Cryogenic bottoming cycle control system
AssigneeRtx Corporation
InventorsBrandon M. Evans, Neil J. Terwilliger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An aircraft propulsion system includes a core engine driving a propulsive fan, a cryogenic fuel system and a bottoming cycle where a working fluid within a closed circuit is heated and expanded through a bottom turbine to generate shaft power. An actuator control is configured to vary a parameter of the bottoming cycle system, and a controller is programmed to operate the control system to adjust operation of the bottoming cycle to correspond to operation of the core engine.
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 cryogenic fuel system comprising a cryogenic fuel storage tank, a fuel flow path for routing the cryogenic fuel to the combustor of the core engine;
- a bottoming cycle where a working fluid within a closed circuit is heated and expanded through a bottom turbine to generate shaft power;
- a first heat exchanger where heat is input into the working fluid;
- a second heat exchanger where the working fluid is cooled by the cryogenic fuel flow;
- a monitoring system where information indicative of operation of the core engine and the bottoming cycle;
- at least one actuator control configured to vary a parameter of the bottoming cycle system;
- and
- a controller programmed to operate the control system based on information from the monitoring system to adjust operation of the bottoming cycle to correspond to operation of the core engine.
A method of operating an aircraft propulsion system comprising a core engine and a bottoming cycle, the method comprising:
- generating an exhaust gas flow in a combustor by igniting a mixture of compressed air and a cryogenic fuel within the core engine;
- communicating thermal energy from the exhaust gas flow into a working fluid within the bottoming cycle where the working fluid within a closed circuit is heated and expanded through a bottom turbine to generate shaft power;
- cooling the working fluid exhausted from the bottoming turbine in a fuel/working fluid heat exchanger where a cryogenic fuel accepts heat from the working fluid mixture;
- monitoring operation of the core engine and the bottoming cycle and generating information of an operating parameter of at least one of the core engine and the bottoming cycle;
- communicating the information regarding the operating parameter to a controller;
- determining a control action to adjust the operation of at least one control system for adjusting operation of the bottoming cycle based on the operating parameter;
- initiating operation of the at least one control system to change operation of the bottoming cycle to align operation of the bottoming cycle with operation of the core engine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.