Multi-fluid heat exchanger

Abstract

A heat exchanger is provided. The heat exchanger includes a first wall manifold. The heat exchanger also includes a second wall manifold spaced apart from the first wall manifold. The heat exchanger also includes a plurality of vanes extending generally circumferentially between the first wall manifold and the second wall manifold. The heat exchanger also includes a plurality of fluid circuits defined within the heat exchanger. Each of the plurality of fluid circuits includes an inlet channel portion and an outlet channel portion defined within the first wall manifold. A return channel portion is defined within the second wall manifold. At least one channel portion of the plurality of channel portions is defined within each vane of the plurality of vanes. At least one channel portion extends between the return channel portion and one of the inlet channel portion and the outlet channel portion.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application number 202210196891.7 filed on March 1, 2022, and invention name “Multi-fluid heat exchanger”. Technical Field

[0002] The present subject matter generally relates to heat exchangers capable of cooling and / or heating multiple motive fluids at once. Specifically, the present subject matter relates to using the heat exchangers within an air flow path of a propulsion system. Background Art

[0003] A gas turbine engine typically includes a fan and a turbine. The turbine typically includes an inlet, one or more compressors, a combustor, and at least one turbine. The compressor compresses air, which is directed to the combustor where it is mixed with fuel. The mixture is then ignited to generate hot combustion gases. The combustion gases are directed to the turbine, which extracts energy from the combustion gases to power the compressor and produces useful work to propel an aircraft in flight or to power a load such as an electrical generator.

[0004] In at least some embodiments, the gas turbine may employ an open rotor propulsion system that operates on the principle of having the fan located outside the nacelle (in other words, "unducted"). This allows the use of larger fan blades that can act on larger volumes of air than a turbofan engine, thereby increasing propulsion efficiency compared to conventional ducted engine designs.

[0005] During operation of a gas turbine engine, such as a gas turbine employing an open rotor propulsion system, various systems may generate relatively large amounts of heat. For example, large amounts of heat may be generated during operation of a thrust generation system, an electric motor and / or generator, a hydraulic system, or other systems. Therefore, a means for dissipating the heat generated by the various systems without negatively affecting the efficiency of the gas turbine engine would be advantageous in the art. Summary of the invention

[0006] Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.

[0007] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a heat exchanger for an aircraft engine is provided. The heat exchanger includes a first wall manifold. The heat exchanger also includes a second wall manifold spaced apart from the first wall manifold. The heat exchanger also includes a plurality of blades extending generally circumferentially between the first wall manifold and the second wall manifold. The heat exchanger also includes a plurality of fluid circuits defined within the heat exchanger. Each of the plurality of fluid circuits includes an inlet channel portion and an outlet channel portion defined within the first wall manifold. The return channel portion is defined within the second wall manifold. At least one channel portion of the plurality of channel portions is defined within each of the plurality of blades. At least one channel portion extends between the return channel portion and one of the inlet channel portion and the outlet channel portion.

[0008] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims.The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, to one of ordinary skill in the art is set forth in the specification with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a gas turbine engine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a three-flow engine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 3 is a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view of a three-flow engine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 4 is a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view of a three-flow engine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a heat exchanger that may be employed in a three-flow engine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger along an axial direction A according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present disclosure along the axial direction A

[0017] Figure 8is a cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger along a circumferential direction C according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger along a radial direction R according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Fig.10 is a cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger along a radial direction R according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Fig.11 is a cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger along a radial direction R according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Fig.12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a three-flow engine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the present invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The detailed description uses numerical and letter references to refer to features in the drawings. The same or similar reference numerals in the drawings and description have been used to refer to the same or similar parts of the present invention.

[0023] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any implementation described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. In addition, unless expressly stated otherwise, all embodiments described herein should be considered exemplary.

[0024] As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another, and are not intended to indicate the position or importance of each component.

[0025] The terms "front" and "rear" refer to relative positions within a gas turbine engine or vehicle and refer to the normal operating attitude of the gas turbine engine or vehicle. For example, for a gas turbine engine, front refers to a position closer to the engine inlet, while rear refers to a position closer to the engine nozzle or exhaust.

[0026] The terms "upstream" and "downstream" refer to the relative directions of flow in a path. For example, for fluid flow, "upstream" refers to the direction from which the fluid is flowing, and "downstream" refers to the direction toward which the fluid is flowing. However, the terms "upstream" and "downstream" as used herein may also refer to electric current.

[0027] The term "fluid" may be a gas or a liquid. The term "fluid communication" means that a fluid is able to establish a connection between specified areas.

[0028] The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0029] As used throughout the specification and claims, approximate language is applied to modify any quantitative representation that allows variation without causing a change in the basic function associated therewith. Therefore, the values ​​modified by terms such as "about", "approximately", "substantially" and "substantially" are not limited to the specified precise values. In at least some cases, approximate language may correspond to the accuracy of an instrument for measuring a value, or the accuracy of a method or machine for constructing or manufacturing a component and / or system. In at least some cases, approximate language may correspond to the accuracy of an instrument for measuring a value, or the accuracy of a method or machine for constructing or manufacturing a component and / or system. For example, approximate language may refer to a margin of 1%, 2%, 4%, 5%, 10%, 15% or 20% of an endpoint of a single value, a range of values ​​and / or a limited range of values. When used in the context of an angle or direction, such terms are included within ten degrees greater than or less than the angle or direction. For example, "substantially vertical" includes directions within ten degrees of the vertical direction in any direction (e.g., clockwise or counterclockwise).

[0030] Here and throughout the specification and claims, range limitations are combined and interchanged, and unless context or language indicates otherwise, such ranges are identified and include all sub-ranges contained therein. For example, all ranges disclosed herein are inclusive of the endpoints, and the endpoints are independently combinable with each other.

[0031] According to one or more embodiments described herein, a three-flow engine may be equipped with one or more heat exchangers. A heat exchanger may be provided to cool certain systems of a gas turbine engine or an aircraft on which a gas turbine engine is installed. For example, a heat exchanger may be provided to cool a turbine section or an auxiliary system, such as a lubrication system. A heat transfer system may cool these systems by cooling a fluid (e.g., air or lubricant) delivered to these systems.

[0032] Systems that extend beyond three-stream engines are described herein. It should be understood that these systems are provided as examples only, and the claimed systems are not limited to applications using or otherwise combining with these other systems. The present disclosure is not intended to be limiting. For example, it should be understood that one or more embodiments described herein can be configured to operate independently or in combination with other embodiments described herein.

