Increased water heat absorption capacity for steam injected turbine engine
AssigneeRtx Corporation
InventorsNeil J. Terwilliger, Joseph B. Staubach
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A turbine engine assembly includes a core engine that generates an exhaust gas flow, a condenser where water is extracted from the exhaust gas flow, an evaporator where heat is input into the water that is extracted by the condenser into a first steam flow, a steam turbine where the first steam flow is expanded and cooled, and a superheater where additional heat is input into the first steam flow that is exhausted from the steam turbine to generate a second steam flow. The second steam flow is injected into a core flow path of the core engine.
Claims16
A turbine engine assembly comprising:
- a core engine generating an exhaust gas flow, the core engine including a compressor where inlet airflow is compressed and communicated to a combustor where the compressed airflow is mixed with fuel and ignited to generate the exhaust gas flow that is expanded through the turbine section;
- a condenser where water is extracted from the exhaust gas flow;
- an evaporator disposed within an exhaust gas flow path where heat is input into the water extracted by the condenser without superheat to generate a first steam flow;
- a steam turbine where the first steam flow is expanded and cooled;
- and
- a superheater disposed within the exhaust gas flow path where additional heat is input into the first steam flow exhausted from the steam turbine to generate a second steam flow, wherein the second steam flow is injected into a core flow path of the core engine wherein the exhaust gas flow is communicated through the superheater before being communicated through the evaporator.
An aircraft propulsion system comprising:
- a core engine assembly including a compressor where an inlet airflow is compressed and communicated to a combustor where a compressed core flow is mixed with fuel and ignited to generate an exhaust gas flow that is expanded through a turbine section to generate shaft power;
- a hydrogen based fuel system for supplying a hydrogen based fuel to the combustor;
- a condenser where water from the exhaust gas flow is recovered;
- an evaporator where heat from the exhaust gas flow is input into the water extracted by the condenser without superheat to generate a first steam flow;
- a steam turbine where the first steam flow is expanded and cooled;
- and
- a superheater where additional heat from the exhaust gas flow is input into the first steam flow exhausted from the steam turbine to generate a second steam flow, wherein the second steam flow is injected into a core flow path of the core engine, wherein the evaporator and the superheater comprise different circuits of a multi-pass heat exchanger with the superheater comprising a first circuit and the evaporator comprising a second circuit with the exhaust gas flow flowing through the first circuit prior to the second circuit.
A method of operating an aircraft propulsion system comprising:
- transforming a water flow into a first steam flow with a first heat input without superheat;
- expanding the first steam flow to generate shaft power in a steam turbine;
- reheating a flow exhausted from the steam turbine with a second heat input to generate a second steam flow, wherein communicating the first heat input and the second heat input are provided from an exhaust gas flow generated from a core engine, wherein the first heat input is provided within an evaporator and the second heat input is provided by a superheater disposed upstream of the evaporator;
- and
- injecting the second steam flow into a core engine core flow path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.