Hydrogen-oxygen fueled powerplant with water and heat recovery

A powerplant, comprising:

• an engine comprising an engine combustor, an engine turbine, a flowpath, a fluid delivery system and a water recovery system;
• the flowpath extending out of the engine combustor and through the engine turbine;
• the fluid delivery system including a hydrogen reservoir, an oxygen reservoir and a heat exchanger system, and the fluid delivery system configured to deliver fluid hydrogen and fluid oxygen for combustion within the engine combustor to produce combustion products within the flowpath;
• the hydrogen reservoir configured to store the fluid hydrogen as liquid hydrogen;
• the oxygen reservoir configured to store the fluid oxygen as liquid oxygen;
• the heat exchanger system configured to transfer heat energy from the combustion products to at least one of the fluid hydrogen as the fluid delivery system directs the fluid hydrogen towards the engine combustor;
• or
• the fluid oxygen as the fluid delivery system directs the fluid oxygen towards the engine combustor;
• and
• the water recovery system including a condenser and an evaporator, the water recovery system configured to extract water from the combustion products using the condenser, and the water recovery system configured to provide the water to a component of the powerplant as steam using an evaporator, wherein the heat exchanger system is fluidly coupled along the flowpath between the engine turbine and the evaporator.

A method, comprising:

• providing a powerplant for an aircraft, the powerplant including a mechanical load, an engine combustor, an engine turbine, a hydrogen reservoir, an oxygen reservoir, a water recovery system, an evaporator, a heat exchanger system and a flowpath, the flowpath extending out from the engine combustor and through the engine turbine and the evaporator, and the heat exchanger system fluidly coupled along the flowpath between the engine turbine and the evaporator;
• directing fluid hydrogen from the hydrogen reservoir to the engine combustor, the fluid hydrogen stored within the hydrogen reservoir as liquid hydrogen;
• directing fluid oxygen from the oxygen reservoir to the engine combustor, the fluid oxygen stored within the oxygen reservoir as liquid oxygen;
• combusting the fluid hydrogen with the fluid oxygen within the engine combustor to provide combustion products;
• directing the combustion products through the engine turbine to rotatably drive the mechanical load;
• extracting water from the combustion products using the water recovery system;
• evaporating the water to provide steam using the evaporator;
• transferring heat energy from the combustion products to at least one of the fluid hydrogen or the fluid oxygen using the heat exchanger system;
• driving a steam turbine rotor by directing the steam through a steam turbine that includes the steam turbine rotor;
• and
• cooling a component of the powerplant using the steam output from the steam turbine.