Heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11187151-B2
Application number	US-201916275861-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2019
Priority date	Mar 1, 2018
Publication date	Nov 30, 2021
Grant date	Nov 30, 2021

Abstract

A heat exchanger for a ducted fan gas turbine engine has a low temperature side and plural high temperature sides. The heat exchanger is configured such that heat is extracted from respective engine fluids flowing through the high temperature sides and is received by a portion of a bypass airflow of the engine which, on passing through the fan duct, is diverted through the low temperature side of the heat exchanger thereby cooling the engine fluids.

First claim

We claim:

1. A heat exchanger for a ducted fan gas turbine engine, the heat exchanger comprising:
a first arrangement comprising:
a first low temperature portion; and
a first plurality of high temperature portions, the heat exchanger being configured such that heat is extracted from respective engine fluids flowing through the high temperature portions and is received by a portion of a bypass airflow of the engine which, on passing through the fan duct, is diverted through the low temperature si-de portion of the heat exchanger thereby cooling the engine fluids, and wherein the first low temperature portion returns the diverted portion of the bypass airflow to the fan duct; and

a second arrangement that is a duplicate of the first arrangement, the second arrangement comprising:
a second low temperature portion; and
a second plurality of high temperature portions, wherein each engine fluid flows in parallel through one of the first plurality of high temperature portions and one of the second plurality of high temperature portions.

2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is configured to be mounted to a suspension pylon extending across the fan duct of the engine.

3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , which further comprising heat flow paths for the extracted heat, the heat flow paths extending from surfaces of the high temperature portions in contact with the engine fluids to surfaces of the low temperature portions in contact with the diverted portion of the bypass airflow, the paths being entirely solid state.

4. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is a shell-and-tube type heat exchanger, the first low temperature portion of the heat exchanger being formed by a plurality of tubes which convey the diverted portion of the bypass airflow, and each of the first plurality of high temperature portions being formed by a respective shell which surrounds the plurality of tubes and through which the respective engine fluid flows so that the plurality of tubes are immersed in the engine fluid flows.

5. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of high temperature portions are arranged in series so that the diverted portion of the bypass airflow receives the extracted heat from the engine fluids sequentially as the bypass airflow flows through the first low temperature portion.

6. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of high temperature portions are configured to receive two or more different engine fluids.

7. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of high temperature portions comprise three or more high temperature portions.

8. The heat exchanger according to claim 7 , wherein the engine fluids of the three high temperature portions are either respectively water-based, oil-based and air-based, or respectively water-based, water-based and air-based.

9. A heat exchange system comprising the heat exchanger according to claim 1 , and further comprising respective circuits for the flow of the engine fluids, wherein each circuit flows the respective engine fluid in a closed loop between a corresponding high temperature portion of the heat exchanger and a respective component of the engine, the respective engine fluid acting as a coolant for the respective component.

10. A heat exchange system according to claim 9 , wherein two or more of the components are electrical components.

11. The heat exchange system according to claim 10 , wherein a first component of the two or more components is an electrical machine and a second component of the components is an electrical power converter.

12. A ducted fan gas turbine engine comprising the heat exchange system according to claim 9 .

13. A ducted fan gas turbine engine comprising the heat exchanger according to claim 1 .

14. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , further comprising a tube that conveys the diverted bypass airflow, wherein the first and second low temperature portions are formed at least in part by opposed walls of the tube.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Husband Stephen M
• Ren Lixin

Classifications

• 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

• F28D7/0091

  the supplementary medium flowing in series through the units · CPC title

• F05D2250/30

  Arrangement of components · CPC title

• F28D7/00

  Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary tubular conduit assemblies for both heat-exchange media, the media being in contact with different sides of a conduit wall · CPC title