Turbofan thermoelectric generation
AssigneeRtx Corporation
InventorsRyan William Hunter, Brady M. Wilson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas turbine engine has: a core flowpath sequentially through one or more fan sections, one or more compressor sections, a combustor section, and one or more turbine sections; a bypass flowpath extending through the one or more fan sections and bypassing the combustion section; a heat exchanger in the bypass flowpath placing a portion of the bypass flowpath in heat exchange relation with a second fluid flowpath; a first thermoelectric generator having a first side upstream of the heat exchanger along the bypass flowpath and a second side away from the bypass flowpath; and a second thermoelectric generator having a first side downstream of the heat exchanger along the bypass flowpath and a second side away from the bypass flowpath.
Claims19
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- a core flowpath sequentially through one or more fan sections, one or more compressor sections, a combustor section, and one or more turbine sections;
- a bypass flowpath extending through the one or more fan sections and bypassing the combuster section;
- a heat exchanger in the bypass flowpath placing a portion of the bypass flowpath in heat exchange relation with a second fluid flowpath;
- at least one first thermoelectric device having a first side upstream of the heat exchanger along the bypass flowpath and a second side away from the bypass flowpath;
- and
- at least one second thermoelectric device having a first side downstream of the heat exchanger along the bypass flowpath and a second side away from the bypass flowpath.
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- a core flowpath sequentially through one or more fan sections, one or more compressor sections, a combustor section, and one or more turbine sections;
- a bypass flowpath extending through the one or more fan sections and bypassing the combustor section;
- a heat exchanger in the bypass flowpath placing a portion of the bypass flowpath in heat exchange relation with a second fluid flowpath;
- a first thermoelectric generator having a first side upstream of the heat exchanger along the bypass flowpath and a second side away from the bypass flowpath;
- and
- a second thermoelectric generator having a first side downstream of the heat exchanger along the bypass flowpath and a second side away from the bypass flowpath.
A method for operating a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine comprising:
- a core flowpath sequentially through one or more fan sections, one or more compressor sections, a combustor section, and one or more turbine sections;
- a bypass flowpath extending through the one or more fan sections and bypassing the combustor section;
- a heat exchanger in the bypass flowpath placing a portion of the bypass flowpath in heat exchange relation with a second fluid flowpath;
- a first thermoelectric generator having a first side upstream of the heat exchanger along the bypass flowpath and a second side away from the bypass flowpath;
- and
- a second thermoelectric generator having a first side downstream of the heat exchanger along the bypass flowpath and a second side away from the bypass flowpath,
- the method comprising:
- in a first mode, thermoelectrically generating electricity upstream of the heat exchanger while thermoelectrically generating electricity downstream of the heat exchanger along the bypass flowpath;
- and
- in a second mode, thermoelectrically heating the bypass flow upstream of the heat exchanger while thermoelectrically generating electricity downstream of the heat exchanger along the bypass flowpath.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.