[0033] Now referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 11 is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view of an exemplary gas turbine engine 10 that may incorporate various embodiments of the present invention. The engine 10 may be particularly configured as a gas turbine engine for an aircraft. Although further described herein as a turbofan engine, the engine 10 may define a turboshaft engine, a turboprop engine, or a turbojet gas turbine engine, including marine and industrial engines and auxiliary power units. Figure 1 As shown, the engine 10 has a longitudinal or axial centerline axis 12 extending therethrough for reference. An axial direction A extends in the same direction as the axial centerline axis 12 for reference. The engine 10 further defines an upstream end 99 and a downstream end 98 for reference. Generally, the engine 10 may include a fan assembly 14 and a core engine 16 disposed downstream of the fan assembly 14. For reference, the engine 10 defines an axial direction A, a radial direction R, and a circumferential direction C. Generally speaking, the axial direction A extends parallel to the axial centerline 12, the radial direction R extends outwardly from the axial centerline 12 and inwardly to the axial centerline 12 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction A, and the circumferential direction extends three hundred and sixty degrees (360°) around the axial centerline 12.

[0034] The core engine 16 may generally include a substantially tubular casing 18 defining an annular inlet 20. The casing 18 surrounds or at least partially forms, in serial flow relationship: a compressor section having a boost or low pressure (LP) compressor 22, a high pressure (HP) compressor 24; a heat addition system 26; an expansion section or turbine section including a high pressure (HP) turbine 28, a low pressure (LP) turbine 30; and an ejection exhaust nozzle section 32. A high pressure (HP) rotor shaft 34 drivingly connects the HP turbine 28 to the HP compressor 24. A low pressure (LP) rotor shaft 36 drivingly connects the LP turbine 30 to the LP compressor 22. The LP rotor shaft 36 may also be connected to a fan shaft 38 of the fan assembly 14. In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the LP rotor shaft 36 may be connected to the fan shaft 38 via a reduction gear 40 , such as in an indirect drive or gear drive configuration.

[0035] like Figure 1As shown, the fan assembly 14 includes a plurality of fan blades 42 that are coupled to the fan shaft 38 and extend radially outward from the fan shaft 38. An annular fan casing or nacelle 44 may circumferentially surround the fan assembly 14 and / or at least a portion of the core engine 16. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the nacelle 44 may be configured to be supported relative to the core engine 16 via a plurality of circumferentially spaced outlet guide vanes or struts 46. In addition, at least a portion of the nacelle 44 may extend over an outer portion of the core engine 16 so as to define a fan flow path 48 therebetween. However, it will be appreciated that various configurations of the engine 10 may omit the nacelle 44, or omit the nacelle 44 from extending around the fan blades 42, such as to provide a Figure 2 Engine 10 is shown as an open rotor or propfan configuration.

[0036] It should be understood that the combination of the shafts 34, 36, the compressors 22, 24 and the turbines 28, 30 define a rotor assembly 90 of the engine 10. For example, the HP shaft 34, the HP compressor 24 and the HP turbine 28 may define a high speed or HP rotor assembly of the engine 10. Similarly, the combination of the LP shaft 36, the LP compressor 22 and the LP turbine 30 may define a low speed or LP rotor assembly of the engine 10. Various embodiments of the engine 10 may also include a fan shaft 38 and fan blades 42 as the LP rotor assembly. In other embodiments, the engine 10 may further define a fan rotor assembly that is at least partially mechanically separated from the LP spool via the fan shaft 38 and the reduction gear 40. Still further embodiments may further define one or more intermediate rotor assemblies, the one or more intermediate rotor assemblies being defined by an intermediate pressure compressor, an intermediate pressure shaft and an intermediate pressure turbine disposed between the LP rotor assembly and the HP rotor assembly (relative to a serial aerodynamic flow arrangement).

[0037] During operation of the engine 10, the air flow schematically shown by arrow 74 enters the inlet 76 of the engine 10 defined by the fan case or nacelle 44. A portion of the air schematically shown by arrow 80 enters the core engine 16 through the core inlet 20 defined at least in part by the outer shell 18. The air flow is provided in a serial flow manner through the compressor, the heat addition system and the expansion section via the core flow path 70. As the air flow 80 flows through the successive stages of the compressor 22, 24, the air flow 80 is gradually compressed, as schematically shown by arrow 82. The compressed air 82 enters the heat addition system 26 and mixes with liquid and / or gaseous fuel, and is ignited to produce combustion gases 86. It should be understood that the heat addition system 26 can form any suitable system for generating combustion gases, including but not limited to a deflagration or detonation combustion system, or a combination thereof. The heat addition system 26 can include an annular, can, can annular, trapped vortex, involute or vortex, rich combustion, lean combustion, rotating detonation or pulse detonation configuration, or a combination thereof.

[0038] The combustion gases 86 release energy to drive the rotation of the HP rotor assembly and the LP rotor assembly before being discharged from the exhaust nozzle section 32. The energy release from the combustion gases 86 further drives the rotation of the fan assembly 14, including the fan blades 42. A portion of the air 74 bypasses the core engine 16 and flows through the fan flow path 48, as schematically shown by arrows 78.

[0039] It should be understood that Figure 1 A dual flow engine having a fan flow passage 48 and a core flow path 70 is depicted and described. Figure 2 The embodiment depicted in has a nacelle 44 surrounding fan blades 42, for example to provide noise attenuation, blade-off protection, and other benefits known to nacelles, and may be referred to herein as a "ducted fan," or the entire engine 10 may be referred to as a "ducted engine."

[0040] In an exemplary embodiment, the air passing through fan flow passage 48 may be relatively cooler (e.g., lower temperature) than one or more fluids used in the turbine. In this way, to improve the efficiency of the entire engine 10, one or more heat exchangers 200 may be disposed within fan flow passage 48 (or in an alternative location within engine 10) and utilized to cool one or more fluids from the turbine with the air passing through fan flow passage 48.

