Hybrid cooling of a gas turbine engine
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsJames W. Norris, Bernard J. Raver, James D. Hill
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hybrid cooling system for a gas turbine engine includes a vapor cooling assembly and a cooling air cooling assembly. The cooling air cooling assembly is configured to remove thermal energy from cooling air used to cool a first component of the gas turbine engine. The vapor cooling assembly configured to transport thermal energy from a vaporization section to a condenser section through cyclical evaporation and condensation of a working medium sealed within the vapor cooling assembly. The vaporization section is located at least partially within a second component of the gas turbine engine, and the condenser section is located outside the second component.
Claims13
A hybrid cooling system for a gas turbine engine, the system comprising:
- a cooling air cooling assembly for removing thermal energy from cooling air used to cool a first component of the gas turbine engine;
- and
- a vapor cooling assembly configured to transport thermal energy from a vaporization section to a condenser section through cyclical evaporation and condensation of a working medium sealed within the vapor cooling assembly, wherein the vaporization section is located at least partially within a second component of the gas turbine engine, and wherein the condenser section is located outside the second component.
A hybrid cooling system for a gas turbine engine having rotatable components and a non-rotatable component, the system comprising:
- an air cooling assembly for removing thermal energy from bleed air used to provide cooling to the rotatable components of the gas turbine engine, the air cooling assembly comprising:
- a heat exchanger for transferring thermal energy from the bleed air to fuel;
- and
- a fuel stabilization unit for reducing coking of the fuel to which thermal energy has been transferred;
- and
- a vapor cooling assembly configured to transport thermal energy from a vaporization section to a condenser section through cyclical evaporation and condensation of a working medium sealed within the vapor cooling assembly, wherein the vaporization section is located at least partially within the non-rotatable component, wherein the condenser section is located outside the non-rotatable component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.