US 6,134,880 A · Turbine engine with intercooler in bypass air passage

Abstract

A turbine engine (20) having bypass and core passages (30 and 40), a high pressure compressor (80) for compressing air in the core passage and an intercooler (120, 220) for cooling core air (42) in the core passage prior to discharge by the high pressure compressor. The intercooler includes a plurality of heat exchange elements (140) positioned in the bypass passage through which all or a portion of the core air is transported. Heat in the core air is transferred via the heat exchange elements to the relatively cool bypass air, thereby cooling the core air and heating the bypass air. The turbine engine may have a counterflow intercooler (120), a radial flow intercooler 220 or an intercooler of other configuration. The turbine engine may have a high pressure compressor with two sections (82 and 86), with core air transported to and from the intercooler between sections, or a single section high pressure compressor, with core air transported to and from the intercooler upstream of the high pressure compressor. The turbine engine may be of turbofan, turboshaft, turboprop or other design.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A turbine engine that produces thrust, comprising:

a. a low pressure compressor:
b. a core air passage through which core air flows;
c. a high pressure compressor connected to said core air passage, said high pressure compressor having an outlet;
d. a bypass air passage through which bypass air flows, said bypass air having less thermal energy than said core air;
e. an intercooler connected to said core air passage and extending into said bypass air passage, wherein said intercooler is constructed to transport more than a mass bleed flow amount of said core air comprising at least twelve percent, by mass, of said core air from said core air passage through said bypass air passage, where thermal energy from said core air is extracted, and back to said core air passage, upstream of said outlet, in a single thermodynamic cycle;
and
f. wherein said bypass air passage is constructed such that said extracted thermal energy contributes to the thrust of the turbine engine.

4 more elements

A turbine engine comprising:

a. a low pressure compressor;
b. a core air passage for transporting a flow of core air;
c. a high pressure compressor connected to said core air passage;
d. a bypass air passage for transporting a flow of bypass air in a first direction;
e. a high pressure turbine;
and
f. intercooler means, connected to said core air passage and extending into said bypass air passage, for cooling at least a portion of said flow of core air in a single thermodynamic cycle sufficiently that delivery of at least some of said cooled flow of core air to said high pressure turbine permits TITs in excess of 3,200.degree. F.

4 more elements

A turbine engine comprising:

a. a core air passage for transporting a flow of core air;
b. a bypass air passage for transporting a flow of bypass air that has less thermal energy than said core air;
c. a high pressure compressor for compressing said core air and discharging said compressed core air, said high pressure compressor having an outlet through which said compressed core air is discharged;
d. an intercooler connected to said core air passage and constructed to transport at least a portion of said core air from said core air passage through said bypass air passage and back to said core air passage prior to discharge of said compressed core air through said outlet so as to cool said core air in a single thermodynamic cycle substantially without loss of thermal energy from the turbine engine;
and
e. wherein said high pressure compressor is designed to compress said core air sufficiently that the engine has a CPR of at least 30 when designed for supersonic applications or at least 50 when designed for subsonic applications.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Turbine engine with intercooler in bypass air passage

Life of this patent

Turbine engine with intercooler in bypass air passage

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims26