Methods and systems for cooling airflow

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10024271-B2
Application number	US-201615004694-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2016
Priority date	Jan 22, 2016
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

Methods and systems for cooling airflow may comprise a gas turbine engine that may comprise an engine core, comprising a chamber, and/or a heat exchanger. The chamber may comprise a chamber outboard surface and/or a chamber interior. The heat exchanger may be coupled to the chamber outboard surface and may comprise a heat exchanger base and/or a cooling tube. The cooling tube may be disposed inside the chamber interior and may comprise a tube entrance end coupled to the heat exchanger base, a tube exit end coupled to the heat exchanger base, and/or a tube body between the tube entrance end and the tube exit end, the tube body encompassing a tube interior.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine, comprising;
an engine core;
a heat exchanger coupled to the engine core, wherein the heat exchanger comprises a heat exchanger base and a cooling tube, the cooling tube is disposed inside the engine core, and the cooling tube comprises a tube entrance end coupled to the heat exchanger base, a tube exit end coupled to the heat exchanger base, and a tube body between the tube entrance end and the tube exit end, the tube body comprising a tube interior; and
a chamber surrounding the heat exchanger and configured to receive hot secondary airflow from the engine core and cool the hot secondary airflow from the engine core to produce cooled secondary airflow to be directed to cool other parts of the gas turbine engine, wherein the cooling tube is disposed within the chamber and the hot secondary airflow from the engine core is configured to remain within the engine core during a heat exchange process.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the chamber comprises a chamber outboard surface and a chamber interior, wherein the heat exchanger is coupled to the chamber outboard surface, and the cooling tube is disposed within the chamber interior.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 2 , wherein the chamber further comprises a chamber side surface coupled to the chamber outboard surface, and the chamber side surface comprises a side surface inlet configured to allow the hot secondary airflow into the chamber interior.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 3 , wherein the chamber further comprises a chamber exit surface coupled to at least one of the chamber outboard surface or the chamber side surface, and the chamber exit surface comprises an exit hole configured to allow the cooled secondary airflow out of the chamber interior.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 2 , wherein the engine core is configured to have an entirety of the hot secondary airflow travel into the chamber interior.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 2 , wherein the heat exchanger is bolted to the chamber outboard surface.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 2 , wherein the tube interior is physically isolated from the chamber interior.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a bypass airflow channel disposed outside of the engine core, wherein the bypass airflow channel is configured to allow a bypass airflow;
wherein the tube entrance end and the tube exit end are in fluid communication with the bypass airflow channel, and the cooling tube is configured to allow cooling bypass airflow to enter the tube interior through the tube entrance end and exit the tube interior through the tube exit end.

9. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is configured to cool the hot secondary airflow in the chamber to produce the cooled secondary airflow.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is disposed forward of a combustor.

11. A method of cooling airflow in a gas turbine engine, comprising:
passing a cooling bypass airflow, from a bypass airflow channel disposed outside of an engine core, through a cooling tube disposed in a heat exchanger, wherein the heat exchanger is coupled to a chamber surrounding the heat exchanger and is configured to receive hot secondary airflow from the engine core and cool the hot secondary airflow from the engine core to produce cooled secondary airflow to be directed to cool other parts of the gas turbine engine, wherein the cooling tube is disposed within the chamber and the hot secondary airflow from the engine core is configured to remain within the engine core during a heat exchange process;
directing the hot secondary airflow from the engine core into the chamber; and
contacting the cooling tube with the hot secondary airflow in response to the passing the cooling bypass airflow through the cooling tube.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising producing a heated bypass airflow in response to the hot secondary airflow contacting the cooling tube.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising venting the heated bypass airflow into the bypass airflow channel.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising producing the cooled secondary airflow in response to the hot secondary airflow contacting the cooling tube.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising directing the cooled secondary airflow out of the chamber through a chamber exit surface.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the cooled secondary airflow is directed to cool at least one of a high pressure turbine or a high pressure compressor.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the heat exchanger is bolted to a chamber outboard surface.

18. A system for cooling air, comprising:
a bypass airflow channel disposed outside of an engine core;
a chamber disposed inside the engine core and comprising:
a chamber outboard surface; and
a chamber interior; wherein the chamber surrounds a heat exchanger and is configured to receive hot secondary airflow from the engine core and cool the hot secondary airflow from the engine core to produce cooled secondary airflow to be directed to cool other parts of an engine, wherein a cooling tube is disposed within the chamber and the hot secondary airflow from the engine core is configured to remain within the engine core during a heat exchange process; and

the heat exchanger coupled to the chamber outboard surface and comprising:
a heat exchanger base; and
the cooling tube comprising a tube entrance end coupled to the heat exchanger base, a tube exit end coupled to the heat exchanger base, and a tube body between the tube entrance end and the tube exit end disposed inside the chamber interior, the tube body comprising a tube interior, wherein the tube interior is configured for fluid communication with the bypass airflow channel.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the chamber further comprises a chamber side surface coupled to the chamber outboard surface, wherein the chamber side surface comprises a side surface inlet that is configured to place the hot secondary airflow in physical contact with the cooling tube.

20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the tube interior is physically isolated from the chamber interior.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Thomas Michael R

Classifications

• F02C7/12

  Cooling of plants (of component parts, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. F01D; cooling of engines in general F01P) · CPC title

• F02C7/18

  the medium being gaseous, e.g. air {(F02C7/125 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• F02K3/025 Primary

  the by-pass flow being at least partly used to create an independent thrust component · CPC title

• F28D1/0475

  the conduits having a single U-bend · CPC title

• F02K3/04

  the plant including ducted fans, i.e. fans with high volume, low pressure outputs, for augmenting the jet thrust, e.g. of double-flow type · CPC title