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of a gas turbine engine according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. In particular, Figure 2 An aviation three-stream turbofan engine is provided, referred to herein as “three-stream engine 100 ”. Figure 2 The three-flow engine 100 can be mounted to an aircraft (e.g., a fixed-wing aircraft) and can generate thrust for propelling the aircraft. The three-flow engine 100 is a "three-flow engine" because its architecture provides three different streams of airflow that generate thrust during operation. Figure 2 Unlike the engine 10 shown in FIG. 1 , the three-stream engine 100 includes a fan that is not ducted through a nacelle or cowling, and thus it may be referred to herein as a “non-ducted fan,” or the entire engine 100 may be referred to as a “non-ducted engine.”

[0042] In addition, as used herein, "tertiary flow" refers to a secondary air flow that can increase fluid energy to produce a small portion of the total propulsion system thrust. The pressure ratio of the tertiary flow is higher than the pressure ratio of the primary propulsion flow (e.g., bypass or propeller-driven propulsion flow). Thrust can be generated by a dedicated nozzle, or by mixing the secondary air flow with the primary propulsion flow or core air flow into, for example, a common nozzle. In certain exemplary embodiments, the operating temperature of the secondary air flow is lower than the maximum compressor discharge temperature of the engine, and more specifically, may be lower than 350 degrees Fahrenheit (e.g., lower than 300 degrees Fahrenheit, such as lower than 250 degrees Fahrenheit, such as lower than 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and at least as high as the ambient temperature). In certain exemplary embodiments, these operating temperatures can promote heat transfer to or from the secondary air flow and the separate fluid flow. Furthermore, in certain exemplary embodiments, at takeoff conditions, or more specifically, when operating at rated takeoff power at sea level, static flight speed, 86 degrees Fahrenheit ambient temperature operating conditions, the secondary air flow may contribute less than 50% of the total engine thrust (and at least, for example, 2% of the total engine thrust). Furthermore, in certain exemplary embodiments, aspects of the secondary air flow (e.g., air flow, mixing or exhaust characteristics) and thereby the above exemplary percentage contribution to total thrust may be passively adjusted during engine operation or purposefully modified through the use of engine control features (e.g., fuel flow, motor power, variable stators, variable inlet guide vanes, valves, variable exhaust geometry, or flow characteristics) to adjust or optimize overall system performance over a wide range of potential operating conditions. In the embodiments discussed below, the fan duct 172 of the three-stream engine 100 may be a "third stream" according to the above definition.

[0043] For reference, the three-stream engine 100 defines an axial direction A, a radial direction R, and a circumferential direction C. In addition, the three-stream engine 100 defines an axial centerline or longitudinal axis 112 extending along the axial direction A. Generally speaking, the axial direction A extends parallel to the longitudinal axis 112, the radial direction R extends outwardly from the longitudinal axis 112 and inwardly to the longitudinal axis 112 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction A, and the circumferential direction extends three hundred and sixty degrees (360°) around the longitudinal axis 112. The three-stream engine 100 extends, for example, along the axial direction A between a front end 114 and a rear end 116.

[0044] The three-flow engine 100 includes a core engine 120 and a fan section 150 positioned upstream thereof. Generally, the core engine 120 includes a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section in a serial flow order. In particular, as shown in FIG. Figure 2As shown, the core engine 120 includes a core cover 122, which defines an annular core inlet 124. The core cover 122 further surrounds the low pressure system and the high pressure system. The core cover 122 can at least partially accommodate a support frame 123, which can provide structural support for the core cover 122 and various other components (such as one or more heat exchangers 200) of the three-stream engine 100. For example, the support frame 123 can be at least partially accommodated in the core cover 122 and can be coupled to the inside of the core cover 122, so as to provide structural support for the core cover 122. In addition, one or more components of the three-stream engine 100 can extend through the core cover 122 and be directly coupled to the support frame 123, such as stationary struts 174 and / or heat exchangers 200. In many embodiments, the core cover 122 can surround and support a supercharged or low pressure ("LP") compressor 126 for pressurizing the air entering the core engine 120 through the core inlet 124. A high pressure ("HP") multi-stage axial flow compressor 128 receives pressurized air from the LP compressor 126 and further increases the pressure of the air. The pressurized air stream flows downstream to the combustor 130 where fuel is injected into the pressurized air stream and ignited to increase the temperature and energy level of the pressurized air. It should be understood that, as used herein, the terms "high / low speed" and "high / low pressure" are used interchangeably with respect to high pressure / high speed systems and low pressure / low speed systems. Further, it should be understood that the terms "high" and "low" are used in the same context to distinguish between the two systems and are not meant to imply any absolute speed and / or pressure values.

[0045] The high energy combustion products flow downstream from the combustor 130 to the high pressure turbine 132. The high pressure turbine 128 drives the high pressure compressor 128 through the high pressure shaft 136. At this point, the high pressure turbine 128 is drivingly coupled to the high pressure compressor 128. The high energy combustion products then flow to the low pressure turbine 134. The low pressure turbine 134 drives the components of the low pressure compressor 126 and the fan section 150 through the low pressure shaft 138. At this point, the low pressure turbine 134 is drivingly coupled to the components of the low pressure compressor 126 and the fan section 150. In this example embodiment, the LP shaft 138 is coaxial with the HP shaft 136. After driving each of the turbines 132, 134, the combustion products leave the core engine 120 through the core exhaust nozzle 140 to generate propulsive thrust. Therefore, the core engine 120 defines a core flow path or core duct 142 extending between the core inlet 124 and the core exhaust nozzle 140. The core duct 142 is an annular duct positioned generally inside the core cover 122 in the radial direction R.

[0046] Fan section 150 includes fan 152, which in this example embodiment is the main fan. Figure 2In the illustrated embodiment, fan 152 is an open rotor or non-ducted fan. However, in other embodiments, fan 152 may be ducted, for example, by a fan housing or nacelle circumferentially surrounding fan 152. As depicted, fan 152 includes an array of fan blades 154 ( Figure 2 For example, fan blades 154 may rotate about longitudinal axis 112. As described above, fan 152 is drivingly coupled to low pressure turbine 134 via LP shaft 138. Fan 152 may be directly coupled to LP shaft 138, for example, in a direct drive configuration. Figure 2 As shown, fan 152 may be coupled to LP shaft 138 via reduction gearbox 155 , for example, in an indirect drive or gear drive configuration.

[0047] In addition, the fan blades 154 can be arranged at equal intervals around the longitudinal axis 112. Each blade 154 has a root and a tip and a span defined therebetween. Each blade 154 defines a central blade axis 156. For this embodiment, each blade 154 of the fan 152 can rotate around their respective central blade axes 156, for example in unison with each other. One or more actuators 158 can be controlled to tilt the blades 154 around their respective central blade axes 156. However, in other embodiments, each blade 154 can be fixed or unable to tilt around its central blade axis 156.

