# US 10,371,052 B2 · Integrated thermal management with nacelle laminar flow control for geared architecture gas turbine engine > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,371,052 B2 - Document ID: US10371052B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/768,798 - Filed: 2014-02-25 - Published: 2015-12-31 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-02-28 - Assignees: United Technologies Corporation - Applicants: United Technologies Corporation - Inventors: JinQuan Xu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10371052B2 ## CPC - F02C 7/047: Heating to prevent icing - F02C 7/12: Cooling of plants (of component parts, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. F01D; cooling of engines in general F01P) - F02C 7/14: of fluids in the plant {, e.g. lubricant or fuel (F02C7/185 takes precedence)} - F02C 7/36: Power transmission arrangements between the different shafts of the gas turbine plant, or between the gas-turbine plant and the power user ({F02C3/107 - F02C3/13 and} F02C7/32 take precedence; couplings for transmitting rotation F16D; gearing in general F16H) - F02K 3/06: with front fan - F02C 7/045: having provisions for noise suppression - F05D 2260/40311: of the epicyclical, planetary or differential type - Y02T 50/60: Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft - F02C: GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (construction of turbines F01D; jet-propulsion plants F02K; construction of compressors or fans F04; generating combustion products of high pressure or high velocity F23R; using gas turbines in compression refrigeration plants F25B11/00) - F02K: JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (features of jet-propulsion plants common to gas-turbine plants, air intakes or fuel supply control of air-breathing jet-propulsion plants F02C7/00, F02C9/00) - F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A thermal management system for a gas turbine engine includes a heat exchanger in fluid communication with a geared architecture and a heating compartment. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A thermal management system for a gas turbine engine comprising: a geared architecture to drive a fan at a lower speed than a low spool; a heating compartment located within an inlet of a fan nacelle, the fan nacelle surrounds the fan; and a heat exchanger in fluid communication with said geared architecture and said heating compartment. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said heat exchanger is in fluid communication with said geared architecture and said heating compartment via a heat exchange fluid. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said heat exchanger is in fluid communication with said geared architecture through a fluid plenum. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system as recited in claim 3, wherein said fluid plenum at least partially surrounds said geared architecture. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is in fluid communication with an oil system of said geared architecture. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said fan and said low spool are defined along an engine axis. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system as recited in claim 6, further comprising a high spool along the engine axis. ### Claim 8 A gas turbine engine comprising: a geared architecture to drive a fan at a lower speed than a low spool, wherein said fan and said low spool are defined along an engine axis; a heating compartment within an inlet of a nacelle, said fan located within said nacelle; and a heat exchanger in fluid communication with said heating compartment, the heat exchanger located within the nacelle generating a thermal gradient that encourages a sustained stabilization of a boundary-layer adjacent to the nacelle; a fluid plenum that at least partially surrounds the geared architecture, said heat exchanger in fluid communication with said geared architecture. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 8, wherein said nacelle is a fan nacelle. ### Claim 10 A method of thermal management for a gas turbine engine, comprising: vaporizing a heat exchange fluid to form a vaporized heat exchange fluid with heat from a geared architecture that drives a fan at a lower speed than a low spool, wherein said fan and said low spool are defined along an engine axis; and communicating the vaporized heat exchange fluid to a heating compartment located within an inlet of a nacelle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising deicing the inlet of the nacelle with the vaporized heat exchange fluid. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising generating a thermal gradient that encourages a sustained stabilization of a boundary-layer over the nacelle to facilitate laminar airflow. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising generating a thermal gradient that encourages a sustained stabilization of a boundary-layer over the inlet of the nacelle to facilitate laminar airflow. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising communicating the heat exchange fluid into a fluid plenum that at least partially surrounds the geared architecture. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method as recited in claim 10, wherein vaporizing the heat exchange fluid is performed by heat from the geared architecture. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising communicating the vaporized heat exchange fluid from the heat exchanger as a vapor. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising communicating the vaporized heat exchange fluid to the heating compartment as a vapor.