Aircraft engine with recuperator and bypass

An aircraft engine, comprising:

• a compressor, a combustor fluidly downstream of the compressor relative to a flow of compressed air through the aircraft engine, and a turbine fluidly downstream of the combustor;
• a recuperator having a heat absorption conduit fluidly connecting the compressor to the combustor and an exhaust conduit fluidly connecting the turbine to ambient air surrounding the aircraft engine, the heat absorption conduit in heat exchange relationship with the exhaust conduit;
• a compressor conduit fluidly connecting the compressor to the heat absorption conduit of the recuperator, the compressor conduit defining a bypass outlet upstream of the recuperator relative to the flow of the compressed air;
• a closure at the bypass outlet, the closure having a closed position in which the closure closes the bypass outlet, and an opened position in which the closure opens the bypass outlet;
• an actuator operatively connected to the closure;
• a sensor sensing a pressure drop through the recuperator and generating a signal being indicative of the pressure drop;
• and
• a controller operatively connected to the sensor and to the actuator, the controller being programmed to:
• determine when the pressure drop through the recuperator exceeds a pressure drop threshold from the signal from the sensor, and
• in response to determining that the pressure drop through the recuperator exceeds the pressure drop threshold, operate the actuator to move the closure from the position to the opened position.