Gas turbine engine flow duct having integrated heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9790893-B2
Application number	US-201314136262-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2013
Priority date	Mar 14, 2013
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

A gas turbine engine flow duct comprising a flow duct disposed along an engine centerline of the gas turbine engine and defining a stream flow passage, and first and second rows of heat exchangers disposed along the engine centerline of the gas turbine engine and integrated in the flow duct in fluid communication with the stream flow passage of the flow duct.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flow duct for a gas turbine engine comprising:
the flow duct disposed along a centerline of the gas turbine engine and defining a stream flow passage;
first and second rows of heat exchangers disposed along the engine centerline of the gas turbine engine and integrated in the flow duct in fluid communication with the stream flow passage of the flow duct; and
an adjustable nozzle positioned within the flow duct, the adjustable nozzle having a first nozzle wall assembly and a second nozzle wall assembly that define a nozzle span, such that air passing through the flow duct passes through the nozzle span;
wherein:
the first nozzle wall assembly includes a first nozzle wall and the second nozzle wall assembly includes a second nozzle wall; and
the first and second nozzle wall assemblies are each adjustable to define the nozzle span between the first nozzle wall and the second nozzle wall;

further comprising an adjustable diffuser downstream of the adjustable nozzle, the adjustable diffuser including a first diffuser wall assembly and a second diffuser wall assembly, the first diffuser wall assembly having a first diffuser wall and the second diffuser wall assembly having a second diffuser wall, wherein the first and second diffuser wall assemblies are each adjustable to adjust a diffuser span between the first diffuser wall and the second diffuser wall;
wherein each of the first and second nozzle wall assemblies are four-body linkages, each having pivotal joints that adjust the nozzle span between the first nozzle wall and the second nozzle wall; and
wherein each of the first and second diffuser wall assemblies are four-body linkages, each having pivotal joints that adjust the diffuser span between the first diffuser wall and the second diffuser wall.

2. The flow duct of claim 1 in which the flow duct is an annular bypass flow duct that surrounds a core of the gas turbine engine.

3. The flow duct of claim 1 in which the flow duct comprises a ram air duct.

4. The flow duct of claim 1 in which the heat exchangers of the first row are circumferentially disposed about the engine centerline at a first radial distance from the engine centerline, and the heat exchangers of the second row are circumferentially disposed about the engine centerline at a second radial distance from the engine centerline.

5. The flow duct of claim 1 in which the heat exchangers of the first row are angularly offset from the heat exchangers of the second row.

6. The flow duct of claim 1 , further comprising a scoop positioned aft of the first nozzle wall, the scoop positioned to transfer air passing through the nozzle span to a location near a start of the adjustable diffuser.

7. A flow duct for a gas turbine engine comprising:
the flow duct disposed along a centerline of the gas turbine engine and defining a flow duct passage;
a plurality of heat transfer components integrated in the flow duct and configured to have a variable geometry arrangement for adjusting static pressure in the flow duct passage downstream of the heat transfer components; and
an adjustable nozzle positioned within the flow duct, the adjustable nozzle having a first nozzle wall assembly and a second nozzle wall assembly that define a nozzle span, such that air passing through the flow duct passes through the nozzle span;
wherein:
the first nozzle wall assembly includes a first nozzle wall and the second nozzle wall assembly includes a second nozzle wall; and
the first and second nozzle wall assemblies are each adjustable to define the nozzle span between the first nozzle wall and the second nozzle wall;

further comprising an adjustable diffuser positioned downstream of the adjustable nozzle, the adjustable diffuser including a first diffuser wall assembly and a second diffuser wall assembly, the first diffuser wall assembly having a first diffuser wall and the second diffuser wall assembly having a second diffuser wall, wherein the first and second diffuser wall assemblies are each adjustable to adjust a diffuser span between the first diffuser wall and the second diffuser wall;
wherein each of the first and second nozzle wall assemblies are four-body linkages, each having pivotal joints that adjust the nozzle span between the first nozzle wall and the second nozzle wall; and
wherein each of the first and second diffuser wall assemblies are four-body linkages, each having pivotal joints that adjust the diffuser span between the first diffuser wall and the second diffuser wall.

8. The flow duct of claim 7 in which the variable geometry arrangement of heat transfer components includes first and second rows of heat transfer components in fluid communication with the flow duct passage of the flow duct, wherein the first and second rows of heat transfer components are relatively axially adjustable along the engine centerline of the gas turbine engine.

9. The flow duct of claim 7 in which the variable geometry arrangement of heat transfer components includes the heat transfer components and nozzle components circumferentially disposed about the engine centerline.

10. The flow duct of claim 7 in which the variable geometry arrangement of heat transfer components includes the heat transfer components and ejectors circumferentially disposed about the engine centerline, in which the ejector comprises the adjustable nozzle and an adjustable diffuser disposed along the engine centerline.

11. The flow duct of claim 7 in which the flow duct comprises an outer flow duct that surrounds an inner flow duct, and the inner flow duct surrounds a core of the gas turbine engine.

12. A method of adjusting pressure distribution in a flow duct for a gas turbine engine, the flow duct having heat exchangers comprising:
providing fluid flow through a stream flow passage of the flow duct disposed along a centerline of the gas turbine engine;
using first and second rows of heat exchangers disposed along the engine centerline of the gas turbine engine and integrated in the flow duct in fluid communication with the stream flow passage of the flow duct to adjust the pressure difference across the first and second rows of heat exchangers;
adjusting airflow in the flow duct by passing air through an adjustable nozzle that is positioned within the flow duct, the adjustable nozzle having a first nozzle wall assembly and a second nozzle wall assembly that define a nozzle span; and
adjusting the airflow by adjusting the nozzle span;
wherein the first nozzle wall assembly includes a first nozzle wall and a second nozzle wall that define the nozzle span, the method further comprising:

passing the air flow from the adjustable nozzle to an adjustable diffuser that is downstream of the adjustable nozzle, the adjustable diffuser including a first diffuser wall assembly and a second diffuser wall assembly, the first diffuser wall assembly having a first diffuser wall and the second diffuser wall assembly having a second diffuser wall, wherein the first and second diffuser wall assemblies are each adjustable to adjust a diffuser span between the first diffuser wall and the second diffuser wall, such that the air passing from the nozzle span passes into the diffuser span; and
scooping air in a scoop that is positioned aft of the first nozzle wall and positioned to transfer air passing through the nozzle span to a location near a start of the adjustable diffuser.

13. The method of claim 12 in which the providing fluid flow comprises providing one of bypass air flow and ram air flow.

14. The method of claim 12 in which the providing fluid comprises providing fluid through a third stream flo

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Nam Tech Inc

Inventors

• Snyder Douglas J

Classifications

• F02K3/115 Primary

  by means of indirect heat exchange · CPC title

• F02C7/14

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

• F02C7/18

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

• Y02T50/675

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02T50/60

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