Turbine engine with preheat of cryogenic fuel via intermediate fluid
AssigneeRtx Corporation
InventorMarc J. Muldoon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A turbine engine has: a compressor; a combustor; a turbine; a gaspath passing downstream from the compressor through the combustor and then through the turbine; a fuel source; a fuel flowpath from the fuel source to the combustor; and a heat exchanger for transferring heat from the gaspath to the fuel flowpath The heat exchanger has: an inner wall in heat transfer relation with the gaspath; an outer wall; tubes between the inner wall and the outer wall bounding respective segments of the fuel flowpath; and a heat transfer fluid between the inner wall and the outer wall and in heat transfer relation with the tubes and the inner wall.
Claims24
A turbine engine comprising:
- a compressor;
- a combustor;
- a turbine;
- a gaspath passing downstream from the compressor through the combustor and then through the turbine;
- a fuel source;
- a fuel flowpath from the fuel source to the combustor;
- and
- a heat exchanger for transferring heat from the gaspath to the fuel flowpath,
- wherein the heat exchanger comprises:
- an inner wall in heat transfer relation with the gaspath;
- an outer wall;
- tubes between the inner wall and the outer wall bounding respective segments of the fuel flowpath;
- and
- a heat transfer fluid between the inner wall and the outer wall and in heat transfer relation with the tubes and the inner wall
- wherein the turbine engine further comprises:
- a heat transfer fluid flowpath for the heat transfer fluid passing downstream through the heat exchanger and being a recirculating flowpath;
- a pump along the heat transfer fluid flowpath for pumping the heat transfer fluid;
- and
- a pressure sensor along the heat transfer fluid flowpath.
A turbine engine comprising:
- a compressor;
- a combustor;
- a turbine;
- a gaspath passing downstream for the compressor through the combustor and then through the turbine;
- a fuel source;
- a fuel flowpath from the fuel source to the combustor;
- and
- a heat transfer fluid flowpath carrying heat transfer fluid for transferring heat from the gaspath to the fuel flowpath, the heat transfer fluid comprising at least 90% nitrogen by weight.
A turbine engine comprising:
- a compressor;
- a combustor;
- a turbine;
- a gaspath passing downstream from the compressor through the combustor and then through the turbine;
- a fuel source;
- a fuel flowpath from the fuel source to the combustor;
- and
- a heat exchanger for transferring heat from the gaspath to the fuel flowpath,
- wherein the heat exchanger comprises:
- an inner wall in heat transfer relation with the gaspath;
- an outer wall;
- tubes between the inner wall and the outer wall bounding respective segments of the fuel flowpath;
- a heat transfer fluid between the inner wall and the outer wall and in heat transfer relation with the tubes and the inner wall;
- and
- means for accommodating differential thermal expansion of the inner wall relative to the tubes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.