Turbocharger and air preparation system including same

Abstract

A turbocharger includes: a bleed air inlet for introducing bleed air into the turbocharger; the compressor is communicated with the bleed air inlet through a compressor air supply pipe so as to receive a first part of bleed air; and the power turbine is communicated with the bleed air inlet through a turbine air supply pipe so as to receive the second part of the bleed air. The power turbine drives the compressor to operate through the transmission device. The transmission device comprises a rotating shaft. One end of the rotating shaft can be connected with an input shaft of the compressor through a first air bearing, and the other end of the rotating shaft can be connected with an output shaft of the power turbine through a second air bearing. Exhaust gas of the power turbine can flow into the first air bearing and / or the second air bearing. By means of the turbocharger of the structure, exhaust gas of the power turbine can be recycled. An air preparation system including the turbocharger is also disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of aircraft design, and in particular to improvements to an air preparation system on a civil passenger aircraft, and in particular to a turbocharger in the air preparation system. Background Art

[0002] Aircraft, especially civil passenger aircraft, are equipped with air preparation systems, such as pressurized air preparation systems, which include turbochargers. The turbocharger drives its turbine to work under the action of high-temperature and high-pressure gas, driving the compressor to pressurize the bleed air from outside the aircraft, thereby providing downstream user systems with bleed air that meets the requirements.

[0003] After driving the turbine to do work, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas becomes exhaust gas and is then directly discharged to the outside. In most existing turbochargers, it is impossible to recycle and reuse the exhaust gas. This will increase the demand for external air intake and increase the load on the turbocharger.

[0004] Furthermore, it is found that existing turbochargers are prone to surge during operation. The surge phenomenon causes the air flow in the turbocharger to fluctuate, and the air pressure to be high and low, which in turn causes mechanical vibration of the turbocharger and causes problems such as turbocharger overheating. These will increase the risk of damage to the turbocharger and shorten the service life of the turbocharger. The turbocharger is the core component of the aircraft's air preparation system. The operating performance and service life of the turbocharger directly determine the operating performance and service life of the air preparation system.

[0005] Therefore, in the prior art, there is a need to improve the structure of the turbocharger to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the turbocharger of the prior art, thereby improving the operating performance of the air preparation system. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present invention is made to solve the technical problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art. The purpose of this application is to provide a turbocharger with improved structure and an air preparation system including the turbocharger, which can realize the recycling and reuse of turbine exhaust gas, thereby improving the operating performance and efficiency of the turbocharger and the air preparation system including the turbocharger. Furthermore, the turbocharger of the present invention can also realize automatic anti-surge.

[0007] The present invention proposes a turbocharger, which includes: a bleed air inlet, which is used to introduce bleed air into the turbocharger; a compressor, which is connected to the bleed air inlet through a compressor air supply pipe to receive a first part of the bleed air; and a power turbine, which is connected to the bleed air inlet through a turbine air supply pipe to receive a second part of the bleed air, wherein the power turbine is connected to the compressor through a transmission device and can drive the compressor to operate through the transmission device.

[0008] The transmission device includes a rotating shaft and at least one of a first air bearing and a second air bearing, wherein one end of the rotating shaft is connected to the input shaft of the compressor through the first air bearing, and the other end of the rotating shaft is connected to the output shaft of the power turbine through the second air bearing. In addition, the turbocharger also includes an air bearing air supply pipe, which is connected between the exhaust port of the power turbine and the first air bearing and the second air bearing, so that the exhaust gas of the power turbine can flow into the first air bearing and / or the second air bearing.

[0009] For the above technical solution, in its preferred structure, the bearings at both ends of the rotating shaft are air bearings. However, the case of only including one air bearing is also within the scope of the present application. For example, only the bearing between the rotating shaft and the input shaft of the compressor can be an air bearing, that is, only the first air bearing is included, or only the bearing between the rotating shaft and the output shaft of the power turbine can be an air bearing, that is, only the second air bearing is included.

