Combustion chamber regenerative cooling type turbofan engine system based on methanol fuel

Abstract

The invention discloses a combustion chamber regenerative cooling type turbofan engine system based on methanol fuel, relates to the technical field of aero-engines, and solves the problems that a traditional aero-engine is insufficient in cooling capacity and large in pollution. An air inlet channel, a fan, an air compressor system, a combustion chamber, a turbine system and an exhaust nozzle are sequentially communicated, and the outlet end of the exhaust nozzle is communicated with the atmosphere; the fan, the gas compressor system and the turbine system are connected through a shaft; a regeneration cooling channel is arranged in the combustion chamber, the methanol fuel tank is communicated with the regeneration cooling channel, methanol absorbs heat and evaporates in the regeneration cooling channel and is cracked to form mixed gas at the same time, and the mixed gas and air are combusted after being mixed. The regenerative cooling technology is applied to the turbofan engine, methanol serves as fuel and coolant, heat of a combustion chamber is absorbed to be evaporated and vaporized, meanwhile, the methanol is cracked to form mixed gas for combustion, dependence of a traditional engine on cooling air is reduced, the heat efficiency of the engine is improved, and meanwhile the combustion performance of methanol fuel is enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of aviation engines, and in particular to a combustion chamber regenerative cooling turbofan engine system based on methanol fuel. Background Art

[0002] As the mainstream type of modern aircraft engine, turbofan engines are widely used in civil aviation, military aviation, business aviation, and general aviation. With the continuous advancement of technology and increasingly stringent environmental protection requirements, the combustion chamber of turbofan engines faces new challenges and higher requirements.

[0003] Traditional aircraft engine cooling methods, such as film cooling, impingement cooling, and convection cooling, all consume a portion of the incoming air to cool the liner. As aircraft engine design requirements continue to increase, the main combustion chamber inlet temperature and combustion chamber temperature rise continue to rise. The more air involved in combustion, the less air is left for cooling the liner, reducing the cooling potential of the liner wall. Furthermore, to increase thrust, more air is needed to participate in combustion, which further reduces the cooling air supply, exacerbating the cooling problem.

[0004] Currently, most turbofan engines use traditional aviation kerosene. While this fuel has a high energy density, it produces large amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants during combustion, significantly impacting the environment. With growing global concern about carbon emissions from the aviation industry, the development of clean, low-carbon aviation fuels is becoming increasingly important. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues of insufficient cooling capacity and high pollution levels in traditional aircraft engines, this invention proposes a methanol-fueled, regeneratively cooled turbofan engine system. This system applies regenerative cooling technology to turbofan engines, using methanol as both fuel and coolant. This system absorbs heat from the combustion chamber, vaporizes, and simultaneously decomposes the fuel to form a mixed gas for combustion. This reduces the traditional engine's reliance on cooling air, improves engine thermal efficiency, and enhances the combustion performance of methanol fuel.

[0006] The present invention proposes a combustion chamber regenerative cooling turbofan engine system based on methanol fuel, which specifically includes an air inlet, a fan, a compressor system, a combustion chamber, a turbine system, a tail nozzle and a methanol fuel tank. The inlet end of the air inlet is connected to the atmosphere, and the outlet end is connected to the fan; the fan, the compressor system, the combustion chamber, the turbine system and the tail nozzle are connected in sequence, and the outlet end of the tail nozzle is connected to the atmosphere; the fan, the compressor system and the turbine system are connected by a shaft; a regenerative cooling channel is provided inside the combustion chamber, and the methanol fuel tank is connected to the regenerative cooling channel. Methanol absorbs heat and evaporates in the regenerative cooling channel and is simultaneously cracked to form a mixed gas, which is mixed with air and then burned.

[0007] Furthermore, the combustion chamber includes a casing, an outer wall of the flame tube and an inner wall of the flame tube, and the casing, the outer wall of the flame tube and the inner wall of the flame tube are coaxially arranged from outside to inside; regeneration cooling channels are provided on the outer wall of the flame tube and the inner wall of the flame tube.

[0008] Furthermore, the regenerative cooling channel is an annular structure, and the radial cross-section is corrugated.

[0009] Furthermore, a nozzle is provided inside the combustion chamber, and the regeneration cooling channel is connected to the nozzle.

[0010] Furthermore, the compressor system includes a low-pressure compressor and a high-pressure compressor, and the fan, the low-pressure compressor, the high-pressure compressor and the combustion chamber are connected in sequence.

