Bleed expander cooling with turbine
AssigneeRolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
InventorsPaul O'Meallie, Douglas J. Snyder
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An example thermal management system may include a first heat exchanger including a bleed air inlet configured to receive input bleed air from a gas turbine engine and a bleed air outlet configured to output cooled bleed air. A turbine including a turbine inlet may be fluidically coupled to the bleed air outlet. The turbine may be configured to drive a shaft mechanically coupled to the turbine in response to expansion of the cooled bleed air through the turbine. A second heat exchanger may include an expanded bleed air inlet fluidically coupled to a turbine outlet of the turbine. The second heat exchanger may be configured to extract heat from at least one heat source using the expanded bleed air.
Claims20
A thermal management system, comprising:
- a first heat exchanger comprising a bleed air inlet configured to receive input bleed air from a gas turbine engine and a bleed air outlet configured to output cooled bleed air from the first heat exchanger;
- an air starter turbine comprising a turbine inlet fluidically coupled to the bleed air outlet of the first heat exchanger and a turbine outlet, wherein the air starter turbine is configured to drive a shaft mechanically coupled to the air starter turbine in response to expansion of the cooled bleed air through the air turbine starter;
- and
- a second heat exchanger comprising an expanded bleed air inlet fluidically coupled to the turbine outlet, wherein the second heat exchanger is configured to extract heat from at least one heat source using the expanded bleed air.
A thermal management system, comprising:
- a first heat exchanger comprising a bleed air inlet configured to receive input bleed air from a gas turbine engine and a bleed air outlet configured to output cooled bleed air from the first heat exchanger;
- a first turbine comprising a turbine inlet fluidically coupled to the bleed air outlet of the first heat exchanger and a turbine outlet, wherein the first turbine is configured to at least partially drive a shaft mechanically coupled to the first turbine in response to expansion of the cooled bleed air through the first turbine;
- a second heat exchanger comprising an expanded bleed air input fluidically coupled to the turbine outlet;
- a second turbine fluidically coupled to an outlet of the second heat exchanger, wherein the second turbine is mechanically coupled to the shaft, and wherein the second turbine is configured to at least partially drive the shaft;
- a third heat exchanger fluidically coupled to an outlet of the second turbine;
- and
- a first cooling fluid circuit, wherein the second heat exchanger is configured to extract heat from a first cooling fluid of the first cooling fluid circuit, wherein the first cooling fluid circuit is configured to distribute the first cooling fluid to a first heat source;
- and
- a second cooling fluid circuit, wherein the third heat exchanger is configured to extract heat from a second cooling fluid of the second cooling fluid circuit, wherein the second cooling fluid circuit is configured to distribute the second cooling fluid to a second heat source to extract heat from the second heat source.
A method of managing a thermal load of a vehicle system comprising,
- cooling bleed air from a gas turbine engine with a first heat exchanger comprising a bleed air inlet configured to receive bleed air from a gas turbine engine and a bleed air outlet configured to output cooled bleed air from the first heat exchanger;
- extracting work from the cooled bleed air with an air starter turbine comprising a turbine inlet fluidically coupled to the bleed air outlet of the first heat exchanger and a turbine outlet, wherein the air starter turbine is configured to drive a shaft mechanically coupled to the air starter turbine, and wherein extracting work from the cooled bleed air further cools the cooled bleed air;
- and
- extracting heat from at least one heat source with a second heat exchanger comprising an expanded bleed air inlet fluidically coupled an outlet of the air starter turbine using the expanded bleed air.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.