Superheated steam injection turbine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12098645-B2
Application number	US-202318314958-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2023
Priority date	May 19, 2022
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

A turbine engine assembly includes a core engine generating a high energy gas flow that is expanded through a turbine section, a hydrogen fuel system supplying hydrogen fuel to a combustor through a fuel flow path, a condenser extracting water from the high energy gas flow, an evaporator inputting thermal energy into the water extracted by the condenser to generate a steam flow, and at least one superheater receiving the steam flow from the evaporator and input thermal energy for heating the steam flow. The steam flow from the at least one superheater is injected into the core flow path upstream of the turbine section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A turbine engine assembly comprising:
a core engine including a core flow path where air is compressed in a compressor section, communicated to a combustor section, mixed with a hydrogen based fuel and ignited to generate a high energy gas flow that is expanded through a turbine section;
a hydrogen fuel system configured to supply hydrogen fuel to the combustor through a fuel flow path;
a condenser arranged along the core flow path to extract water from the high energy gas flow;
an evaporator arranged along the core flow path to input thermal energy into the water extracted by the condenser to generate a steam flow; and
at least one superheater arranged to receive the steam flow from the evaporator and input thermal energy for heating the steam flow, wherein the steam flow from the at least one superheater; and wherein the turbine section includes a high pressure turbine and a low pressure turbine, the at least one superheater is disposed to receive the high energy gas flow exhausted from the high pressure turbine and before the low pressure turbine.

2. The turbine engine assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one superheater is in communication with the high energy gas flow from the combustor section.

3. The turbine engine assembly as recited in claim 2 , wherein the evaporator is in thermal communication with the high energy gas flow from the combustor section.

4. The turbine engine assembly as recited in claim 3 , including a preheater in thermal communication with the high energy from the combustor section.

5. The turbine engine assembly as recited in claim 4 , including a steam turbine, wherein the heated steam flow is expanded through the steam turbine and communicated to the combustor section.

6. The turbine engine assembly as recited in claim 5 , including at least one control valve controlling steam flow through at least one bypass passage, the bypass passage configured to route steam flow around the at least one superheater.

7. The turbine engine assembly as recited in claim 6 , including a controller commanding operation of the control valve, the controller programmed to direct steam flow into the bypass passage according to predefined target engine operating parameters.

8. The turbine engine assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the turbine section includes an intermediate turbine disposed between the high pressure turbine and the low pressure turbine, wherein the at least one superheater is disposed between the high pressure turbine and the intermediate turbine.

9. The turbine engine assembly as recited in claim 8 , wherein the evaporator is disposed between the intermediate turbine and the low pressure turbine.

10. The turbine engine assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein a temperature of the steam flow exhausted from the at least one superheater is greater than a temperature of the steam flow exhausted from the evaporator.

11. The turbine engine assembly as recited in claim 1 , including a water storage tank and the condenser communicates water to the water storage tank and a pump is configured to move water from the storage tank into the evaporator.

12. The turbine engine assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the turbine section includes a low pressure turbine configured to drive a fan, electric generator, or mechanical load through a low shaft.

13. The turbine engine assembly as recited in claim 12 , including a gearbox coupled to the low shaft for driving the fan at a speed lower than the low pressure turbine.

14. A propulsion system for an aircraft comprising:
a core engine including a core flow path where air is compressed in a compressor section, communicated to a combustor section, mixed with a hydrogen based fuel and ignited to generate a high energy gas flow that is expanded through a turbine section, wherein the turbine section includes a high pressure turbine and a low pressure turbine;
a hydrogen fuel system suppling hydrogen fuel to the combustor through a fuel flow path;
a condenser arranged along the core flow path to extract water from the high energy gas flow;
an evaporator placing the high energy gas flow into thermal communication with the water extracted by the condenser to generate a steam flow;
at least one superheater placing the high energy exhaust gas flow into thermal communication with the steam flow to increase a temperature of the steam flow; and
a steam turbine driven by expansion of the heated steam flow from the at least one; and wherein at least one turbine of the turbine section is disposed between the combustor and the superheater in the gas flow path and another of the turbines of the turbine section is disposed between the evaporator and superheater in the gas flow path.

15. The propulsion system as recited in claim 14 , including a preheater for heating water from the condenser, the preheater in thermal communication with the high energy gas flow.

16. The propulsion system as recited in claim 14 , including at least one control valve controlling steam flow through at least one bypass passage routing steam flow around at least one of the superheater and preheater.

17. The propulsion system as recited in claim 16 , including a controller commanding operation of the control valve, the controller programmed to direct steam flow into the bypass passage according to predefined target engine operating parameters.

18. The propulsion system as recited in claim 14 , wherein the at least one superheater, evaporator, or preheater transfers heat from a lower pressure flow to a higher pressure flow.

Assignees

• Raytheon Tech Corp
• Rtx Corp

Inventors

• Terwilliger Neil J
• Staubach Joseph B

Classifications

• F01K7/38

  the engines being of turbine type · CPC title

• F01K7/16

  the engines being only of turbine type (the engines using steam of critical or overcritical pressure F01K7/32; the engines being of extraction or non-condensing type F01K7/34) · CPC title

• F01K3/26

  with heating by steam · CPC title

• F01D15/10

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

• F05D2220/60

  making use of surplus or waste energy · CPC title