[0010] With the turbocharger of the above structure, the bearing in the transmission device is in the form of an air bearing, and the exhaust gas of the power turbine can be used as the gas medium of the air bearing, thereby realizing the recycling of the exhaust gas of the power turbine.

[0011] Preferably, the bleed air inlet is a three-way structure. The three-way structure can conveniently divide the bleed air entering the turbocharger into two parts, one part is supplied to the compressor, and the other part is supplied to the power turbine.

[0012] Preferably, a one-way valve is provided on the air bearing air supply pipe, the one-way valve being configured to allow exhaust gas of the power turbine to enter the first air bearing and / or the second air bearing but to prevent gas from flowing back into the power turbine via the air bearing air supply pipe.

[0013] Further preferably, the turbocharger further comprises a compressor bleed pipe, which is connected between the air bearing air supply pipe and the compressor bleed port of the compressor. A compressor anti-surge valve is arranged on the compressor bleed pipe, and the compressor anti-surge valve can be switched between an open state and a closed state. In the open state, a part of the bleed air in the compressor can flow into the air bearing air supply pipe, and then flow into the first air bearing and / or the second air bearing.

[0014] Through the structure of the compressor bleed pipe and the compressor anti-surge valve disposed therein, when the compressor is detected to be in a critical state of surge, a portion of the bleed air in the compressor can be extracted to reduce the risk of surge. In addition, the extracted bleed air can flow into the first air bearing and the second air bearing to serve as the gas medium in the air bearing. As a result, the first air bearing and the second air bearing also play an anti-surge role.

[0015] Preferably, an exhaust pipe is connected to the air bearing air supply pipe, and the exhaust pipe is arranged upstream of the one-way valve. The one-way valve is positioned on the air bearing air supply pipe so that when the compressor anti-surge valve is in an open state, the one-way valve is closed under the pressure of the bleed air flowing from the compressor into the air bearing air supply pipe, so that all the exhaust gas of the power turbine is discharged from the exhaust pipe.

[0016] Preferably, the turbocharger further comprises a controller, which communicates with the compressor anti-surge valve via wired or wireless means to control the switching of the compressor anti-surge valve between an open state and a closed state.

[0017] Further preferably, at least one of a pressure sensor and a flow sensor is installed on the compressor, the pressure sensor is used to detect the pressure of the bleed air in the compressor, and the flow sensor is used to detect the flow of the bleed air in the compressor.

[0018] The controller communicates with the flow sensor and the pressure sensor via wired or wireless means, thereby controlling the switching of the compressor anti-surge valve between an open state and a closed state according to the flow signal detected by the flow sensor and / or the pressure signal detected by the pressure sensor.

[0019] The application also relates to an air preparation system for an aircraft, the air preparation system comprising a turbocharger as described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The accompanying drawings show non-limiting preferred implementation structures of the present invention, and the features and advantages of the present invention can be more clearly seen in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic structural block diagram of the self-surge prevention turbocharger of the present invention is shown.

[0022] (Explanation of symbols)

[0023] 1 Turbocharger

[0024] 10 Bleed air inlet

[0025] 20Compressor

[0026] 21 Compressor vent

[0027] 22 Compressor anti-surge valve

[0028] 30 Power Turbine

[0029] 31 Rotating Axis

[0030] 32 First Air Bearing

[0031] 33 Second air bearing

[0032] 34 one-way valve

[0033] 40 Downstream Users

[0034] 51 Compressor air supply pipe

[0035] 52 Turbine air supply pipe

[0036] 53 Air bearing air supply pipe

[0037] 54 compressor outlet pipe

[0038] 55 compressor bleed pipe

[0039] 56 Exhaust pipe

[0040] 60 Controllers DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The specific implementation of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the drawings only show preferred embodiments of the present invention, which do not constitute a limitation on the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make various obvious modifications, variations, and equivalent substitutions to the present invention based on the embodiments shown in the drawings, and the technical features of the different embodiments described below can be arbitrarily combined with each other without contradiction, which all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 1 The schematic structural block diagram of the turbocharger 1 of the present application is shown. The turbocharger 1 can be specifically applied in the air preparation system of an aircraft, which can inhale bleed air from, for example, an engine. After the bleed air is processed in the turbocharger 1, it has the required pressure and temperature, and then the bleed air with the required pressure and temperature is supplied to a downstream user 40. The downstream user 40 is, for example, an inerting system of an aircraft. The bleed air with a certain pressure and temperature can provide the required pressure and temperature for the inerting system to ensure the normal operation of the inerting system.

