONS
SUPERSONIC INLET
SUBSONIC INLET
DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS
MATERIAL

Task of an inlet
To offer a sufficient airflow for the compressor
and the fan during all velocities and conditions it
should be:
Homogene across the area
Minimized in losses
Flow velocities below speed of sound
Parallel to acsis
Laminar

Higher efficiency

Inlet arrangement
The inlet and the following engine pod should be arranged like they
do not disturb the aerodynamic characters of the airplane
configuration.

The inlet breathes the

air the engine needs.

Air flow
The airflow is devided in an inner and an outer airflow in
front of the Engine due to the streamtube

The inner airflow mainly provides the air supply for the
engine
The outer airflow influences the airodynamic characteristics
of the plane

Streamtube
The streamtube works like a diffuser.

The inner geometry decellerates the

incoming airflow

What happens during the flight

Due to the diffuser the airflow

velocity is reduced from v0 to v2
v2 < v0

Bernoulli sais:

p0+/2*v2+gh0 = p2+/2*v2^2+gh2
h0 = h 2
p0+/2*v0^2 = p2+/2*v2^2
v2 < v0

p2 > p 0

As you can see in the Bernoulli equation the static

pressure p2 inside the inlet increases

Total pressure
During the air flows through the inlet there occure losses
Because of friction drag.
Therefore the total pressure decreases pt2 < pt0

Temperature
The temperature is constant because of a adiabate system

While standing at the ground

Due to the removed air from the inlet surface there is a worse
Effieciency.
E = ptreal/ ptideal = p2t/ p1t

INTAKE CONFIGURATIONS
The air flow enters the intake and is required to reach the
engine face with optimum levels of total pressure and flow
uniformity. These properties are important to the
performance and stability of engine operation. Selection of
the correct type of intake and the associated inlet
geometry has important consequences to any airplane
design. For that reason, intake design receives considerable
attention in the design phase of an airplane.
Broadly the intake configurations may be classified as;
1. Piston engine intakes
2. Turbo propeller intakes
3. Jet Engine Intakes: Subsonic
4. Jet Engine Intakes: Supersonic

INTAKE CONFIGURATIONS
The air flow enters the intake and is required to reach the
engine face with optimum levels of total pressure and flow
uniformity. These properties are important to the
performance and stability of engine operation. Selection of
the correct type of intake and the associated inlet
geometry has important consequences to any airplane
design. For that reason, intake design receives considerable
attention in the design phase of an airplane.
Broadly the intake configurations may be classified as;
1. Piston engine intakes
2. Turbo propeller intakes
3. Jet Engine Intakes: Subsonic
4. Jet Engine Intakes: Supersonic

Jet Engine Intakes: Subsonic

These are of the following types:
1. Plenum Intake
2. Bifurcated Intake
3. Podded nacelle Inlet
4. Pitot Inlet
5. NACA Submerged Inlet

1. Plenum Intake
These are used mainly in
combination with doublesided
centrifugal
flow
compressors. In this case the
engine is installed in a region
of large volume, the plenum
chamber, in order that front
and rear compressor intakes
can receive equal air
supplies. The aircraft intake
feeds directly into the
plenum chamber.
Figure shows a sectional view
of plenum intake.

2. Bifurcated intakes
Bifurcated intakes
are used primarily
in single engine
installations with
side intakes
Figure shows a
subsonic bifurcated
intake.

3. Podded Nacelle Inlet

4. Pitot intake
Pitot type intakes have been
applied to many fighter
airplanes. They are not
influenced by the flow field of
other airplane components.
However, they require very
long ducts which cause extra
weight and loss in pressure
recovery

5. NACA submerged Inlet

The NACA submerged type intake is not very
efficient for use with propulsion installations.
However, they are frequently used as intakes
of auxiliary systems (auxiliary power unit,
heating and avionics bay cooling

Modification and characteristic of Jet

Engines inlet/intake
The first airplanes built were all propeller-driven,
with propellers powered by engines. Propellerdriven engine also been used to the automobile.

 The major breakthrough in commercial aviation

occurred with the introduction of the Turbojet
engine or jet-propulsion-driven in 1952. Here the
air intake is the diffuser where the pressure of air
rises slightly as it decelerated in the diffuser
before enter the compressor.

 But since Propeller-driven engine has the

limitations and essentially identical to automobile
engines, and jet-propulsion-driven has their own
strengths, they try to combine this both
characteristic of engine which then become the
Turbofan (fanjet) engine.

 The Turbofan has higher efficiency compared to

the Turbojet engine by its fat cowling covering
the large fan at the inlet of engine. Here, a bypass
has occurred where some of air enters the inlet
will flow surrounding the engine and some will
enter into the engine. The fan exhaust leaves the
duct (cowl) at a higher velocity, thus enhancing
the total thrust of the engine significantly.

 Bypass ratio is the ratio of the mass flow rate of air

bypassing the combustion chamber (surrounding the
engine) to that of air flowing through it (into the engine).
Increasing the bypass ratio of a turbofan engine
increases thrust. Thus, it makes sense to modify the
Turbofan engine by remove the cowl from the fan and
the result is a Turboprop (propjet) engine. Noted that
Propellers are more efficient than jet engines, but they
are limited to low-speed and low-altitude operation
since their efficiency decreases at high speeds and
altitudes.

 Another modification that has been made to the

turbojet engine is the addition of an afterburner
section between the turbine and the nozzle which
popular in military aircraft. Whenever a need for extra
thrust arises, such as for short takeoffs or combat
conditions, additional fuel is injected into the oxygenrich combustion gases leaving the turbine. As a result
of this added energy, the exhaust gases leave at a
higher velocity, providing a greater thrust.

Supersonic Inlet

What does supersonic mean?