[0048] The fan section 150 also includes a fan guide vane array 160 including fan guide vanes 162 ( Figure 2 For this embodiment, the fan guide vanes 162 are not rotatable about the longitudinal axis 112. Each fan guide vane 162 has a root and a tip and a span defined therebetween. The fan guide vanes 162 may be configured as follows: Figure 2 164. The fan guide vanes 162 are shown uncovered, or may be covered, for example, by an annular shroud spaced outwardly from the tips of the fan guide vanes 162 in a radial direction R. Each fan guide vane 162 defines a central blade axis 164. For this embodiment, each fan guide vane 162 of the fan guide vane array 160 may rotate about their respective central blade axes 164, for example in unison with each other. One or more actuators 166 may be controlled to tilt the fan guide vanes 162 about their respective central blade axes 164. However, in other embodiments, each fan guide vane 162 may be fixed or unable to tilt about its central blade axis 164. The fan guide vanes 162 are mounted to the fan shroud 170.

[0049] like Figure 2As shown, in addition to the non-ducted fan 152, a ducted fan 184 is also included behind the fan 152, so that the three-stream engine 100 includes both ducted and non-ducted fans for generating thrust by the movement of air without passing through the core engine 120. The ducted fan 184 is shown at approximately the same axial position as the fan guide vanes 162, and radially inward of the fan guide vanes 162. Alternatively, the ducted fan 184 can be between the fan guide vanes 162 and the core duct 142, or further in front of the fan guide vanes 162. The ducted fan 184 can be driven by the low pressure turbine 134 (e.g., coupled to the LP shaft 138), or by any other suitable rotational source, and can be used as a first stage supercharger or can operate alone.

[0050] The fan cowl 170 surrounds at least a portion of the core cowl 122 in an annular manner and is positioned generally outside the core cowl 122 in a radial direction R. In particular, a downstream section of the fan cowl 170 extends over a front portion of the core cowl 122 to define a third flow or fan duct 172. Incoming air may enter through the fan duct 172 through a fan duct inlet 176 and may leave through a fan exhaust nozzle 178 to generate propulsive thrust. The fan duct 172 is an annular duct positioned generally outside the core duct 142 in a radial direction R. A support frame 171 may be at least partially contained within the fan cowl 122, which may be coupled to the interior of the fan cowl 170 and provide structural support for the fan cowl 170. In addition, one or more components of the three-stream engine 100 may extend through the fan cowl 170 and be directly coupled to the support frame 171, such as a fan guide vane 162, a strut 174, and / or a heat exchanger 200. The fan housing 170 and the core housing 122 are connected together and are supported by a plurality of substantially radially extending, circumferentially spaced stationary struts 174 ( Figure 1 In many embodiments, the stationary strut 174 can be connected to the support frame 123 contained in the core cover 122 and the support frame 171 contained in the fan cover 170, and can extend between them. The stationary strut 174 can be each aerodynamically shaped to guide the air to flow thereby. Other struts except the stationary strut 174 can be used to connect and support the fan cover 170 and / or the core cover 122. In many embodiments, the fan duct 172 and the core duct 122 can at least partially extend together (roughly axially) on the opposite side (e.g., the opposite radial side) of the core cover 122. For example, the fan duct 172 and the core duct 122 can each extend directly from the leading edge 144 of the core cover 122, and can partially extend together roughly axially on the opposite radial side of the core cover.

[0051] The three-stream engine 100 further defines or includes an inlet duct 180. The inlet duct 180 extends between the engine inlet 182 and the core inlet 124 / fan duct inlet 176. The engine inlet 182 is generally defined at the front end of the fan cover 170 and is positioned between the fan 152 and the array of fan guide vanes 160 along the axial direction A. The inlet duct 180 is an annular duct positioned inside the fan cover 170 along the radial direction R. The air flowing downstream along the inlet duct 180 is divided (not necessarily evenly) by the splitter or leading edge 144 of the core cover 122 into the core duct 142 and the fan duct 172. The inlet duct 180 is wider than the core duct 142 along the radial direction R. The inlet duct 180 is also wider than the fan duct 172 along the radial direction R.

[0052] In an exemplary embodiment, the air passing through the fan duct 172 may be relatively cooler (e.g., lower temperature) than one or more fluids used in the core engine 120. In this manner, one or more heat exchangers 200 may be disposed within the fan duct 172 and utilized to cool one or more fluids from the core engine with the air passing through the fan duct 172 to improve the efficiency of the entire three-stream engine.

[0053] Figure 3 and Figure 4 A three-stream engine 100 (eg Figure 2 100), each of which includes one or more heat exchangers 200 disposed within a fan duct 172. As shown, in particular Figure 2 In some embodiments, the heat exchanger 200 can be axially disposed in front of at least one stationary strut 174 within the fan duct 172, such that air passing through the fan duct 172 passes through the heat exchanger 200 before bypassing the stationary strut 174. Additionally or alternatively, the heat exchanger 200 can be axially disposed behind at least one stationary strut 174 within the fan duct 172, such that air passing through the fan duct 172 bypasses the stationary strut 174 before passing through the heat exchanger 200. In further additional or alternative embodiments, as Figure 2 As shown, one or more heat exchangers 200 may be disposed at the same axial position as (or at least partially axially overlap with) the stationary strut 174. In such an embodiment, one or more heat exchangers may be at least partially coupled to the stationary strut 174, as described below.

[0054] Each heat exchanger 200 may include an air inlet 201 and an air outlet 203. The air inlet 201 receives air through the fan duct 172 and then directs the air through the heat exchanger 200 where heat is collected from the motive fluid passing through the heat exchanger 200. The air outlet 203 then discharges the spent air back to the fan duct 172.

[0055] exist Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, the heat exchangers 200 may be axially spaced apart from one another such that air exiting the air outlet 203 of a first heat exchanger 200 travels an axial distance within the fan duct 172 before entering the air inlet 201 of a second heat exchanger. Additionally or alternatively, as Figure 4 As shown, one or more heat exchangers 200 may be a first heat exchanger 200a and a second heat exchanger 200b, each disposed within the fan duct 172 and axially stacked on top of each other. In other words, the air outlet 203 of the first heat exchanger 200a may be directly adjacent to (or coupled to) the air inlet 201 of the second heat exchanger 200b, such that all air leaving the first heat exchanger 200a enters the second heat exchanger 200b. For example, such a configuration may be advantageous if the first heat exchanger 200a carries a different motive fluid than the second heat exchanger 200b, thereby optimizing heat transfer between the air and the respective fluids.