[0043] The turbocharger 1 comprises a bleed air inlet 10, through which bleed air such as engine bleed air is sucked into the turbocharger 1. The bleed air inlet 10 is a bleed air inlet tee in the exemplary embodiment of the present application, and its configuration is described in detail as follows.

[0044] The turbocharger 1 further comprises a compressor 20, and a compressor air supply pipe 51 is arranged between the compressor 20 and the bleed air inlet 10. The compressor 20 and the compressor air supply pipe 51 form a compressor branch of the turbocharger 1.

[0045] The engine bleed air may enter the compressor 20 through the bleed air inlet 10 and the compressor air supply pipe 51. The bleed air is pressurized in the compressor 20 to have a desired pressure and temperature. The pressurized bleed air then flows into the compressor outlet pipe 54 connected to the outlet of the compressor 20, and is supplied to the downstream user 40 via the compressor outlet pipe 54.

[0046] The turbocharger 1 further includes a turbine branch. Specifically, a power turbine 30 is provided in the turbocharger 1, and the power turbine 30 is connected to the bleed air inlet 10 through a turbine air supply pipe 52. A portion of the engine bleed air sucked through the bleed air inlet 10 can be supplied to the power turbine 30 via the turbine air supply pipe 52. In the power turbine 30, the engine bleed air expands and performs work, driving the impeller of the power turbine 30 to rotate, thereby rotating the output shaft of the power turbine 30.

[0047] A transmission device is provided between the compressor 20 and the power turbine 30 , through which the power turbine 30 drives the compressor 20 to rotate, so that the bleed air entering the compressor 20 can be pressurized.

[0048] In the present application, the transmission device includes a rotating shaft 31 , one end of which is connected to the input shaft of the compressor 20 via a first air bearing 32 , and the other end of which is connected to the output shaft of the power turbine 30 via a second air bearing 33 .

[0049] The turbocharger 1 further includes an air bearing air supply pipe 53, which is connected between the exhaust port of the power turbine 30 and the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33. At least a portion of the bleed air after expansion and work in the power turbine 30 can be supplied to the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33 via the air bearing air supply pipe 53. In this way, at least a portion of the turbine exhaust gas that was originally directly discharged to the outside of the aircraft after work is guided to the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33, thereby realizing the recycling of the turbine exhaust gas, and there is no need to provide additional air as the air source of the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33.

[0050] Preferably, a one-way valve 34 is provided on the air bearing air supply pipe 53, and the one-way valve 34 is configured to allow exhaust gas from the power turbine 30 to enter the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33, but prevent the air medium in the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33 from flowing back into the power turbine 30.

[0051] In addition, a compressor bleed pipe 55 is connected to the compressor bleed port 21 of the compressor 20, and the compressor bleed pipe 55 is connected to the air bearing air supply pipe 53. A compressor anti-surge valve 22 is arranged in the compressor bleed pipe 55. The compressor anti-surge valve 22 can be controlled to be closed and opened. When the compressor anti-surge valve 22 is opened, a part of the bleed air in the compressor 20 can be discharged into the compressor 20 through the compressor bleed pipe 55. By discharging a part of the bleed air in the compressor 20, it is helpful to avoid the surge phenomenon of the compressor 20.

