14.

Inlet

14.3.1

Inlet Ducts

Introduction
Most modern passenger and military aircraft are powered by gas turbine engines, which
are also called jet engines. There are several different types of gas turbine engines, but
all turbine engines have some parts in common. All turbine engines have an inlet to
bring free stream air into the engine. The inlet sits upstream of the compressor and,
while the inlet does no work on the flow, there are some important design features of the
inlet. As shown in Figure 1, inlets come in a variety of shapes and sizes with the specifics
usually dictated by the speed of the aircraft.
Refer to Figure 1.

Figure 1 Typical Engine Inlets

14.3.1.1 Turbine Engine Entrance Ducts

Principles of Operations
The air entrance (or flight inlet) duct is normally considered to be part of the airframe,
not part of the engine. Nevertheless, it is usually identified as engine station number one.
The turbine engine inlet must give a supply of air to the compressor if the engine is to
obtain stall-free compressor performance. The inlet duct must also create as little drag
as possible. It has been discovered that even a small discontinuity of airflow can cause a
significant efficiency loss, as well as many unexplainable engine performance problems.
Therefore, it follows that, if the inlet duct is to retain its function of delivering air with
minimum turbulence, it must be maintained in as close-to-new condition as possible. If
repairs to this inlet become necessary, expertly installed flush patches are mandatory to
prevent drag. Moreover, the use of an inlet cover, when the aircraft is parked, is
recommended to promote cleanliness and to prevent corrosion and abrasion.

14.3.1.2 Subsonic Inlets

The inlet duct, such as those found on business and commercial jet aircraft, is of a fixed
geometry and has a divergent shape. A diverging duct progressively increases in
diameter from front to back, as can be seen in Figure 2. This duct is sometimes referred
to as an inlet diffuser because of its effect on pressure. Air enters the aerodynamically
contoured inlet at ambient pressure and starts to diffuse, arriving at the compressor at a
slightly increased static pressure.
Refer to Figure 2.
Divergent subsonic inlet duct

Figure 2 Subsonic Inlet Duct

Divergent duct effect on airflow

Figure 2 Subsonic Inlet Duct

Usually, the air is allowed to diffuse (increase in static pressure) in the front portion of
the duct and to progress at a fairly constant pressure past the engine inlet fairing (also
called inlet center body) to the compressor. The engine, in this manner, receives its air
with minimal turbulence and at a uniform pressure. The inlet pressure increases add
significantly to the mass airflow as the aircraft reaches its desired cruising speed. It is at
this speed that the compressor reaches its aerodynamic design point and produces the
best compression for the best fuel economy.

It is at this point in flight that the inlet, compressor, combustor, turbine and tailpipe are
designed to match with each other, as a unit. If any one section does not match the
others, for whatever reason, e.g. damage, contamination or ambient conditions, the
engine performance will be affected.
The turbofan inlet is similar in design to the turbojet except that it discharges only a
portion of its air into the engine, with the remainder passing into the fan.

Figure 3 shows 2 common airflow arrangements. One (Figure 3, detail a)) is a full-duct
design utilized on low and medium by-pass engines. The other (Figure 3, detail b)) is the
short-duct design of a high by-pass turbofan. The long ducting configuration reduces
surface drag of the fan discharge air and enhances thrust. Many of the older, high bypass engines cannot take advantage of this drag reduction concept because of the weight
penalty involved in the wide diameter of a long duct. New lightweight materials and
designs are, however, changing this situation in new generation engines.

a) Turbofan low and medium by-pass ratio

b) Turbofan high by-pass ratio

Figure 3 Airflow Arrangements of Turbofan Engines

Ram Pressure Recovery

As the aircraft moves forward, a condition known as ram pressure recovery takes place.
This is the point at which the pressure inside the inlet returns to ambient value. The
aircraft inlet, while stationary, will not generally have 100 % duct recovery. If the
ambient pressure (ps) is 14.7 pounds per square inch absolute (psia), the pressure at the
compressor inlet (pt) will be slightly less than 14.7 psia. However, as the aircraft moves
forward on the ground for take-off, (pt) will increase to 14.7 psia. This point is generally
reached in the average inlet duct at an aircraft speed of Mach 0.1 to Mach 0.2.
In Figure 4, note the gauge readings changing from a negative to a positive value as the
aircraft goes from ground static condition to flight condition. As the aircraft moves
faster in flight, the inlet will produce more and more ram compression. The engine will
take advantage of this condition by a corresponding increase in compressor pressure
ratio, creating more thrust with less and less fuel expenditure.

Flight condition

Temperature and pressure

Figure 4 Ram Pressure Recovery

14.3.1.3 Supersonic Inlets

Convergent-Divergent (C-D) Inlet Duct
A convergent-divergent (fixed or variable) inlet duct is required on all supersonic
aircraft. A variable geometry (changing shape and size) duct is used which can be
adjusted to suit speeds both above and below MACH 1.0. This type of inlet slows the
airflow to the correct subsonic speed at the face of the compressor. Subsonic airflow into
the compressor is required if the rotating airfoils are to remain free of shock wave
accumulation, which would be detrimental to the compression process.
Refer to Figure 5.

