Heat Exchanger for Turbo Machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020217510-A1
Application number	US-201916239004-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 3, 2019
Priority date	Jan 3, 2019
Publication date	Jul 9, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A turbo machine including a heat exchanger flowpath is generally provided. The turbo machine includes an outer casing extended along an axial direction, a prediffuser defining an inlet passage into a combustion section of the turbo machine, an inner casing extended from the prediffuser, in which a diffuser cavity is defined between the outer casing and the inner casing, a first plenum wall extended outward along a radial direction from the prediffuser, and a second plenum wall extended outward along a radial direction from the prediffuser. The second plenum wall is separated along the axial direction from the first plenum wall. A plenum is defined between the first plenum wall and the second plenum wall. The turbo machine includes a heat exchanger including a first conduit in fluid communication with the diffuser cavity. The first conduit is in fluid communication with a passage, and a second conduit in fluid communication with the passage and the plenum. A flow of working fluid is admitted from the diffuser cavity through the heat exchanger to the plenum via the first conduit, the passage, and the second conduit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A turbo machine, the turbo machine comprising:
an outer casing extended along an axial direction; a prediffuser defining an inlet passage into a combustion section of the turbo machine; an inner casing extended from the prediffuser, wherein a diffuser cavity is defined between the outer casing and the inner casing; a first plenum wall extended outward along a radial direction from the prediffuser; a second plenum wall extended outward along a radial direction from the prediffuser, wherein the second plenum wall is separated along the axial direction from the first plenum wall, and wherein a plenum is defined between the first plenum wall and the second plenum wall; and a heat exchanger comprising a first conduit in fluid communication with the diffuser cavity, wherein the first conduit is in fluid communication with a passage, and a second conduit in fluid communication with the passage and the plenum, wherein a flow of working fluid is admitted from the diffuser cavity through the heat exchanger to the plenum via the first conduit, the passage, and the second conduit.

2 . The turbo machine of claim 1 , wherein the first plenum wall and the second plenum wall are each extended along a circumferential direction to define the plenum annularly.

3 . The turbo machine of claim 1 , wherein the prediffuser comprises a vane through which a crossover passage is defined in fluid communication with the plenum and a cavity radially inward of the inner casing.

4 . The turbo machine of claim 3 , further comprising:
a rotor assembly extended radially inward of the inner casing, wherein the rotor assembly comprises a seal defined at the rotor assembly and the inner casing, and wherein the cavity is defined between the rotor assembly and the inner casing in fluid communication with the plenum and the seal.

5 . The turbo machine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a fuel injector assembly, wherein the fuel injector assembly comprises a body defining an outer surface and an inner surface, and wherein the heat exchanger is disposed within the body.

6 . The turbo machine of claim 5 , wherein the heat exchanger further comprises:
a plurality of walls in concentric arrangement, wherein the plurality of walls defines a plurality of passages, wherein the plurality of passages comprises a first passage surrounded by a second passage, and further wherein the plurality of walls defines a third passage surrounding the second passage, wherein each passage is fluidly segregated from one another by the plurality of walls; and wherein the first conduit is defined by a first conduit wall defined through the body from the outer surface, and wherein the first conduit wall fluidly segregates the first conduit from the third passage, and further wherein the first conduit is configured to admit the flow of working fluid from the diffuser cavity into the second passage.

7 . The turbo machine of claim 6 , wherein the heat exchanger further comprises:
a second conduit wall defined through the body from the outer surface, wherein the second conduit wall defines the second conduit in fluid communication with the second passage, and wherein the second conduit wall fluidly segregates the first conduit from the third passage, wherein the second conduit is configured to egress the flow of working fluid from the second passage to the plenum.

8 . The turbo machine of claim 6 , wherein the fuel injector comprises a fin structure extended from one or more of the plurality of walls into the second passage, wherein the fin structure defines a helical flowpath through the second passage.

9 . The turbo machine of claim 6 , further comprising:
a fuel system configured to provide one or more flows of de-oxygenated fuel to the first passage and the third passage of the fuel injector assembly, and wherein the second passage is configured to receive the flow of compressed air from the diffuser cavity via the first conduit, and wherein the fuel injector assembly is configured to egress the flow of compressed air via the second conduit, and wherein the one or more flows of fuel and the compressed air are in thermal communication within the heat exchanger.

10 . The turbo machine of claim 1 , wherein the second plenum wall comprises an axially extended portion coupled to the heat exchanger, wherein the second plenum wall fluidly segregates the plenum from the diffuser cavity.

11 . The turbo machine of claim 10 , wherein a flow passage of the plenum is defined between the outer casing and the axially extended portion of the second plenum wall, and wherein a second opening at the second conduit of the heat exchanger is defined in direct fluid communication with the flow passage.

12 . The turbo machine of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises a heat exchanger body through which the first conduit, the passage, and the second conduit are defined.

13 . The turbo machine of claim 12 , wherein the heat exchanger further defines an opening through which the fuel injector assembly is disposed, and wherein one or more flows of fuel are provided in thermal communication with the flow of working fluid through the heat exchanger.

14 . The turbo machine of claim 12 , wherein the heat exchanger further defines a fluid inlet opening through the heat exchanger body, wherein a flow of fluid is admitted through the heat exchanger in thermal communication with the working fluid.

15 . The turbo machine of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is disposed at least partially through the outer casing, and wherein the second conduit is in fluid communication with the diffuser cavity.

16 . The turbo machine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pressure plenum wall disposed forward of the first plenum wall along the axial direction, wherein a pressure plenum is defined between the first plenum wall and the pressure plenum wall.

17 . The turbo machine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a third plenum wall extended from the prediffuser along the radial direction, wherein the third plenum wall is spaced apart along the axial direction from a portion of the inner casing extended from the prediffuser.

18 . The turbo machine of claim 17 , wherein a plenum opening is defined through the portion of the inner casing such as to provide fluid communication to a cavity between a rotor assembly and the inner casing.

19 . The turbo machine of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger including the first conduit, the passage, and the second conduit egressed to the plenum defined at least in part by the first plenum wall and the second plenum wall together define a heat exchanger flowpath.

20 . The turbo machine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second heat exchanger disposed at least partially through the outer casing, wherein the second heat exchanger is configured to receive the flow of working fluid from the second conduit of the heat exchanger, and wherein the second heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the plenum.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Sampath Karthikeyan
• Lakshmanan Varun Swaminathan
• Benjamin Michael Anthony
• Vanapalli Veeraraju

Classifications

• F04D29/542

  Bladed diffusers (fixing blades to stators F01D9/042) · CPC title

• F02C7/18 Primary

  the medium being gaseous, e.g. air {(F02C7/125 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• Y02T50/60

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

• F02C7/224

  Heating fuel before feeding to the burner · CPC title

• F23R3/28

  characterised by the fuel supply (burners F23D) · CPC title