[0056] Figure 5 An enlarged perspective view of a heat exchanger 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The heat exchanger 200 may be referred to as an "onion-style" heat exchanger and may be used in aircraft engines (e.g., Figure 1 The engine 10 shown in FIG. 1 (particularly within the fan flow passage 48) or Figure 2 172) in the three-flow engine 100 shown in FIG. 17 (particularly within the fan duct 172). As shown, the heat exchanger 200 may include a first wall manifold 202, a second manifold wall 204 spaced apart from the first wall 202, and one or more vanes 206 extending between the first manifold wall 202 and the second manifold wall 204. As discussed further below, the heat exchanger 200 described herein may be substantially hollow so that a plurality of independent fluid circuits are defined within the heat exchanger. The plurality of independent fluid circuits allow a variety of different power fluids (e.g., from various systems of an aircraft engine) to pass through the heat exchanger 200 simultaneously and be thermally connected to each other and to the air passing through the aircraft engine. For example, the wall manifolds 202, 204 and the vanes 206 may all include various fluid passages and channels defined therein to allow a power fluid to travel therethrough during operation.

[0057] As will be discussed in more detail below, the manifold walls 202, 204 may function as a fluid directing manifold that directs motive fluid to and from various passages defined within the vanes 206 of the heat exchanger 200. In an exemplary embodiment, the heat exchanger 200 may be used in a three-flow engine 100 (e.g., Figure 1 172), wherein relatively cool air flowing through the fan duct 172 passes through the blades 206 and between the manifold walls 202, 204 of the heat exchanger 200 and provides cooling to one or more motive fluids traveling therethrough.

[0058] like Figure 5 As shown, the first wall manifold 202 can extend between a radially inward surface 260, a radially outward surface 262, an axially forward surface 264, an axially rearward surface 266, and side surfaces 268, 269 that are circumferentially spaced from each other. As shown, the first wall manifold 202 can generally be shaped as a rectangular prism with a singular curved surface (e.g., the radially outward surface 262). As described below, the radially inward surface 260 of the first wall manifold 202 can define a plurality of openings for receiving and / or conveying one or more motive fluids. Similarly, the side surface 268 facing the blade 206 can define another plurality of openings for directing one or more motive fluids into a channel defined within the blade 206.

[0059] Likewise, the second wall manifold 204 may extend between a radially inward surface 270, a radially outward surface 272, an axially forward surface 274, an axially rearward surface 276, and side surfaces 278, 279 that are circumferentially spaced from one another. As shown, the second wall manifold 204 may be generally shaped as a rectangular prism having a singular curved surface (e.g., the radially outward surface 272). As described below, the radially inward surface 270 of the second wall manifold 204 may define a plurality of openings for receiving and / or delivering one or more motive fluids. Similarly, the side surface 268 facing the blade 206 may define another plurality of openings for directing one or more motive fluids into a channel defined within the blade 206. As shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, each vane 206 may extend between a side surface 268 of the first wall manifold 202 and a side surface 278 of the second wall manifold 204 .

[0060] like Figure 5 As shown, one or more portions of the heat exchanger 200 (e.g., radially outer surfaces 262, 272 and vanes 206) may be generally curved (or non-straight). Figure 5As shown, the blades 206 and / or radial outer surfaces 262, 272 in contact with the engine 100 may be shaped to correspond to the fan duct 172 and / or the circumferential direction C so as to utilize the air flow within the heat exchanger 200 without generating a wake within the fan duct 172. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the first wall manifold 202 and the second wall manifold 204 can generally taper away from each other in the circumferential direction C as they extend radially outward (from the respective radially inward surfaces 260, 270 to the respective radially outward surfaces 262, 272). In this manner, the circumferential length of the vanes 206 can become progressively longer the further radially outwardly the vanes 206 are positioned on the heat exchanger 200. For example, the circumferential length of the radially inward-most vanes 206 can be shorter than the circumferential length of the radially outward-most vanes 206. This can be advantageous when operating the heat exchanger 200, for example, if more cooling of the motive fluid is required, it can be directed to the fluid circuit disposed within the radially outer vanes 206, thereby providing more cooling due to the relatively increased length of the vanes 206.

[0061] In many embodiments, the heat exchanger 200 described herein can be integrally formed as a single component. That is, each subcomponent (e.g., the first wall manifold 202, the second wall manifold 204, and the plurality of blades 206, as well as any other subcomponents of the heat exchanger 200) can be manufactured together as a single body. In an exemplary embodiment, this can be accomplished by utilizing an additive manufacturing system and method (e.g., direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), direct metal laser melting (DMLM), or other suitable additive manufacturing techniques). In other embodiments, other manufacturing techniques, such as casting or other suitable techniques, can be used. In this regard, by utilizing an additive manufacturing method, the heat exchanger 200 can be integrally formed as a single piece of continuous metal, and thus can include fewer subcomponents and / or joints compared to existing designs. Integrally forming the heat exchanger 200 by additive manufacturing can advantageously improve the entire assembly process. For example, integral formation reduces the number of separate parts that must be assembled, thereby reducing the associated time and total assembly cost. In addition, existing problems associated with, for example, leakage, the quality of the joints between separate parts, and overall performance can be advantageously reduced. Furthermore, the integrated formation of the heat exchanger 200 may advantageously reduce the weight of the heat exchanger 200 compared to other manufacturing methods, thereby reducing the overall weight and improving the efficiency of an aircraft engine in which the heat exchanger 200 is deployed.

[0062] Alternatively, the first wall manifold 202 and the second wall manifold 204 can each be individually integrally formed. In such an embodiment, the first wall manifold 202 and the second wall manifold 204 can each be welded to the plurality of vanes 206. Separately manufacturing the wall manifolds 202, 204 can advantageously reduce the production time of the entire heat exchanger 200, thereby significantly reducing manufacturing costs.

