Back to results
US 11,077,949 B2Granted
Dual turbine thermal management system (TMS)
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsWilliam W. Behrens, Andrew R. Tucker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermal management system for an aircraft engine. The thermal management system extracts interstage engine bleed air from the engine's compressor and performs three stage cooling of the interstage engine bleed air using two heat exchangers and a vapor cycle system evaporator. The cooled air is then further cooled by expansion through a set of turbines and subsequently used as a heat sink for heat loads on the aircraft.
Claims20
A thermal management system (TMS) comprising:
- a fan drawing a first portion of ram air into an engine compressor in an aircraft engine core and a second portion of the ram air into an engine duct bypassing the aircraft engine core;
- the engine compressor compressing the first portion of the ram air so as to form compressed air, the engine compressor including a first compressor stage, a final compressor stage, and one or more intermediate compressor stages between the first compressor stage and the final compressor stage, each of the intermediate compressor stages compressing the compressed air outputted from a previous intermediate compressor stage or first compressor stage so as to form interstage compressed air;
- a duct system transporting a portion of the interstage compressed air (engine bleed air) from the engine compressor;
- a first heat exchanger connected to the duct system and the engine duct the first heat exchanger transferring first heat (H1) from the engine bleed air in the duct system to the second portion of the ram air in the engine duct, so as to cool the engine bleed air into first cooled air in the duct system;
- a second heat exchanger connected to a fuel line and to the duct system downstream of the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger transferring second heat (H2) from the first cooled air to the fuel in the fuel line so as to cool the first cooled air into second cooled air in the duct system;
- a vapor cycle system (VCS) including an evaporator connected to the duct system downstream of the second heat exchanger, the evaporator cooling the second cooled air into third cooled air in the duct system;
- a first turbine connected to the duct system downstream of the evaporator the first turbine expanding the third cooled air cooled from the engine bleed air compressed in the intermediate compressor stage using a first pressure ratio (PR1), so as to form first expanded cooled air having a temperature lower than the third cooled air;
- and
- a second turbine connected to the duct system downstream of the evaporator, the second turbine expanding the third cooled air cooled from the engine bleed air compressed in the intermediate compressor stage using a second pressure ratio (PR2) greater than the first pressure ratio (PR1), so as to form second expanded cooled air having a temperature lower than the third cooled air, wherein the third cooled air does not flow through both the first turbine and the second turbine;
- a turbine shaft connected to the first turbine and the second turbine so that rotation of the first turbine and/or the second turbine in response to flow of the third cooled air through the first turbine and/or second turbine drives the turbine shaft;
- and
- a third heat exchanger coupled to the duct system downstream of the first turbine and the second turbine, the third heat exchanger transferring third heat (H3) from a heat load to the first expanded cooled air or the second expanded cooled air when the heat load is coupled to the third heat exchanger.
9 more elements
A thermal management system, comprising:
- a fan drawing a first portion of ram air into an engine compressor in an aircraft engine core and a second portion of the ram air into an engine duct bypassing the aircraft engine core;
- the engine compressor compressing the first portion of the ram air so as to form compressed air, the engine compressor including a first compressor stage, a final compressor stage, and one or more intermediate compressor stages between the first compressor stage and the final compressor stage, each of the intermediate compressor stages compressing the compressed air outputted from a previous intermediate compressor stage or first compressor stage so as to form interstage compressed air;
- a cooling system connected to the engine compressor, the cooling system cooling a portion of the interstage compressed air (engine bleed air) outputted from the engine compressor, the cooling system including:
- a first turbine, the first turbine expanding the engine bleed air compressed in the intermediate compressor stage using a first pressure ratio (PR1), so as to form first expanded cooled air having a temperature lower than the engine bleed air;
- a second turbine, the second turbine expanding the engine bleed air compressed in the intermediate compressor stage using a second pressure ratio (PR2) greater than the first pressure ratio (PR1), so as to form second expanded cooled air having a temperature lower than the engine bleed air, wherein the bleed air does not flow through both the first turbine and the second turbine;
- and
- a turbine shaft connected to the first turbine and the second turbine so that rotation of the first turbine and/or the second turbine in response to flow and expansion of the engine bleed air through the first turbine and/or second turbine drives the turbine shaft;
- and
- a third heat exchanger transferring heat (H3) from a heat load to the first expanded cooled air or the second expanded cooled air when the heat load is coupled to the third heat exchanger.
6 more elements
A device for cooling air from an aircraft engine of an aircraft comprising an engine body housing an engine core;
- a fan disposed upstream of the engine core so as to draw ram air into the engine core;
- and the engine core including an engine compressor compressing a first portion of the ram air so as to form hot air;
- said device comprising:
- a duct system for transporting the hot air from the engine core;
- means for directing a second portion of the ram air comprising cold air outside the engine core;
- a first heat exchanger for transferring first heat (H1) from the hot air to the cold air, so that the hot air is cooled to first cooled air;
- a second heat exchanger coupled to the duct system, for transferring second heat (H2) from the first cooled air to a fluid, so as to cool the first cooled air to second cooled air;
- and
- means for cooling the second cooled air into third cooled air, and
- a first turbine for expanding the third cooled air cooled from the hot air compressed in the engine compressor when the hot air is compressed in the engine compressor using a first pressure ratio (PR1), the third cooled air expanded into first expanded cooled air by the first turbine
- a second turbine for expanding the third cooled air cooled from the hot air compressed in compressor, when the hot air is compressed in the engine compressor using a second pressure ratio (PR2) larger than the first pressure ratio (PR), the third cooled air expanded into second expanded cooled air by the second turbine, wherein the third cooled air does not flow through both the first turbine and the second turbine;
- and
- a turbine shaft connecting the first turbine and the second turbine.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.