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US 12,638,179 B1Granted
Engine torsional frame for exhaust channel track selection
AssigneeRtx Corporation
InventorsGregory M. Chere, Simon W. Evans
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aircraft propulsion system includes a core engine and a heat exchanger assembly that is operable in a heat exchanger configuration where the exhaust gas flow is in thermal communication with a working fluid flow and a bypass configuration where the exhaust gas flow passes through the heat exchanger assembly without thermal communication with the working fluid flow.
Claims20
An aircraft propulsion system comprising:
- a core engine comprising a main compressor where an inlet airflow is compressed and communicated to a combustor to generate an exhaust gas flow that is expanded through a main turbine section to generate power used to drive the main compressor and a propulsive fan;
- a fuel system configured to provide at least two fuel types to the combustor for generating the exhaust gas flow;
- a heat exchanger assembly operable in a heat exchanger configuration where the exhaust gas flow is in thermal communication with a working fluid flow and a bypass configuration where the exhaust gas flow passes through the heat exchanger assembly without thermal communication with the working fluid flow;
- and
- a controller programmed to operate the heat exchanger assembly to switch between the heat exchanger configuration and the bypass configuration in response to which of the at least two fuel types the fuel system is providing to the combustor.
2 more elements
A bottoming cycle system for an aircraft propulsion system comprising:
- a heat exchanger assembly operable in a heat exchanger configuration where an exhaust gas flow is in thermal communication with a working fluid flow and a bypass configuration where the exhaust gas flow passes through the heat exchanger assembly without thermal communication;
- a bottoming turbine where a heated working fluid flow from the heat exchanger assembly expands to generate shaft power;
- a fuel/working fluid heat exchanger where heat from the working fluid flow is communicated to a cryogenic fuel flow;
- and
- a controller programmed to operate the heat exchanger assembly to switch between the heat exchanger configuration and the bypass configuration in response to the cryogenic fuel flow being communicated through the fuel/working fluid heat exchanger.
2 more elements
A method of operating an aircraft propulsion system comprising:
- communicating a fuel flow comprising one of a hydrocarbon based fuel and a cryogenic fuel to a combustor in response to a predefined flight profile;
- generating an exhaust gas flow within the combustor of a core engine by igniting a mixture of the fuel flow and an inlet airflow within a combustor;
- generating power by expanding the exhaust gas flow through a main turbine section to drive a compressor section and a propulsive fan;
- operating a heat exchanger assembly in a heat exchanger configuration where the exhaust gas flow is in thermal communication with a working fluid flow in response to a cryogenic fuel being used to generate the exhaust gas flow;
- and
- operating the heat exchanger assembly in a bypass configuration where the exhaust gas flow passes through the heat exchanger assembly without thermal communication with the working fluid flow in response to a hydrocarbon fuel being used to generate the exhaust gas flow.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.