Gas turbine engine with trailing edge heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11655762-B2
Application number	US-201916377954-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2019
Priority date	Apr 8, 2019
Publication date	May 23, 2023
Grant date	May 23, 2023

Abstract

A gas turbine engine includes a fan assembly, a compressor assembly, a combustion chamber, a turbine assembly, a bypass duct conveying rearward a bypass airstream driven by the fan assembly when the gas turbine engine is in use, a fairing extending across at least a portion of the bypass duct downstream of the fan assembly, and a heat exchanger having an inlet fluidly connected to the compressor assembly and an outlet fluidly connected to a pneumatic actuator of the gas turbine engine. The fairing has a leading edge and a trailing edge. The heat exchanger is disposed adjacent the trailing edge of the fairing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine, comprising a fan assembly, a compressor assembly, a combustion chamber, a turbine assembly, a bypass duct conveying rearward a bypass airstream driven by the fan assembly when the gas turbine engine is in use, and a fairing extending across at least a portion of the bypass duct downstream of the fan assembly, the fairing having an airfoil-shaped body having first flow facing surfaces extending downstream from a leading edge of the airfoil-shaped body; and a heat exchanger having a body that is wedge shaped and forms a trailing edge of the airfoil-shaped body of the fairing, the heat exchanger body having second flow-facing surfaces which are aligned with the first flow-facing surfaces to complete the airfoil-shaped body of the fairing without protruding into the bypass airstream at an angle relative to the first flow-facing surface, wherein the first and second flow facing surfaces collectively form a substantially uninterrupted flow-facing surface formed by the fairing and the heat exchanger, the body of the heat exchanger including a base portion attached to the fairing and a rear end portion extending rearward from the base portion, the base portion of the body of the heat exchanger being complementary in shape to the fairing, an inlet of the heat exchanger being fluidly connected to the compressor assembly and an outlet fluidly connected to a pneumatic actuator of the gas turbine engine, the body having a tortuous fluid conduit inside the body, the tortuous fluid conduit extending radially through the body from the inlet to the outlet.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is connected to the fairing via a bracket.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 2 , wherein the bracket is disposed at least in part inside the fairing.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 3 , wherein the bracket is disposed in its entirety inside the fairing and is attached to at least one inner surface of the fairing, the inlet of the heat exchanger being one end of the tortuous fluid conduit and the outlet of the heat exchanger being at another end of the tortuous fluid conduit.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the tortuous fluid conduit is defined by at least one coiled tube.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the body has a wishbone shape.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the rear end portion of the body of the heat exchanger defining slots extending through the rear end portion.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the slots extend into the base portion.

9. The gas turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the slots extend in a direction of the bypass airstream.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the tortuous fluid conduit is a flow channel extending through the body, the flow channel is fluidly connected to the at least one of the compressor assembly and the combustion chamber, and the flow channel occupies a majority of a volume of the body.

11. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the fairing is disposed inside the bypass duct.

12. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the pneumatic actuator is connectable to a pneumatic system of an aircraft.

13. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the body is a unitary body that defines both the tortuous fluid conduit forming a serpentine cooling channel through the unitary body and a serpentine air flow path through the unitary body, the cooling channel fluidly connecting the inlet to the outlet.

14. A gas turbine engine, comprising:
a fan assembly, a compressor assembly, a combustion chamber, a turbine assembly, and a bypass duct conveying rearward a bypass airstream driven by the fan assembly when the gas turbine engine is in use;
a fairing extending through the bypass duct and having an airfoil-shaped body defining first flow surfaces across which the bypass airstream flows; and
a heat exchanger having a body that forms a trailing edge the airfoil-shaped body of the fairing, the body of the heat exchanger having a triangular shape with a wider portion and a narrower portion extending downstream therefrom, the wider portion of the body of the heat exchanger being attached to the fairing, the body of the heat exchanger defining second flow-facing surfaces which are aligned with the first flow-facing surfaces to complete the airfoil-shape body of the fairing without protruding into the bypass airstream at an angle relative to the first flow surfaces;
wherein an inlet of the heat exchanger is fluidly connected to the compressor assembly via a bleed conduit and an outlet fluidly connected to a pneumatic actuator, the body having a tortuous fluid conduit inside the body, the tortuous fluid conduit extending radially through the body from the inlet to the outlet.

15. The gas turbine engine of claim 14 , wherein the fairing defines a bypass air exhaust nozzle of the bypass duct of the gas turbine engine.

Assignees

• Pratt & Whitney Canada

Inventors

• Fish Jason
• Molina Charlie
• Alecu Daniel

Classifications

• B64D2033/0286

  for turbofan engines · CPC title

• F28D1/0478

  the conduits having a non-circular cross-section · CPC title

• F28D7/085

  in the form of parallel conduits coupled by bent portions · CPC title

• F02C3/06

  the compressor comprising only axial stages (F02C3/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F02C7/143 Primary

  before or between the compressor stages · CPC title