[0063] Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (when installed within an aircraft engine) along an axial direction A is shown. As shown and discussed in the above sections, the heat exchanger 200 may include a first wall manifold 202, a second wall manifold 204 spaced apart (e.g., circumferentially spaced apart) from the first wall manifold 202, and a plurality of vanes 206 extending generally circumferentially between the first wall manifold 202 and the second wall manifold 204.

[0064] like Figure 6 As shown, the heat exchanger 200 may define a plurality of fluid circuits 350 extending through the heat exchanger 200 for conveying one or more motive fluids. In this manner, the heat exchanger 200 may be a container that provides thermal communication between one or more motive fluids within the heat exchanger 200 and air traveling around the exterior of the heat exchanger 200. For example, each fluid circuit 350 may be individually defined within the heat exchanger 200 such that the fluid circuits 350 are fluidically isolated from one another, which advantageously allows the heat exchanger 200 to simultaneously convey a plurality of different motive fluids (e.g., from a plurality of different fluid systems of an aircraft engine) at one time through the various fluid circuits 350 without mixing the different fluids together.

[0065] like Figure 6 As shown, each fluid circuit 350 in the plurality of fluid circuits 350 includes (in serial flow order) an inlet channel portion 352, a first channel portion 356a, a return channel portion 354, a second channel portion 356b, and an outlet channel portion 358. Each fluid circuit 350 may be a single channel or channel extending continuously between each of the various portions. For example, each fluid circuit 350 may extend continuously from a corresponding inlet channel portion 352 to a corresponding first channel portion 356a, to a return channel portion 354, to a corresponding second channel portion 356b, and finally to an outlet channel portion 358.

[0066] The inlet channel portion 352 and the outlet channel portion 358 of each fluid circuit 350 can be defined within the first wall manifold 202, and the return channel portion 354 of each fluid circuit 350 can be defined within the second wall manifold 204. The first channel portion 356a and the second channel portion 356b can each be one of a plurality of channel portions 356 defined within each of the plurality of blades 206. Each return channel portion 354 can fluidly connect the first channel portion 356a to the second channel portion 356b. As described herein, the inlet channel portion 352 and the outlet channel portion 358 can have similar structures and can be interchangeable, depending on which channel receives the motive fluid and which channel discharges the motive fluid. Therefore, it should be understood that the terms "inlet" and "outlet" are used in the same context to distinguish between two channel portions and do not necessarily indicate the direction of the motive fluid. For example, although Figure 6 Not shown, but in some embodiments, the outlet channel portion 358 may receive the motive fluid and the inlet channel portion 352 may exhaust the motive fluid.

[0067] In many embodiments, the inlet channel portion 352 and the outlet channel portion 358 of each fluid circuit 350 can be completely defined within the first wall manifold 202. In addition, the inlet channel portion 352 and the outlet channel portion 358 can each extend between a corresponding first opening 380 and a corresponding second opening 382. As shown, each of the respective first openings 280 can be defined in the radially inward surface 260, and each of the respective second openings 282 can be defined in the side surface 269.

[0068] Similarly, each return channel portion 354 can be completely defined within the second wall manifold 204 and can extend between a corresponding first opening 384 and a corresponding second opening 386. As shown, the first opening 384 and the second opening 386 can both be defined in the side surface 279 such that the return channel portion 354 directs the motive fluid from the first channel portion 356a to the second channel portion 356b. For example, the return channel portion 354 can be substantially U-shaped and can be used to receive motive fluid from a first channel portion 356a of the plurality of channel portions and discharge the motive fluid to a second channel portion 356b of the plurality of channel portions. Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, the first channel portion 356a and the second channel portion 356b may be defined in different vanes 206 of the heat exchanger 200. In other embodiments, such as Figure 8As shown, the first channel portion 356a and the second channel portion 356b can be defined within the same vane 206. In various embodiments, the first channel portion 356a can be completely defined within one of the vanes 206 and can extend directly between the second opening 382 of the inlet channel portion 352 and the first opening 384 of the return channel portion 354 of the fluid circuit 350. Similarly, the second channel portion 356b can be completely defined within one of the vanes 206 (a different vane 206 than the first channel portion 356a or the same vane) and can extend directly between the second opening 382 of the outlet channel portion 358 and the second opening 386 of the return channel portion 354 of the fluid circuit 350.

[0069] In an exemplary embodiment, the heat exchanger 200 can be fluidly coupled to the fluid system 300. For example, each fluid circuit 350 defined within the heat exchanger 200 can be fluidly coupled to the fluid system 300 at an inlet and an outlet, respectively, such that each fluid circuit 350 is operable to pass fluid between the first wall manifold 202 and the second wall manifold 204 in either direction. For example, each respective first opening 280 of the inlet channel portion 352 and the outlet channel portion 358 can be fluidly coupled to a respective fluid system 300, respectively. In particular, each of the inlet channel portion 352 and the outlet channel portion 358 can be independently fluidly coupled to the respective fluid system 300 via the connecting conduit 310. In this manner, each fluid circuit 350 defined within the heat exchanger 200 can be independently operable to pass a motive fluid between the first opening 380 of the inlet channel portion 352 and the first opening 380 of the outlet channel portion 358 in either direction.

[0070] As shown, the fluid system 300 may include a first power fluid supply 302, a second power fluid supply 304, a first power fluid return 306 corresponding to the first power fluid supply 302, and a second power fluid return 308 corresponding to the second power fluid supply 304. Although only two power fluid supplies and corresponding power fluid returns are shown in the fluid system 300, it should be understood that the fluid system 300 may include any number of power fluid supplies and corresponding power fluid returns. In some embodiments, the fluid system 300 may be operable to deliver different power fluids (via different power fluid supplies) to each fluid circuit 350 defined in the heat exchanger 200. The first power fluid supply 302 may provide the first power fluid 212 from a system within the engine. For example, the first power fluid 212 may be a lubricant (or oil) from a lubrication system, a fuel from a fuel system, or other suitable fluids from any system within the aircraft engine that require cooling. Similarly, the second power fluid supply 304 may provide the second power fluid 213 from a system within the engine. For example, the second motive fluid 213 may be lubricant (or oil) from a lubrication system, fuel from a fuel system, or other suitable fluid from any system within the aircraft engine that requires cooling.