Flying with Mach > 1

result:
shocks, which are a source
of non-viscose losses

Conclusion

change the inlet geometry

internal compression

external
compression

mixed compression

Subsonic Inlets

straight,
short
Aircraft that cannot go faster than the speed simple,
inlet
of sound, such as: large airliners, some
combat aircrafts and virtually all jet training the surface of the inlet from
aircrafts
outside to inside is a continuous
smooth curve with some
thickness from inside to outside
elliptical ,half circular ,or even
irregular cross section ,with
intake mounted on the fuselage
sided or under the fuselage .

Typical Streamline
Patterns for Subsonic
Inlet

1) Pre-Take off Static :

As the ambient air is nominally at
rest
the air within the inlet duct must be
accelerated to the velocity required
by the compressor.
In this static case the intake acts
like a sink drain in that it has a core
depression drawing in fluid.
In engine case the fluid is air which
is drawn from around the nacelle,
even from behind the intake lip

Design Consideration

Airflow from behind the lip, is

forced around the sharply-bent lip
counter
the flow may separate due to
extreme local acceleration.
Separated flow entering the engine
critically degrade engine
performance.

2)

Static plus Crosswind:

Another source of impairing intake performance.

On the windward side of the air intake, the
crosswind component adds to the flow at the lip,
leading to a further increase of excess velocity
there.
If the crosswind is strong enough, velocity at the lip
may even exceed the speed of sound locally, with
separated flow entering the compressor.
possible damage of blades.

Operational consideration

aircraft are restricted

from applying full
thrust before the
aircraft has attained a
specific minimum
ground rolling speed.

3) Low Speed Flight:

As the aircraft accelerates further during the ground roll,
the streamline pattern at the air intake changes.

Because air is no longer induced from downstream of the

lip, disturbance from aircraft components in that area are
largely eliminated.
as long as the aircraft has not achieved a velocity suitable
for the compressor, airflow will continue to be accelerated
within the intake duct, though to a lesser degree.

This fact is reflected by the

streamtube pattern approaching the
intake. Because airflow within the
streamtube corresponds to mass flow
rate of the engine, a contraction of
the streamtube will be Observed, the
bounding streamlines of which will
terminate in stagnation points on the
cowl.

With aircraft velocity increasing,

stagnation points continue to move
forward of the cowl.

Determination of size of stream tube

the size of the stream tube may be determined by applying the
continuity considerations.
(Mass flow rate at cross-section A0) = (mass flow rate at the compressor face A2) = (engine mass flow)

m.0=m.2
Station 0(upstream infinity):

m.0=p0v0A0
Station 2 (compressor face):

m.2=p2v2A2
cross section of the stream tube at upstream infinity :

A0= (p2/p0)*(v2/v0)*A2

Deceleration of airflow at high flight mach numbers or

aerodynamic compression with help of air intake
for an air breathing engine to function correctly compression
of air is a prerequisite.
Aerodynamic compression occurs in flow ducts whose crosssectional area gradually increases in stream wise direction.
A duct with the ability to retard the flow and convert energy
into pressure energy is termed as diffuser.

 At sufficiently high mach numbers (cruising flight) airflow

approaching the engine will be faster then would be tolerable
for the compressor.
Due to the diffuser action of air intake which is deceleration
of the air flow and a buildup of pressure, airstream velocity
will be adapted to the need of the compressor.
Additionally, due to the rise in pressure, a considerable
benefit to the engine cycles results so that less mechanical
energy is required for compression.

Pressure recovery and nose suction

to prevent the flow from separating , the interior surface of the
diffuser must be:
carefully shaped ,
smooth and,
unobstructed by steps or kinks.

The separation will result in partial loss of kinetic energy and its
conversion into unusable heat (friction )which results in a
degradation of total pressure.

If it were possible for the deceleration flow to convert all its of

kinetic energy into pressure , then total pressure of the flow would
remain constant and so-called pressure recovery would be 100%

Design Characteristic

 Straight and smooth

Boundary layer held to minimum
Length , shape and placement (depend on
position of the engine)
Supply proper airflow
Shaped correctly (even pressure distribution)

1. The duct pressure efficiency ratio

Ability to convert kinetic or dynamic pressure

energy at the inlet of the duct into static
pressure energy at the inlet of the compressor
without a loss in total pressure.

2. The ram recovery point

Aircraft speed at which the ram-pressure rise
= friction pressure losses, or that airspeed at
which the
compressor inlet total pressure = outside
ambient air pressure

Material

Nacelle is a cover housing (separate from the fuselage) that holds engines, fuel, or
equipment on an aircraft.
Fan helps to increase the flow of air into the engine's first compartment, the
compressor. As the fan drives air into it.

Nacelle
Nacelle (the engine casing) at earlier designs,
it formed from aluminum core but now it
formed from Kevlar.
Why Kevlar?- because it is far stronger and
lighter than earlier designs that used
aluminum core.

Fan
The intake fan at the front of the engine must be
extremely strong so that it doesn't fracture when
large birds and other debris are sucked into its
blades; it is thus made of a titanium alloy.
Why titanium alloys?very high tensile strength
toughness (even at extreme temperatures),
light weight,
extraordinary corrosion resistance,
ability to withstand extreme temperatures.

Propellers are usually constructed of

aluminum alloy (light weight, corrosion
resistance). The leading edge is
sometimes reinforced with nickel for
protection against rain, sand and stones.

References
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/inlet.html
http://soliton.ae.gatech.edu/people/jseitzma/classes/ae4451
/subsonic_inlet_sizing2.pdf
http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/chanrix-286541air-intake-presentation-science-technology-ppt-powerpoint/
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24418180/Study-of-Air-Intake-inaircraft-report

Thank You