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US 9,771,867 B2Granted
Gas turbine engine with air/fuel heat exchanger
AssigneesROLLS-ROYCE plc, Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
InventorsMichael Abraham Karam, Eric Sean Donovan, Michael Stephen Krautheim, Daniel Kent Vetters, Donald G. Chouinard
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One embodiment of the present invention is a unique aircraft propulsion gas turbine engine. Another embodiment is a unique gas turbine engine. Another embodiment is a unique gas turbine engine. Other embodiments include apparatuses, systems, devices, hardware, methods, and combinations for gas turbine engines with heat exchange systems. Further embodiments, forms, features, aspects, benefits, and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.
Claims19
An aircraft propulsion gas turbine engine, comprising:
- a first compressor stage configured to produce a pressurized air flow;
- a second compressor stage disposed downstream of the first compressor stage;
- a primary annular flowpath fluidly coupling the first compressor stage and the second compressor stage, wherein the primary annular flowpath is disposed within the aircraft propulsion gas turbine engine;
- a combustor disposed downstream of the second compressor stage;
- a fuel injector configured to inject a fuel into the combustor, wherein the combustor is configured to combust the fuel injected therein by the fuel injector;
- and
- an air/fuel heat exchanger disposed in the primary annular flowpath, the air/fuel heat exchanger including a first flowpath and a second flowpath, the first flowpath having a first fuel inlet and a first fuel outlet for distributing fuel in a first direction through a first side of the air/fuel heat exchanger, and the second flowpath having a second fuel inlet and a second fuel outlet for distributing fuel in a second direction through a second side of the air/fuel heat exchanger;
- wherein the air/fuel heat exchanger is an annular heat exchanger with the first direction being a first circumferential direction and the second direction being a second circumferential direction;
- wherein the air/fuel heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the fuel injector, the first compressor stage and the second compressor stage;
- and
- wherein the air/fuel heat exchanger is configured to receive the pressurized air flow from the first compressor stage, to discharge the pressurized air flow to the second compressor stage, to heat the fuel by heat exchange with the pressurized air flow prior to delivery of the fuel to the fuel injector, and to cool the pressurized air flow by heat exchange with the fuel.
8 more elements
A gas turbine engine, comprising:
- a first compressor stage configured to produce a pressurized air flow;
- a second compressor stage disposed downstream of the first compressor stage;
- a combustor disposed downstream of the second compressor stage;
- a fuel injector configured to inject a fuel into the combustor, wherein the combustor is configured to combust the fuel injected therein by the fuel injector;
- and
- an air/fuel heat exchanger fluidly disposed between the first compressor stage and the second compressor stage, the air/fuel heat exchanger including a first flowpath and a second flowpath, the first flowpath having a first fuel inlet and a first fuel outlet for distributing fuel in a first direction through a first side of the air/fuel heat exchanger, and the second flowpath having a second fuel inlet and a second fuel outlet for distributing fuel in a second direction through a second side of the air/fuel heat exchanger,
- wherein the air/fuel heat exchanger is an annular heat exchanger with the first direction being a first circumferential direction and the second direction being a second circumferential direction, and
- wherein the air/fuel heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the fuel injector, the first compressor stage and the second compressor stage;
- and wherein the air/fuel heat exchanger is configured to receive the pressurized air flow from the first compressor stage, to discharge the pressurized air flow to the second compressor stage, to heat the fuel by heat exchange with the pressurized air flow prior to delivery of the fuel to the fuel injector, and to cool the pressurized air flow by heat exchange with the fuel prior to delivery of the pressurized air flow to the second compressor stage, wherein the air/fuel heat exchanger is disposed within the gas turbine engine.
6 more elements
A gas turbine engine, comprising:
- a first compressor stage configured to produce a pressurized air flow;
- a second compressor stage disposed downstream of the first compressor stage;
- a combustor disposed downstream of the second compressor stage;
- a fuel injector configured to inject a fuel into the combustor, wherein the combustor is configured to combust the fuel injected therein by the fuel injector;
- and
- a heat exchanger including a first flowpath and a second flowpath, the first flowpath having a first fuel inlet and a first fuel outlet for distributing fuel in a first direction through a first side of the heat exchanger, and the second flowpath having a second fuel inlet and a second fuel outlet for distributing fuel in a second direction through a second side of the heat exchanger,
- wherein the air/fuel heat exchanger is an annular heat exchanger with the first direction being a first circumferential direction and the second direction being a second circumferential direction, and
- wherein the heat exchanger is configured to cool the pressurized air flow prior to delivery of the pressurized air flow to the second compressor stage and to heat the fuel prior to delivery of the fuel to the fuel injector.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.