3 ms·

The vortex dissipators are interesting! Hard to imagine that gravel or dirt wouldn't get tossed into the jet intake and cause massive damage. Their solution is

The vortex dissipators are interesting! Hard to imagine that gravel or dirt wouldn't get tossed into the jet intake and cause massive damage. Their solution is three air jets blowing air down and aft from the front of each intake at 55psi, which apparently worked. I wonder though if despite this gravel sometimes still went through and damaged turbine fan blades.

jseutter 7y ago
Yeah, I also find it hard to believe that gravel doesn't get sucked into the jet intake. The Sam Chui video mentioned above is fascinating and shows the system in regular use in northern Canada. The aviation stack exchange has an article with pictures of the vortices created by jet engines: https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/21219/how-does-this-vortex-form-inside-a-jet-engine https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/21219/how-does-... . Basically jet engines create low pressure air near the ground and the dissipators cancel it out by supplying air. I imagine the dissipators point aftwards because the engine passing over the ground acts like a venturi and so the low pressure region is directly under the engine. I originally thought the intake would be creating low pressure..
rpeden 7y ago
The vortex dissipators are aimed at preventing the engines from forming vortices that would suck up gravel from directly below, like the ones you see in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEgiqCZLJqQ&feature=youtu.be&t=3m11s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEgiqCZLJqQ&feature=youtu.be... On the 737-200, I think the engines sit far enough back in the nacelles that the won't be able to suck in anything form below if the vortices don't form: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Boeing_737-200_%28Brasilia_Air_Base%29_JT8D.jpg?1567178864795 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Boeing_7...

jseutter 7y ago

Yeah, I also find it hard to believe that gravel doesn't get sucked into the jet intake. The Sam Chui video mentioned above is fascinating and shows the system in regular use in northern Canada. The aviation stack exchange has an article with pictures of the vortices created by jet engines: https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/21219/how-does-this-vortex-form-inside-a-jet-engine https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/21219/how-does-... . Basically jet engines create low pressure air near the ground and the dissipators cancel it out by supplying air. I imagine the dissipators point aftwards because the engine passing over the ground acts like a venturi and so the low pressure region is directly under the engine. I originally thought the intake would be creating low pressure..

rpeden 7y ago

The vortex dissipators are aimed at preventing the engines from forming vortices that would suck up gravel from directly below, like the ones you see in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEgiqCZLJqQ&feature=youtu.be&t=3m11s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEgiqCZLJqQ&feature=youtu.be... On the 737-200, I think the engines sit far enough back in the nacelles that the won't be able to suck in anything form below if the vortices don't form: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Boeing_737-200_%28Brasilia_Air_Base%29_JT8D.jpg?1567178864795 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Boeing_7...