Project Case Studies

Circulation Control Inlet Guide Vanes

Contract awarded as a Phase II SBIR
Sponsor: Propulsion Directorate 
Air Force Research Laboratory

Goal:
Design a fixed geometry, flow-controlled Inlet Guide Vane (IGV) with variable flow turning capabilities to replace existing mechanically flapped IGVs.

Approach:
To replace mechanically controlled IGVs, a new and simpler IGV will be designed to incorporate the use of a flow control jet and the resulting Coanda effect on the trailing edge of the airfoil. The result is an IGV, capable of vectoring the inlet flow without being mechanically actuated, with the potential to reduce engine weight and maintenance costs. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to optimize an IGV geomtery. Techsburg is in the process of manufacturing the harware for a test rig to experimentally evaluate the performance of the optimized IGV design.

Military & Commercial Applications:
The successful use of circulation control IGVs that provide variable flow control through the use of a Coanda jet can replace existing flapped IGVs in modern high-performance gas turbine engines. The elimination of the complex linkages and actuators required to drive the current IGVs will reduce both engine weight as well as maintenance costs. This technology can also be applied to variable stators in compressors.