Bleed expander cooling with turbine
AssigneeRolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
InventorsPaul O'Meallie, Douglas J. Snyder
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An example thermal management system may include a first heat exchanger including a bleed air inlet configured to receive input bleed air from a gas turbine engine and a bleed air outlet configured to output cooled bleed air. A turbine including a turbine inlet may be fluidically coupled to the bleed air outlet. The turbine may be configured to drive a shaft mechanically coupled to the turbine in response to expansion of the cooled bleed air through the turbine. A second heat exchanger may include an expanded bleed air inlet fluidically coupled to a turbine outlet of the turbine. The second heat exchanger may be configured to extract heat from at least one heat source using the expanded bleed air.
Claims19
A thermal management system, comprising:
- a first heat exchanger comprising a bleed air inlet configured to receive input bleed air from a gas turbine engine and a bleed air outlet configured to output cooled bleed air from the first heat exchanger;
- an air starter turbine comprising:
- a turbine inlet configured to fluidically couple to:
- a compressed air source located remote from the thermal management system at a first time, and
- the bleed air outlet of the first heat exchanger at a second time, and a turbine outlet,
- wherein the air starter turbine is configured to drive a shaft mechanically coupled to the air starter turbine in response to expansion of the cooled bleed air through the air turbine starter, and
- wherein the shaft driven by the air starter turbine is mechanically coupled to a high pressure (HP) turbine of the gas turbine engine via an accessory gearbox such that energy from the expansion of the bleed air by the air starter turbine is delivered back to the gas turbine engine;
- and
- a second heat exchanger comprising an expanded bleed air inlet fluidically coupled to the turbine outlet, wherein the second heat exchanger is configured to extract heat from at least one heat source using the expanded bleed air.
A method of managing a thermal load of a vehicle system comprising,
- cooling bleed air from a gas turbine engine with a first heat exchanger comprising a bleed air inlet configured to receive bleed air from the gas turbine engine and a bleed air outlet configured to output cooled bleed air from the first heat exchanger;
- extracting work from the cooled bleed air with an air starter turbine comprising a turbine inlet and a turbine outlet,
- wherein the air starter turbine is configured to drive a shaft mechanically coupled to the air starter turbine,
- wherein extracting work from the cooled bleed air further cools the cooled bleed air,
- wherein the turbine inlet is configured to fluidically couple to:
- a compressed air source located remote from the vehicle system at a first time, and
- the bleed air outlet of the first heat exchanger at a second time, and
- wherein the shaft driven by the air starter turbine is mechanically coupled to the gas turbine engine such that energy from the expansion of the bleed air by the air starter turbine is delivered back to the gas turbine engine;
- and
- extracting heat from at least one heat source with a second heat exchanger comprising an expanded bleed air inlet fluidically coupled to the turbine outlet of the air starter turbine using the expanded bleed air.
A thermal management system, comprising:
- a first heat exchanger comprising a bleed air inlet configured to receive input bleed air from a gas turbine engine and a bleed air outlet configured to output cooled bleed air from the first heat exchanger;
- an air starter turbine comprising a turbine inlet and a turbine outlet,
- wherein the turbine inlet is configured to fluidically couple to:
- a compressed air source located remote from the thermal management system at a first time, and
- the bleed air outlet of the first heat exchanger at a second time, and
- wherein the air starter turbine is configured to drive a shaft mechanically coupled to the air starter turbine in response to expansion of the cooled bleed air through the air starter turbine;
- a tower shaft;
- an accessory gearbox, wherein the shaft is mechanically coupled to a high pressure turbine of the gas turbine engine by the tower shaft and the accessory gearbox, wherein the shaft driven by the air starter turbine is loaded against the tower shaft such that energy from the expansion of the bleed air by the air starter turbine is delivered back to the gas turbine engine via the tower shaft and accessory gearbox;
- and
- a second heat exchanger comprising an expanded bleed air inlet fluidically coupled to the turbine outlet, wherein the second heat exchanger is configured to extract heat from at least one heat source using the expanded bleed air.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.