Precooling heat exchange arrangement integral with mounting structure fairing of gas turbine engine

In a gas turbine engine including a core engine, a casing surrounding said core engine and defining an annular cooling compartment, an outer annular nacelle spaced radially outward from said casing and defining therebetween an annular fan duct for providing a main air flow through said engine which produces thrust, and an engine mounting structure extending radially between and interconnecting said nacelle and said casing, a precooling heat exchange arrangement comprising:

• (a) a hollow fairing mounted on a forward side of said mounting structure and having an aerodynamically-shaped external wall disposed in the main air flow through said fan duct, said fairing having spaced upper and lower interior plenums and a middle plenum disposed between and sealed from said upper and lower plenums;
• (b) means for routing a source of high pressure hot bleed air to said lower plenum and from said upper plenum of said fairing;
• (c) at least one heat exchanger mounted in said fairing and having a heat transfer structure with an interior and an exterior, said heat transfer structure interior disposed in communication between said upper and lower plenums, and said upper and lower plenums having respective inlet and outlet nozzles connected with said routing means such that hot bleed air flow passes through the interior of said heat transfer structure via said upper and lower plenums, said heat transfer structure exterior having an inlet side disposed in an opening in said external wall of said fairing in communication with the fan duct air flow and an outlet side in communication with said middle plenum of said fairing such that a fractional portion of said fan duct air flow can divert from said fan duct air flow into said middle internal plenum of said fairing and across said exterior of said heat exchanger in heat transfer relationship with the hot bleed air passing through said interior of said heat exchanger for cooling the hot bleed air;
• and
• (d) an air flow control mechanism in communication with said middle internal plenum of said fairing for routing to said core engine compartment after passing over said exterior of said heat transfer structure the fractional air flow portion diverted form said fan duct air flow for assisting in the cooling of components of said core engine.

In a gas turbine engine including a core engine, a casing surrounding said core engine and defining an annular cooling compartment, an outer annular nacelle spaced radially outward from said casing and defining therebetween an annular fan duct for providing a main air flow through said engine which produces thrust, and an engine mounting structure extending radially between and interconnecting said nacelle and said casing, a precooling heat exchange arrangement comprising:

• (a) a hollow fairing mounted on a forward side of said mounting structure and having an aerodynamically-shaped external wall disposed in the main air flow through said fan duct, said fairing having an internal plenum;
• (b) means for routing a source of high pressure hot bleed air to said fairing;
• (c) a heat exchanger mounted in said plenum and having a heat transfer structure with an interior and an exterior, said heat transfer structure interior connected in communication with said routing means such that hot bleed air flow passes through the interior of said heat transfer structure, said heat transfer structure exterior disposed in communication with said plenum of said fairing such tat a fractional portion of fan duct air flow can divert from said fan duct air flow through said internal plenum and across said exterior of said heat transfer structure in heat transfer relationship with the hot bleed air passing through said interior of said heat transfer structure for cooling the hot bleed air;
• and
• (d) an air flow control mechanism disposed in communication with said internal plenum of said fairing and being selectively operable for increasing and reducing said portion of the fan duct air flow through said plenum and across said heat transfer structure exterior for regulating the portion of cool fan duct air flow diverted from said fan duct air flow to said core engine compartment for assisting in the cooling of components of said core engine.