Inlet Flow Angularity Descriptors Proposed for Use With Gas Turbine Engines

A need to standardize the characterization of inlet flow angularity distortion has been recognized within the gas turbine engine community. Because Honeywell products are installed in a vast variety of applications, its gas turbine engines are exposed to a wider range of swirl distortion than the rest of the industry. This includes installations such as business and regional aircraft propulsion engines, Auxiliary Power Units (APU's), helicopter engines, tank engines and marine engines. Consequently, the authors have derived a set of angularity descriptors for use on Honeywell gas turbine engines. These swirl descriptors can accommodate all Honeywell products and can serve the rest of the industry, as well. The angularity distortion descriptor definition lends itself to modeling and predicting the performance impact on the downstream components.