[0011] Furthermore, the turbine system includes a high-pressure turbine and a low-pressure turbine, and the combustion chamber, high-pressure turbine, low-pressure turbine and tail nozzle are connected in sequence; the high-pressure turbine drives the high-pressure compressor, and the low-pressure turbine drives the low-pressure compressor and the fan.

[0012] Furthermore, it also includes a boost pump, and the methanol fuel tank, the boost pump and the combustion chamber are connected in sequence.

[0013] Furthermore, a throttle valve is provided between the methanol fuel tank and the boost pump.

[0014] Furthermore, the boost pump and the high-pressure turbine are connected via a shaft.

[0015] Furthermore, the fan outlet is connected to the duct air channel.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the methanol fuel-based combustion chamber regenerative cooling turbofan engine system of the present invention are: (1) The present invention discloses a regeneratively cooled turbofan engine system with a combustion chamber based on methanol fuel. This system uses methanol as a regenerative cooling medium, replacing the air cooling commonly used in traditional engines. This reduces the reliance on cooling air, allowing more air to enter the combustion chamber and mix with the fuel to generate combustion gas, generating greater thrust, and thus improving the performance of the turbofan engine. Methanol is preheated using the heat from the combustion chamber flame tube wall, overcoming the drawback of the high vaporization heat of methanol fuel itself. After preheating and absorbing heat, the liquid methanol is converted into a mixture of methanol vapor and cracking gas, which enters the combustion chamber, making the combustion heat release process more thorough and efficient. The combustion products are mainly carbon dioxide and water, and the atmospheric pollutant emissions are significantly lower than those of aviation kerosene, reducing the carbon emission intensity of aviation engines and having good environmental performance. At the same time, methanol is a potential hydrogen storage medium and can be combined with fuel cells to achieve greater advantages.

[0017] (2) The present invention discloses a methanol fuel-based combustion chamber regenerative cooling turbofan engine system, in which the combustion chamber regenerative cooling channel adopts a corrugated channel to reduce the influence of the pipeline structure on the flow state inside the combustion chamber, and at the same time can reduce the flow resistance and avoid the problem of local thermal stress concentration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The drawings constituting a part of this application are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The illustrative embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute improper limitations on the present invention.

[0019] In the attached figure: Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a methanol fuel-based combustion chamber regenerative cooling turbofan engine system according to the present invention; Figure 2 The invention relates to a methanol fuel-based combustion chamber regenerative cooling turbofan engine system. Figure 1 Cross-section at AA; Figure 3 The invention relates to a methanol fuel-based combustion chamber regenerative cooling turbofan engine system. Figure 2 Enlarged view of point B in the middle; Among them: 1-air inlet; 2-fan; 3-low-pressure compressor; 4-high-pressure compressor; 5-combustion chamber; 6-high-pressure turbine; 7-low-pressure turbine; 8-tail nozzle; 9-methanol fuel tank; 10-boost pump. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," "outer," and the like, indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate the description of the present invention and simplify the description. They do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0022] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "installed," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0023] In addition, the technical features involved in different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0024] Specific implementation method 1: See Figure 1-Figure 3The embodiment is described in detail. The combustion chamber regenerative cooling turbofan engine system based on methanol fuel described in this embodiment specifically includes an air inlet 1, a fan 2, a compressor system, a combustion chamber 5, a turbine system, a tail nozzle 8 and a methanol fuel tank 9. The inlet end of the air inlet 1 is connected to the atmosphere, and the outlet end is connected to the inlet end of the fan 2; the outlet end of the fan 2 is connected to the outer duct air channel 16 and the inner duct respectively; the compressor system includes a low-pressure compressor 3 and a high-pressure compressor 4; the turbine system includes a high-pressure turbine 6 and a low-pressure turbine Wheel 7; after passing through the fan 2, the airflow is divided into two paths, one of which is connected to the outer duct, and the other enters the inlet of the low-pressure compressor 3; the outlet of the low-pressure compressor 3 is connected to the inlet of the high-pressure compressor 4; the outlet of the high-pressure compressor 4 is connected to the inlet of the combustion chamber 5; the outlet of the combustion chamber 5 is connected to the inlet of the high-pressure turbine 6; the outlet of the high-pressure turbine 6 is connected to the inlet of the low-pressure turbine 7; the outlet of the low-pressure turbine 7 is connected to the inlet of the tail nozzle 8; the outlet of the tail nozzle 8 is connected to the atmosphere; The high-pressure compressor 4 and the high-pressure turbine 6 are connected to a common shaft system through a shaft, and the high-pressure turbine 6 drives the high-pressure compressor 4; the fan 2, the low-pressure compressor 3 and the low-pressure turbine 7 are connected to a common shaft system through a shaft, and the low-pressure turbine 7 drives the low-pressure compressor 3 and the fan 2; the shared shaft system can reduce the loss of kinetic energy, improve kinetic energy utilization and simplify the structure of the engine to a certain extent, reducing the failure rate while optimizing the structure.