[0071] The first motive fluid supply 302 may be operable to supply the first motive fluid 212 to the fluid circuit 350 (e.g., via the inlet channel portion 352 or the outlet channel portion 358, depending on the direction in which the first motive fluid 212 is desired to travel through the heat exchanger 200). Once the first motive fluid 212 has traveled through the fluid circuit 350 of the heat exchanger 200, the first motive fluid return 306 may be operable to receive the first motive fluid 212. Similarly, the second motive fluid supply 304 may be operable to deliver the second motive fluid 213 to the fluid circuit 350 (e.g., via the inlet channel portion 352 or the outlet channel portion 358, depending on the direction in which the first motive fluid 212 is desired to travel through the heat exchanger 200). Once the second motive fluid 213 has traveled through the fluid circuit 350 of the heat exchanger 200, the second motive fluid return 308 may be operable to receive the second motive fluid 213.

[0072] The individually defined fluid circuits 350 within the heat exchanger 200, which can each be coupled to a respective fluid system 300 at an inlet and an outlet, advantageously allow for increased operational flexibility. For example, each of the plurality of fluid circuits 350 can be independently operable to receive a motive fluid (e.g., the first motive fluid 212 or the second motive fluid 213) from one of the fluid supplies of the fluid system 300 via one of the inlet channel portions 352 or the outlet channel portions 358, and to deliver the motive fluid to one of the fluid returns of the fluid system 300 via the other of the inlet channel portions 352 or the outlet channel portions 358. In particular, the system allows for independent operation of each of the plurality of fluid circuits 350, and allows for the passage of motive fluid between the first wall manifold 202 and the second wall manifold 204 in either or both directions. In addition, the system allows for a separate motive fluid (e.g., 212 or 213) to be provided to each of the fluid circuits 350. For example, in Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, one of the fluid circuits 250 carries the second motive fluid 213 , while the other of the fluid circuits 250 carries the first motive fluid 212 .

[0073] like Figure 6 As shown, the fluid system 300 may also include valves 312 disposed on both the fluid supply line 313 and the fluid return line 314. Each of the valves 312 may be selectively actuated (e.g., by a controller) between an open position and a closed position. For example, one of the valves may be selectively opened to allow fluid flow through the corresponding line or pipe to which it is attached. Conversely, when the valve is in the closed position, fluid flow through the corresponding line or pipe to which the valve is attached may be restricted or otherwise blocked.

[0074] Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger 200 according to an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure (when installed within an aircraft engine) along an axial direction A is shown. As shown and discussed in the above sections, the heat exchanger 200 may include a first wall manifold 202, a second wall manifold 204 spaced apart (e.g., circumferentially spaced apart) from the first wall manifold 202, and a plurality of vanes 206 extending generally circumferentially between the first wall manifold 202 and the second wall manifold 204.

[0075] like Figure 7As shown, the heat exchanger 200 can define a plurality of fluid circuits 250 extending through the heat exchanger 200 for conveying one or more motive fluids. In this manner, the heat exchanger 200 can be a container that provides thermal communication between one or more motive fluids inside the heat exchanger and air traveling around the exterior of the heat exchanger 200. For example, each fluid circuit 250 can be individually defined within the heat exchanger 200 such that the fluid circuits 250 are fluidically isolated from each other, which advantageously allows the heat exchanger 200 to simultaneously convey multiple different motive fluids (e.g., multiple different fluid systems from an aircraft engine) at one time without mixing the different fluids together.

[0076] like Figure 7 As shown, each fluid circuit 250 of the plurality of fluid circuits 250 includes a first channel portion 252, a second channel portion 254, and a channel portion 256. The first channel portion 252 may be defined within the first wall manifold 202, and the second channel portion 254 may be defined within the second wall manifold 204. The channel portion 256 may be one of a plurality of channel portions 256, each of which is defined within the bucket 206. Figure 7 As shown, the first channel portion 252 can be directly fluidly coupled to a first end of the channel portion 256 , and the second channel portion 254 can be directly fluidly coupled to a second end of the channel portion 256 .

[0077] In many embodiments, each first channel portion 252 can be completely defined within the first wall manifold 202 and can extend between a corresponding first opening 280 and a corresponding second opening 282. As shown, each of the respective first openings 280 can be defined in the radially inward surface 260, and each of the respective second openings 282 can be defined in the side surface 269. Similarly, each second channel portion 254 can be completely defined within the second wall manifold 204 and can extend between a corresponding first opening 284 and a corresponding second opening 286. As shown, each of the respective first openings 284 can be defined in the radially inward surface 270, and each of the respective second openings 286 can be defined in the side surface 279. In various embodiments, each channel portion 256 can be completely defined within the bucket 206 and can extend directly between the second opening 282 of the first portion 252 and the second opening 286 of the second portion 254 of the fluid circuit 250.

[0078] In an exemplary embodiment, the heat exchanger 200 can be fluidly coupled to the fluid system 300. For example, each fluid circuit 250 defined within the heat exchanger 200 can be fluidly coupled to the fluid system 300 at either end, such that each fluid circuit 250 is operable to pass fluid between the first wall manifold 202 and the second wall manifold 204 in either direction. For example, each respective first opening 280 of the first channel portion 252 can be fluidly coupled to a respective fluid system 300, respectively. Likewise, the first opening 284 of the second channel portion 254 can be fluidly coupled to a respective fluid system 300, individually. In particular, each of the first channel portions 252 can be fluidly coupled to a respective fluid system 300 via a connecting conduit 310, independently. Similarly, each of the second channel portions 252 can be fluidly coupled to a respective fluid system 300, independently via a connecting conduit 310. Similarly, each of the second channel portions 252 can be fluidly coupled to a respective fluid system 300, independently via a connecting conduit 310. In this manner, each fluid circuit 250 defined within the heat exchanger 200 may be independently operated to pass motive fluid between the first opening 280 of the first channel portion 252 and the first opening 284 of the second channel portion 254 in either direction (e.g., from opening 280 to opening 284, or vice versa).

[0079] As shown, the fluid system 300 may include a first power fluid supply 302, a second power fluid supply 304, a first power fluid return 306 corresponding to the first power fluid supply 302, and a second power fluid return 308 corresponding to the second power fluid supply 304. Although only two power fluid supplies and corresponding power fluid returns are shown in the fluid system 300, it should be understood that the fluid system 300 may include any number of power fluid supplies and corresponding power fluid returns. In some embodiments, the fluid system 300 may be operable to deliver different power fluids (via different power fluid supplies) to each fluid circuit 250 defined in the heat exchanger 200. The first power fluid supply 302 may provide the first power fluid 212 from a system within the engine. For example, the first power fluid 212 may be a lubricant (or oil) from a lubrication system, a fuel from a fuel system, or other suitable fluids from any system within the aircraft engine that require cooling. Similarly, the second power fluid supply 304 may provide the second power fluid 213 from a system within the engine. For example, the second motive fluid 213 may be lubricant (or oil) from a lubrication system, fuel from a fuel system, or other suitable fluid from any system within the aircraft engine that requires cooling.