Figure 5 Gas Turbine Engine Parameters

1. Intake (inlet)
3. Combustion Chamber
5. Exhaust

2. Compressor
4. Turbine

Figure 5 Gas Turbine Engine Parameters

In order to vary the geometry (or shape) of the inlet, a movable restrictor is often
employed to form a convergent-divergent (C-D) shape of variable proportion. The C-D
shaped duct becomes necessary in reducing supersonic airflow to subsonic speeds. At
this point, it is important to remember that at subsonic flow rates, air flowing in a duct
acts as an incompressible liquid, but at supersonic flow rates air is compressed to the
point of creating the shock wave phenomenon.

Fixed Geometry C-D Duct (Non-adjustable)

Figure 6 shows a fixed geometry (non-adjustable) C-D inlet duct in which the
supersonic airflow is slowed by air compression and shock formation at its throat area.
Once reduced to Mach-1, the airflow enters the subsonic diffuser section where the
velocity is further reduced and its pressure increased before entering the engine
compressor. Some military aircraft, designed to fly at speeds up to Mach 2, utilize this
type of inlet.

Figure 6 Supersonic Convergent-Divergent (C-D) Inlet

Inlet Shock Wave
An inlet shock wave is very similar to shock waves common to aircraft wings and other
airfoils. A shock wave is defined as an accumulation of sound wave energy (or pressure)
developed when the wave, trying to move away from an object, is held in a stationary
position by the oncoming flow of air'. One useful aspect of a shock wave is that the
airflow passing through the high pressure shock region slows down.
Refer to Figure 7.

Figure 7 Shock Wave Formation

Figure 7 Shock Wave Formation

The supersonic diffuser type of inlet provides a means of creating both a shock wave
formation to reduce air velocity and a variable convergent-divergent shape to meet the
various flight conditions from take-off to cruise. Air velocity will drop to approx. Mach
0.8 in the back of the final shock wave and then to Mach 0.5 by diffusion.

Variable -geometry C-D Duct

Figure 8, detail a) shows a variable-geometry inlet in its high cruise shock wave
condition. It also shows a movable spike which acts to create more C-D effect when in its
forward position. Detail b) shows a movable wedge, which provides a similar function of
convergence, divergence and shock wave formation.

It also has a spill valve to dump unwanted ram air overboard at high speeds. Many
high-performance aircraft have an excess of mass flow at cruising speeds.
a)

Variable-geometry convergent-divergent supersonic inlet (movable spike)

b)

Variable-throat-area inlet

Figure 8 Variable Supersonic Inlets

Figure 8 Variable Supersonic Inlets

Figure 9 shows another popular supersonic inlet, this time with a movable plug. In very
high speed flight, the inlet receives too much air due to the ram effect. This inlet
restricts the airflow as well as controls shock formation by slowing the airflow to
subsonic speed before it enters the engine.

Figure 9 Movable-plug Inlet

Forms of Supersonic Inlets

An inlet for a supersonic aircraft has a relatively sharp lip. The inlet lip is sharpened to
minimize the performance losses from shock waves that occur during supersonic flight.
For a supersonic aircraft, the inlet must slow the flow down to subsonic speeds before
the air reaches the compressor. Some supersonic inlets use a central cone to shock the
flow down to subsonic speeds. Other inlets use flat hinged plates to generate the
compression shocks, with the resulting inlet geometry having a rectangular cross
section. This kind of inlet is seen on the F-14 and F-15 fighter aircraft. There are other
types of inlet shapes used on aircraft for a variety of reason (see Figure 10).
Refer to Figure 10.

Figure 10 Supersonic Inlet Ducts (Examples)

Figure 10 Supersonic Inlet Ducts (Examples)

14.3.1.4 Compressor Inlet Screens, Sand and Ice Separators

The use of compressor inlet screens is usually limited to rotorcraft, turboprops and
ground turbine installations. Screens have been tried in high subsonic flight engines in
the past, but icing and screen fatigue failure caused so many maintenance problems that
the use of inlet screens has for the most part been avoided. When aircraft are fitted with
inlet screens for protection against foreign object ingestion, they may be located
internally or externally at either the inlet duct or the engine compressor inlet.
In the sand separator shown in Figure 11, inlet suction causes particles of sand and
other small debris to be directed by centrifugal loading into the sediment trap.
Refer to Figure 11.

Figure 11 Sand Separator (Centrifugal)

In another application of the sand and ice separator a movable vane can be extended
into the inlet airstream. This causes a sudden turn in the engine inlet air, and sand or ice
particles continue out undetected because of their greater momentum. The movable
vane in this installation is operated by the pilot through a control handle in the cockpit.
Refer to Figure 12

Figure 12 Sand Separator (Inertial)