[0025] The combustion chamber 5 is an annular combustion chamber comprising a casing 12, a flame liner outer wall 13, and a flame liner inner wall 14. These are coaxially arranged from the outside to the inside. Both the flame liner outer wall 13 and the flame liner inner wall 14 are provided with regenerative cooling channels 15. The outlet of the methanol storage tank 9 is connected to the inlet of a boost pump 10 via a throttle valve 11. The outlet of the boost pump 10 is connected to the inlet of the regenerative cooling channel located at the rear of the combustion chamber 5. The boost pump 10 serves as a fuel delivery component. Regenerative cooling is used to cool the walls of the turbofan engine's combustion chamber 5. Methanol, a coolant, flows through the combustion chamber 5 walls, absorbing heat from the combustion chamber 5 walls within the regenerative cooling channel 15, where it evaporates and decomposes to form a mixed gas. This mixed gas enters the combustion chamber 5, mixes with air, and then burns. The rotating end of the boost pump 10 is connected to the shafting of the high-pressure turbine 6. This arrangement eliminates the need for a separate power source for the boost pump 10, allowing the boost pump 10 to be driven by the high-pressure turbine 6 shaft system, reducing the complexity of the overall structure, simplifying the transmission system, and improving the rationality of the engine space layout.

[0026] The regenerative cooling channel 15 is an annular structure with a corrugated radial cross-section, which reduces the influence of the pipeline structure on the flow state inside the combustion chamber 5, and can also reduce the flow resistance and avoid the problem of local thermal stress concentration.

[0027] A nozzle is provided inside the combustion chamber 5, and the regeneration cooling channel 15 is connected to the nozzle. The nozzle is a nozzle type compatible with gas / liquid dual-fuel combustion; the mixed gas formed by methanol evaporation and cracking enters the annular combustion chamber through the nozzle and mixes with air for combustion.

[0028] The specific working process of the methanol fuel-based combustion chamber regenerative cooling turbofan engine system described in the present invention is as follows: The air flow passes through the air inlet 1 and is divided into two paths after passing through the fan 2, entering the outer duct channel and the inner duct channel respectively. The air flowing into the outer duct channel is compressed in the outer duct channel and then discharged from the turbofan engine system to provide power for the aircraft. The air flowing into the inner duct channel passes through the low-pressure compressor 3 and the high-pressure compressor 4 in turn and enters the combustion chamber 5.

[0029] The methanol fuel in the methanol fuel tank 9 enters the regeneration cooling channel 15 at the rear section of the combustion chamber 5 under the action of the boost pump 10 and the throttle valve 11, and then flows through the combustion chamber 5, absorbs the heat from the wall of the flame tube of the combustion chamber 5, evaporates into methanol vapor and simultaneously cracks to form a mixed gas, enters the combustion chamber 5 through the nozzle at the front end of the combustion chamber 5, mixes with the air flowing out of the high-pressure compressor 4, and then burns to generate high-temperature and high-pressure gas.

[0030] The high-temperature and high-pressure combustion gas from the combustion chamber 5 passes through the high-pressure turbine 6 and the low-pressure turbine 7 in sequence. Since the low-pressure turbine 7, the fan 2 and the low-pressure compressor 3 are coaxially arranged, and the high-pressure turbine 6 and the high-pressure compressor 4 are coaxially arranged, when the low-pressure turbine 7 is working, it drives the fan 2 and the low-pressure compressor 3 to work through the shaft, and when the high-pressure turbine 6 is working, it drives the high-pressure compressor 7 to work through the shaft, thereby realizing internal energy circulation.