[0052] Since the bleed air pressure in the compressor 20 is much higher than the exhaust pressure of the power turbine 30, when the compressor anti-surge valve 22 is opened, the bleed air from the compressor 20 flows into the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33, and serves as the gas medium in the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33. The exhaust gas from the power turbine 30 is blocked outside the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33. In this case, an exhaust pipe 56 is provided upstream of the one-way valve 34. In this way, when the compressor anti-surge valve 22 is opened and part of the bleed air in the compressor 20 enters the air bearing supply pipe 53, the exhaust gas of the power turbine 30 can be completely discharged to the outside of the aircraft through the exhaust pipe 56.

[0053] Preferably, the turbocharger 1 further comprises a controller 60, which communicates with the compressor anti-surge valve 22 in a wired or wireless manner. Further preferably, a detection device (not shown) such as a pressure sensor and a flow sensor may also be provided on the compressor 20 to detect the state of the bleed air in the compressor 20. The controller 60 may communicate with the detection device in a wired or wireless manner, receive signals about the pressure and flow of the bleed air in the compressor 20, and control the opening and closing of the compressor anti-surge valve 22 based on the detection signal.

[0054] Therefore, in the present application, the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33 can also serve as anti-surge devices for the compressor 20. When the operating environment in the compressor 20 reaches a critical surge state, the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33 can receive bleed air from the compressor 20, thereby reducing the risk of surge of the compressor 20.

[0055] Next, the operating principle of the turbocharger 1 of the present application will be described based on the structure of the turbocharger 1 disclosed above.

[0056] During the descent of the aircraft, bleed air with the required pressure and temperature needs to be supplied to the aircraft's inerting system so that the aircraft's inerting system can operate normally. At this time, the turbocharger 1 is started, and the bleed air from the aircraft engine enters the turbocharger 1 through the bleed air inlet 10. A portion of the bleed air flows into the power turbine 30 through the turbine air supply pipe 52, expands in the power turbine 30 to do work, and drives the power turbine 30 to rotate.

[0057] The rotation of the power turbine 30 is transmitted to the compressor 20 via the transmission device, driving the compressor 20 to operate. Another part of the bleed air entering from the bleed air inlet 10 flows into the compressor 20 via the compressor air supply pipe 51. The compressor 20 pressurizes the bleed air entering the compressor 20 under the drive of the power turbine 30. The pressurized bleed air is delivered to a downstream user 40 such as an inerting system via the compressor outlet pipe 54.

[0058] When the compressor 20 is working normally, the compressor anti-surge valve 22 is closed. The bleed air entering the power turbine 30 becomes the exhaust gas of the power turbine 30 after expanding and doing work in the power turbine 30, and at this time, at least a part of the exhaust gas of the power turbine 30 flows into the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33 of the transmission device through the air bearing air supply pipe 53, serving as the gas medium of the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33.

[0059] When, for example, the pressure sensor and flow sensor on the compressor 20 detect that the bleed air pressure and flow rate in the compressor 20 are abnormal and it is determined that the compressor 20 is in a critical state of surge, the controller 60 controls the compressor anti-surge valve 22 to open according to the received bleed air pressure signal and flow rate signal. In this way, a part of the bleed air in the compressor 20 flows into the air bearing supply pipe 53 via the compressor bleed pipe 55, and enters the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33, acting as the gas medium of the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33. In addition, since the pressure of the bleed air discharged from the compressor 20 is much higher than the exhaust pressure of the power turbine 30, under the action of the bleed air pressure from the compressor 20, the one-way valve 34 is closed, and the exhaust gas of the power turbine 30 is completely discharged to the outside of the aircraft via the exhaust pipe 56.

[0060] When it is detected that the bleed air pressure and flow rate in the compressor 20 tend to be normal, the controller 60 controls the compressor anti-surge valve 22 to close. In this way, no high-pressure bleed air flows into the air bearing supply pipe 53, and the one-way valve 34 opens under the effect of the exhaust pressure discharged from the power turbine 30. In this way, the exhaust gas of the power turbine 30 is allowed to flow into the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33.

