Reducing contrails from an aircraft powerplant
AssigneeRtx Corporation
InventorsNeil J. Terwilliger, Joseph B. Staubach, David L. Ma
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is provided during which an aircraft powerplant is provided. The aircraft powerplant includes a combustor and a water recovery system. The water recovery system includes a condenser and a reservoir. Fuel is combusted within the combustor to provide combustion products. Water is extracted from the combustion products using the condenser. The water recovery system is operated in one of a plurality of modes based on likelihood of contrail formation. The modes include a first mode and a second mode, where the water is collected within the reservoir during the first mode, and where the water passes through the water recovery system during the second mode.
Claims17
A method, comprising:
- determining likelihood of contrail formation along a region of a flight path for an aircraft, wherein the aircraft includes an aircraft powerplant with a water recovery system, and the water recovery system includes a reservoir;
- passing water through the reservoir before the aircraft reaches the region of the flight path when a parameter is greater than a threshold, the parameter indicative of the likelihood of the contrail formation along the region of the flight path.
A method, comprising:
- combusting fuel within a powerplant of an aircraft to provide combustion products;
- extracting water from the combustion products using a water recovery system;
- and
- collecting at least some of the water extracted from the combustion products within a reservoir of the water recovery system, wherein the at least some of the water is collected as the aircraft flies along a region of a flight path with a high likelihood of contrail formation, and the collection of the at least some of the water is metered based on a length of the region of the flight path.
A method, comprising:
- combusting fuel within a powerplant of an aircraft to provide combustion products;
- extracting water from the combustion products using a water recovery system;
- directing a first portion of the water extracted from the combustion products during a first mode of operation to a combustor within the powerplant as at least one of liquid water or water vapor;
- and
- directing a second portion of the water extracted from the combustion products during the first mode of operation out of the powerplant bypassing the combustor.
A method, comprising:
- combusting fuel within a powerplant of an aircraft to provide combustion products;
- extracting water from the combustion products using a water recovery system;
- collecting the water extracted from the combustion products within a reservoir of the water recovery system;
- and
- draining some of the water within the reservoir from the reservoir when the water within the reservoir meets or exceeds a predetermined level;
- wherein the water drained from the reservoir is directed out of the powerplant bypassing a core flowpath of the powerplant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.