Back to results
US 7,065,873 B2Granted
Recuperator assembly and procedures
AssigneeCapstone Turbine Corporation
InventorsYungmo Kang, Robert D. McKeirnan, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A construction of recuperator core segments is provided which insures proper assembly of the components of the recuperator core segment, and of a plurality of recuperator core segments. Each recuperator core segment must be constructed so as to prevent nesting of fin folds of the adjacent heat exchanger foils of the recuperator core segment. A plurality of recuperator core segments must be assembled together so as to prevent nesting of adjacent fin folds of adjacent recuperator core segments.
Claims8
A recuperator assembly, comprising:
- a plurality of involute curved recuperator core segments, each recuperator core segment comprising:
- first and second heat exchanger foils disposed in opposition so as to define an internal air passage, said internal air passage providing fluid communication between a recuperator core segment inlet and a recuperator core segment outlet, said recuperator core segment inlet and recuperator core segment outlet disposed between said heat exchanger foils along a radially inner edge, each heat exchanger foil having:
- an integrally formed offset peripheral mating flange, the flanges of the first and second heat exchanger foils being mated together;
- and
- an exterior heat exchange surface having a primary surface zone including exterior corrugations, said exterior corrugations having a generally uniform height above said peripheral mating flange, said height being a profile height;
- and
- first and a second stiffener support spacer bars engaging a portion of said peripheral mating flanges of said first and second heat exchanger foils along said inner edge, respectively, the peripheral mating flanges being sandwiched between the stiffener support spacer bars,
- wherein, said first stiffener support spacer bar has a height being a first indexing height and said second stiffener support spacer bar has a height being a second indexing height, said first indexing height being less than the profile height of said first heat exchanger foil, and said second indexing height being greater than the profile height of said second heat exchanger foil,
- wherein, the exterior heat exchange surface of one of said first and second heat exchanger foils is convexly curved and the exterior heat exchange surface of the other of said first and second heat exchanger foils is concavely curved, and
- wherein, at least a pair of said plurality of recuperator core segments are adjacently stacked in a nested configuration so as to form at least one recuperator core sector.
7 more elements
A recuperator for a gas turbine engine, comprising:
- a plurality of cells disposed in juxtaposed relation to one another in an annular array, each of said cells comprising:
- a first plate having spaced integral ribs thereon at least partially defining a plurality of spaced high pressure air channels;
- and
- a second plate welded to said first plate and having a plurality of spaced integral ribs which, in combination with the first plate of an adjacent cell, define a plurality of low pressure exhaust gas channels;
- a first extended spacer bar on the radially inner edge of said first plate, the first spacer bar having a height less than the ribs on the first plate;
- and
- a second extended spacer bar on the radially inner edge of said second plate, the second spacer bar having a height greater than the ribs on said second plate, wherein said first and second extended spacer bars extend beyond said cell;
- and
- wherein, said first and second extended spacer bars provide an offset indexing lip along the radially inner edge of the cell.
6 more elements
A method of manufacturing a recuperator cell:
- providing a first plate having spaced integral ribs thereon at least partially defining a plurality of spaced high pressure air channels;
- providing a second plate welded to said first plate and having a plurality of spaced integral ribs which, in combination with the first plate of an adjacent cell, define a plurality of low pressure exhaust gas channels;
- attaching a first spacer bar on the radially inner edge of said first plate, the first spacer bar having a height less than the ribs on the first plate;
- attaching a second spacer bar on the radially inner edge of said second plate, the second spacer bar having a height greater than the ribs on said second plate;
- and
- wherein, said first and second spacer bars provide an offset indexing lip along the radially inner edge of the cell.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.