[0031] To summarize the above examples, the methanol-fueled, regeneratively cooled turbofan engine system described herein utilizes methanol as the refrigerant for regenerative cooling, replacing the air cooling commonly used in conventional engines. This reduces reliance on cooling air, allowing more air to enter the combustion chamber and mix with the fuel to generate combustion gas, generating greater thrust and thus improving turbofan engine performance. Methanol is preheated using heat from the walls of the combustion chamber 5's flame tube, overcoming the inherently high heat of vaporization of methanol fuel. After preheating and absorbing heat, the liquid methanol transforms into a mixture of methanol vapor and cracked gases that enter the combustion chamber 5, making the combustion heat release process more thorough and efficient. The primary combustion products are carbon dioxide and water, significantly lowering atmospheric pollutant emissions than aviation kerosene, reducing the carbon intensity of aircraft engines and exhibiting excellent environmental performance. Furthermore, methanol is a potential hydrogen storage medium and can be combined with fuel cells to achieve even greater advantages. In the methanol-fueled, regeneratively cooled turbofan engine system described herein, the regenerative cooling channels 15 within the combustion chamber 5 utilize corrugated channels, minimizing the impact of the pipeline structure on the flow conditions within the combustion chamber 5 while also reducing flow resistance and avoiding localized thermal stress concentration.

[0032] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the objectives, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Reasonable combinations of the features described in the above embodiments are also possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A methanol-fueled combustor regeneratively cooled turbofan engine system, characterized by: The invention comprises an air inlet (1), a fan (2), a compressor system, a combustion chamber (5), a turbine system, a tail nozzle (8) and a methanol fuel tank (9), wherein the inlet end of the air inlet (1) is connected to the atmosphere, and the outlet end is connected to the fan (2); the fan (2), the compressor system, the combustion chamber (5), the turbine system and the tail nozzle (8) are connected in sequence, and the outlet end of the tail nozzle (8) is connected to the atmosphere; the fan (2), the compressor system and the turbine system are connected by a shaft; a regenerative cooling channel (15) is provided inside the combustion chamber (5), and the methanol fuel tank (9) is connected to the regenerative cooling channel (15), wherein methanol absorbs heat and evaporates in the regenerative cooling channel (15) and simultaneously decomposes to form a mixed gas, which is then mixed with air and then burned.

2. The methanol fuel-based combustor regenerative cooling turbofan engine system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The combustion chamber (5) includes a casing (12), a flame tube outer wall (13) and a flame tube inner wall (14), wherein the casing (12), the flame tube outer wall (13) and the flame tube inner wall (14) are coaxially arranged from outside to inside; and a regenerative cooling channel (15) is provided on the flame tube outer wall (13) and the flame tube inner wall (14).

3. The methanol fuel-based combustor regenerative cooling turbofan engine system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The regeneration cooling channel (15) is an annular structure, and the radial cross-section is corrugated.

4. The methanol fuel-based combustor regenerative cooling turbofan engine system according to claim 3, characterized in that: A nozzle is provided inside the combustion chamber (5), and the regeneration cooling channel (15) is connected to the nozzle.

5. The methanol fuel-based combustor regenerative cooling turbofan engine system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The compressor system comprises a low-pressure compressor (3) and a high-pressure compressor (4), and the fan (2), the low-pressure compressor (3), the high-pressure compressor (4) and the combustion chamber (5) are connected in sequence.

6. The methanol fuel-based combustor regenerative cooling turbofan engine system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The turbine system includes a high-pressure turbine (6) and a low-pressure turbine (7), wherein the combustion chamber (5), the high-pressure turbine (6), the low-pressure turbine (7) and the tail nozzle (8) are connected in sequence; the high-pressure turbine (6) drives the high-pressure compressor (4), and the low-pressure turbine (7) drives the low-pressure compressor (3) and the fan (2).

7. The methanol fuel-based combustor regenerative cooling turbofan engine system according to claim 6, characterized in that: It also includes a booster pump (10), and the methanol fuel tank (9), the booster pump (10) and the combustion chamber (5) are connected in sequence.

8. The methanol fuel-based combustor regenerative cooling turbofan engine system according to claim 7, characterized in that: A throttle valve (11) is provided between the methanol fuel tank (9) and the boost pump (10).

9. The methanol fuel-based combustor regenerative cooling turbofan engine system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The boost pump (10) and the high-pressure turbine (6) are connected via a shaft.

10. The methanol fuel-based combustor regenerative cooling turbofan engine system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outlet end of the fan (2) is in communication with the duct air passage (16).

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