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US 12,442,330 B2Granted
Condenser for hydrogen steam injected turbine engine
AssigneeRtx Corporation
InventorAbbas A. Alahyari
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A propulsion system for an aircraft includes a hydrogen fuel system supplying hydrogen fuel to the combustor through a fuel flow path. A condenser extracts water from an exhaust gas flow and includes a plurality of spiral passages disposed within a collector. The spiraling passages generate a transverse pressure gradient to direct water out of the exhaust gas flow toward the collector.
Claims19
A propulsion system for an aircraft comprising:
- a core engine including a core flow path where air is compressed in a compressor section, communicated to a combustor section, mixed with a hydrogen based fuel and ignited to generate a high energy gas flow that is expanded through a turbine section;
- a hydrogen fuel system configured to supply hydrogen fuel to the combustor through a fuel flow path;
- a condenser arranged along the core flow path and configured to extract water from the high energy gas flow, the condenser including a plurality of spiral passages disposed in a collector, wherein the spiraling passages are configured to receive the high energy gas flow and generate a transverse pressure gradient to direct water out of the high energy gas flow toward the collector, and a plurality of cooling flow passages that extend axially along a condenser axis and each of the plurality of spiraling passages wrap around a corresponding one of the plurality of cooling flow passages;
- and
- an evaporator arranged along the core flow path and configured to receive a portion of the water extracted by the condenser to generate a steam flow, wherein the steam flow is injected into the core flow path upstream of the turbine section.
2 more elements
A water recover system for an aircraft propulsion system, the water recovery system comprising:
- a condenser arranged within a flow path of the propulsion system for an exhaust gas flow and configured to extract water from the exhaust gas flow, the condenser including a plurality of spiral passages disposed in a collector, wherein the spiraling passages are configured to receive the exhaust gas flow and generate a transverse pressure gradient to direct water out of the exhaust gas flow through at least one condensate opening toward the collector, and a plurality of cooling flow passages that extend axially along a condenser axis and each of the plurality of spiraling passages wrap around a corresponding one of the plurality of cooling flow passages;
- a water storage tank in communication with the collector configured to receive water extracted from the exhaust gas flow to the water storage tank;
- and
- at least one water pump for communicating water from the water storage tank to the propulsion system.
1 more element
A method of operating an aircraft propulsion system comprising:
- generating a high energy gas flow that includes water;
- removing water from the high energy gas flow with a condenser disposed in a flow path downstream from a combustor, wherein water is removed from the high energy gas flow within the condenser by communicating the high energy gas flow through a plurality of spiral passages disposed in a collector of the condenser that generate a transverse pressure gradient to direct water out of the high energy gas flow toward the collector, and cooling the exhaust gas flow with a cooling flow communicated through a plurality of cooling flow passages that extend axially along a condenser axis with each of the plurality of spiraling passages wrapping around a corresponding one of the plurality of cooling flow passages;
- generating a steam flow from water removed from the high energy gas flow with an evaporator located within the flow path upstream of the condenser and downstream of the combustor;
- and
- injecting the generated steam with a core flow path.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.