Enhanced APU operability

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10400676-B2
Application number	US-201414902148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2014
Priority date	Jul 1, 2013
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A fuel system for a gas turbine engine comprises an injector disposed to inject fuel and air into a combustor of the gas turbine engine. In a first embodiment, the fuel system further comprises an air separation module configured to supply oxygen-enriched air into the combustor via the injector for combustion. In a second embodiment, the fuel system further comprises a barbotage system and a heating element. The barbotage system is configured to feed hydrogen to the injector, and the heating element is configured to pre-heat the fuel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel system for a gas turbine engine comprising:
an injector disposed to inject fuel and air into a combustor of the gas turbine engine;
an air separation module configured to deliver oxygen-enriched air into the combustor via the injector for combustion;
a thermoelectric generator having an aircraft cabin as a heat source, and a tail cone as a heat sink; and
a heating element comprising a resistive heater powered by the thermoelectric generator and configured to pre-heat the fuel.

2. The fuel system of claim 1 , wherein the gas turbine engine is an auxiliary power unit.

3. The fuel system of claim 1 , wherein the heating element is a circulative heating element configured to heat the fuel in a fuel tank.

4. The fuel system of claim 1 , wherein the heating element is configured to heat fuel at a fuel inlet line to the injector.

5. The fuel system of claim 1 , wherein the heating element is a heat exchanger.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Ribarov Lubomir A
• Liscinsky David S
• Colket Meredith B

Classifications

• F02C9/40

  specially adapted to the use of a special fuel or a plurality of fuels · CPC title

• B64D37/34

  Conditioning fuel, e.g. heating (during filling B64D37/18) · CPC title

• F02C3/22

  the fuel or oxidant being gaseous at standard temperature and pressure (F02C3/28 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F05D2220/50

  for auxiliary power units (APU's) · CPC title

• F02C7/26

  Starting; Ignition · CPC title