Gas turbine engine with thermoelectric system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10801408-B2
Application number	US-201715416730-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2017
Priority date	Feb 3, 2016
Publication date	Oct 13, 2020
Grant date	Oct 13, 2020

Abstract

A gas turbine engine includes a lubrication system, fuel system and thermoelectric heat exchanger adapted for selective operation in response to operational states of the gas turbine engine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine for generating power from combustion of fuel, comprising
a lubrication system adapted to distribute lubricant to portions of the gas turbine engine,
a fuel system adapted to provide fuel to a combustor of the gas turbine engine,
a thermoelectric heat exchanger including a lubrication passageway fluidly coupled to the lubrication system to pass lubricant of the turbine lubrication system therethrough, a fuel passageway fluidly coupled to the fuel system to pass fuel of the turbine fuel system therethrough, and a thermoelectric section configured in thermal communication with each of the lubrication passageway and the fuel passageway,
wherein the thermoelectric section is disposed between the lubrication passageway and the fuel passageway,
a thermoelectric controller configured to determine an operational state of the gas turbine engine and to selectively apply voltage across the thermoelectric section based on the operational state of the gas turbine engine, and
wherein the gas turbine engine is configured to provide propulsion for an aircraft and the operational state of the gas turbine engine comprises at least one of ground idle, takeoff, climb, cruise, and flight idle.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric controller is configured to selectively provide electric power generated by the thermoelectric section to a load of the gas turbine engine.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric controller is configured to receive electric power from the thermoelectric section in response to determination that the operational state of the gas turbine engine is takeoff.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric controller is configured to apply voltage across the thermoelectric section to direct current through the thermoelectric section in a first direction in response to determination that the operational state of the gas turbine engine is one of climb and cruise to encourage heat transfer through the thermoelectric section from the lubrication passageway to the fuel passageway.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 4 , wherein the thermoelectric controller is configured to apply voltage across the thermoelectric section to direct current through the thermoelectric section in a second direction in response to determination that the operational state of the gas turbine engine is one of ground idle and flight idle to discourage heat through the thermoelectric section from the lubrication passageway to the fuel passageway.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric section includes a plurality of electrically connected thermoelectric layers and the lubrication passageway includes at least one lubrication conduit having at least one wall in thermal communication with one of the thermoelectric layers.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 6 , wherein the lubrication passageway includes a corrugated wall disposed within the at least one lubrication conduit.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 6 , wherein the fuel passageway includes at least one fuel conduit having at least one wall in thermal communication with one of the thermoelectric layers and the fuel passageway includes a corrugated wall disposed within the at least one fuel conduit.

9. A gas turbine engine for generating power from combustion of fuel, comprising:
a turbine lubrication system,
a turbine fuel system, and
a thermoelectric heat exchanger including:
a lubrication passageway fluidly coupled to the lubrication system to pass lubricant of the turbine lubrication system therethrough,
a fuel passageway fluidly coupled to the fuel system to pass fuel of the turbine fuel system therethrough,
a thermoelectric section configured in thermal communication with each of the lubrication passageway and the fuel passageway, and
a thermoelectric controller configured to selectively apply voltage across the thermoelectric layer based on an operational state of the gas turbine engine and selectively provide electric power generated by the thermoelectric section to a load of the gas turbine engine.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 9 , wherein the thermoelectric controller is configured to determine the operational state of the gas turbine engine.

11. The gas turbine engine of claim 10 , wherein the gas turbine engine is configured to provide propulsion for an aircraft and the operational state of the gas turbine engine comprises at least one of ground idle, takeoff, climb, cruise, and flight idle.

12. The gas turbine engine of claim 11 , wherein the thermoelectric controller is configured to apply voltage across the thermoelectric section to direct current through the thermoelectric section in a first direction in response to determination that the operational state of the gas turbine engine is one of climb and cruise to encourage heat transfer through the thermoelectric section from the lubrication passageway to the fuel passageway.

13. The gas turbine engine of claim 12 , wherein the thermoelectric controller is configured to apply voltage across the thermoelectric section to direct current through the thermoelectric section in a second direction in response to determination that the operational state of the gas turbine engine is one of ground idle and flight idle to discourage heat transfer through the thermoelectric section from the lubrication passageway to the fuel passageway.

14. The gas turbine engine of claim 10 , wherein the thermoelectric heat exchanger is configured to provide voltage from the thermoelectric section to generate electric power from excess thermal differential between the lubrication system and the fuel system.

15. A method of operating a gas turbine engine for providing propulsion for an aircraft, the method comprising:
determining an operational state of the gas turbine engine,
based on the determined operational state, determining whether excess thermal differential exists between a lubrication system and a fuel system of the gas turbine engine, wherein a thermoelectric heat exchanger of the gas turbine engine includes a lubrication passageway in fluid communication with the lubrication system and a fuel passageway in fluid communication with the fuel system, the thermoelectric heat exchanger further comprising a thermoelectric section disposed between and in thermal communication with each of the lubrication passageway and the fuel passageway,
in response to determining whether excess thermal differential exists based on the determined operational state,
selectively:
applying voltage across the thermoelectric section of the thermoelectric heat exchanger of the gas turbine engine in response to determination that excess thermal differential does not exist, and
extracting electric power from the thermoelectric section of the thermoelectric heat exchanger in response to determination that excess thermal differential does exist.

16. The method of operating a gas turbine engine of claim 15 , wherein selectively applying voltage across the thermoelectric section of the thermoelectric heat exchanger includes, in response to determination that an excess thermal differential does not exist based on the determined operational state, selectively directing current through the thermoelectric section in a first direction to encourage heat transfer through the thermoelectric section from the lubrication passageway to the fuel passageway based on the determined operational state.

17. The method of operating a gas turbine engine of claim 16 , wherein selectively applying voltag

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Nam Tech Inc

Inventors

• Dierksmeier Douglas D
• Vetters Daniel K
• Karam Michael A

Classifications

• F01D15/10 Primary

  Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, electric generators · CPC title

• F02C6/18

  using the waste heat of gas-turbine plants outside the plants themselves, e.g. gas-turbine power heat plants (using waste heat as source of energy for refrigeration plants F25B27/02; using the waste heat of a gasturbine for steam generation or in a steam cycle see F01K23/10) · CPC title

• Y02T50/60

  Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft · CPC title

• F05D2260/213

  by the provision of a heat exchanger within the cooling circuit · CPC title

• F02C7/14

  of fluids in the plant {, e.g. lubricant or fuel (F02C7/185 takes precedence)} · CPC title