[0061] The preferred structure and operating principle of the turbocharger 1 for the air preparation system of an aircraft of the present application are described in detail above. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that obvious modifications and variations may be made based on the disclosed structure, which are also within the scope of the present application.

[0062] For example, in the preferred embodiment shown, air bearings are provided at both ends of the rotating shaft 31. However, only one air bearing may be provided, that is, one of the first air bearing 32 and the second air bearing 33 is provided.

[0063] For another example, the controller 60 is also optional, and the operator can manually operate the opening and closing of the compressor anti-surge valve 22 according to the detected pressure and flow in the compressor 20.

[0064] In addition, in the above disclosed specific embodiment, the bleed air inlet 10 is a three-way structure. However, it does not have to be a three-way structure, but the turbine air supply pipe 52 can be connected to the middle of the compressor air supply pipe 51.

Claims

1. A turbocharger, comprising: a bleed air inlet, the bleed air inlet being used to introduce bleed air into the turbocharger; a compressor, the compressor being in communication with the bleed air inlet through a compressor air supply pipe to receive a first portion of the bleed air; as well as a power turbine, the power turbine being in communication with the bleed air inlet through a turbine air supply pipe to receive the second portion of the bleed air, wherein the power turbine is connected to the compressor through a transmission device and is capable of driving the compressor to operate through the transmission device; The transmission device comprises a rotating shaft and at least one of a first air bearing and a second air bearing, wherein one end of the rotating shaft is connected to the input shaft of the compressor through the first air bearing, and the other end of the rotating shaft is connected to the output shaft of the power turbine through the second air bearing, and Wherein, the turbocharger also includes an air bearing air supply pipe, which is connected between the exhaust port of the power turbine and the first air bearing and the second air bearing, so that the exhaust gas of the power turbine can flow into the first air bearing and / or the second air bearing.

2. The turbocharger according to claim 1, characterized in that The air inlet is a three-way structure.

3. The turbocharger according to claim 1, characterized in that The air bearing air supply pipe is provided with a one-way valve, which is configured to allow the exhaust gas of the power turbine to enter the first air bearing and / or the second air bearing, but prevent the gas from flowing back into the power turbine through the air bearing air supply pipe.

4. The turbocharger according to claim 3, characterized in that The turbocharger further includes a compressor bleed pipe connected between the air bearing air supply pipe and a compressor bleed port of the compressor; Among them, a compressor anti-surge valve is arranged on the compressor bleed pipe, and the compressor anti-surge valve can be switched between an open state and a closed state. In the open state, a part of the bleed air in the compressor can flow into the air bearing supply pipe, and then flow into the first air bearing and / or the second air bearing.

5. The turbocharger according to claim 4, characterized in that The air bearing air supply pipe is connected to an exhaust pipe, and the exhaust pipe is arranged upstream of the one-way valve. Among them, the one-way valve is positioned on the air bearing air supply pipe so that when the compressor anti-surge valve is in an open state, the one-way valve is closed under the action of the pressure of the bleed air flowing from the compressor into the air bearing air supply pipe, so that all the exhaust gas of the power turbine is discharged from the exhaust pipe.

6. The turbocharger according to claim 4, characterized in that The turbocharger further includes a controller, which communicates with the compressor anti-surge valve in a wired or wireless manner to control the switching of the compressor anti-surge valve between the open state and the closed state.

7. The turbocharger according to claim 6, characterized in that At least one of a pressure sensor and a flow sensor is installed on the compressor. The pressure sensor is used to detect the pressure of the bleed air in the compressor, and the flow sensor is used to detect the flow of the bleed air in the compressor.

8. The turbocharger according to claim 7, characterized in that The controller communicates with the flow sensor and the pressure sensor via wired or wireless means, thereby controlling the switching of the compressor anti-surge valve between the open state and the closed state according to the flow signal detected by the flow sensor and / or the pressure signal detected by the pressure sensor.

9. An air preparation system for an aircraft, characterized in that: The air preparation system comprises a turbocharger as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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