[0080] The first motive fluid supply 302 may be operable to supply the first motive fluid 212 to the fluid circuit 250 (e.g., via the first wall manifold 202 or the second wall manifold 204, depending on the direction in which the first motive fluid 212 is desired to travel through the heat exchanger 200). Once the first motive fluid 212 has traveled through the fluid circuit 250 of the heat exchanger 200, the first motive fluid return 306 may be operable to receive the first motive fluid 212. Similarly, the second motive fluid supply 304 may be operable to deliver the second motive fluid 213 to the fluid circuit 250 (e.g., via the first wall manifold 202 or the second wall manifold 204, depending on the direction in which the first motive fluid 213 is desired to travel through the heat exchanger 200). Once the second motive fluid 213 has traveled through the fluid circuit 250 of the heat exchanger 200, the second motive fluid return 308 may be operable to receive the second motive fluid 213.

[0081] The individually defined fluid circuits 250 within the heat exchanger 200, which can each be separately coupled to a corresponding fluid system 300 at either end, advantageously allow for increased operational flexibility. For example, each of the plurality of fluid circuits 250 can be independently operable to receive a motive fluid (e.g., the first motive fluid 212 or the second motive fluid 213) from one of the fluid supplies of the fluid system 300 via one of the first channel portions 252 or the second channel portions 254, and to deliver the motive fluid to one of the fluid returns of the fluid system 300 via the other of the first channel portions 252 or the second channel portions 254. In particular, the system allows for independent operation of each of the plurality of fluid circuits 250, and for passing a motive fluid between the first wall manifold 202 and the second wall manifold 204 in either direction. Furthermore, the system allows for a separate motive fluid (e.g., 212 or 213) to be provided to each of the fluid circuits 250. For example, in Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, one of the fluid circuits 250 conveys the second motive fluid 213 in the circumferential direction C (from the first wall manifold 202 to the second wall manifold 204), while the other two of the fluid circuits 250 convey the first motive fluid 212 in a direction opposite to the circumferential direction C (from the second wall manifold 204 to the first wall manifold 202).

[0082] like Figure 7As shown, the fluid system 300 may also include valves 312 disposed on both the fluid supply line 313 and the fluid return line 314. Each of the valves 312 may be selectively actuated (e.g., by a controller) between an open position and a closed position. For example, one of the valves may be selectively opened to allow fluid flow through the corresponding line or pipe to which it is attached. Conversely, when the valve is in the closed position, fluid flow through the corresponding line or pipe to which the valve is attached may be restricted or otherwise blocked.

[0083] Figure 8 2 shows a cross-sectional view of heat exchanger 200 along circumferential direction C. As shown, each vane 206 may define a plurality of channel portions 356, each of which may correspond to a respective fluid circuit 350 as described above. In an exemplary embodiment, each vane 206 in the plurality of vanes 206 may include a leading edge 288, a trailing edge 290, and a sidewall 292 extending between the leading edge 288 and the trailing edge 290. Figure 8 As shown, the plurality of blades 206 may be spaced apart from one another in the radial direction R to define an airflow passage 294 between the blades 206. In operation, the leading edge 288 may engage air 400 traveling through the engine (e.g., within the fan flow passage 48 or the fan duct 172). The air 400 may then flow into the airflow passage 294 defined between the blades 206 (e.g., specifically radially defined between the sidewalls 292 of adjacent blades 206). Finally, the air 400 may be discharged from the heat exchanger 200 at the trailing edge 290 of the blades 206. For example, the airflow passage 294 defined between the blades 206 of the heat exchanger 200 may diverge radially after the leading edge 288 and then converge radially toward the trailing edge 290. In such an embodiment, the airflow passage 294 may have a larger area in the middle, which reduces the Mach number to reduce pressure drop before gradually converging to pick up speed to maintain thrust capability. This allows most of the heat transfer to occur at the surface in the lower Reynolds number and friction region, resulting in lower pressure drop.

[0084] Although the air 400 is fluidly isolated from the motive fluid traveling through each channel portion 256 of the fluid circuit 250 defined within the vanes 206 of the heat exchanger 200, the vanes 206 may allow thermal communication between the air 400 and the motive fluid within the channel portion 256. Figure 8 As shown, each air flow channel 294 may receive and exhaust an air flow 400 in a direction generally perpendicular to the channel portion 256 of each fluid circuit 250 in the plurality of fluid circuits 250 .

[0085] like Figure 8As shown, buckets 206 may also include one or more ribs 295 that may extend generally radially within buckets 206. Ribs 295 may divide or partition the interior of each bucket 206 into channel portions 356, each of which may correspond to a respective fluid circuit 350 as described above.

[0086] Fig. 9 A cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger 200 along a radial direction R according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Fig. 9 The internal structure of a single blade 206 is shown, in which a plurality of channel portions 356 belonging to the fluid circuit 350 may be defined. Figure 6 In contrast to the embodiment shown in , each return channel portion 354 extends from a first channel portion 356a defined in a first vane 206 to a second channel portion 356b defined in an adjacent vane 206, Fig. 9 The return channel portion 354 shown in FIG. 1 is fluidly connected and extends between a first channel portion 356 a and a second channel portion 356 b , both of which are defined within the same bucket 206 .

[0087] Fig.10 FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure along a radial direction R, which reveals the internal structure of a single blade 206. Fig.10 As shown, each channel portion 256 of each fluid circuit 250 can define a width 296. For example, for the axially forward-most channel portion 256, the width 296 can be defined between the rib 295 and the leading edge 288 of the bucket 206. Similarly, for the axially rearward-most channel portion 256, the width 296 can be defined between the rib 295 and the trailing edge 290 of the bucket 206. For all other channel portions 256, the width 296 can be defined between two axially separated ribs 295. In many embodiments, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown, the width 296 of at least one channel portion 256 of the plurality of channel portions 256 can be constant from the first wall manifold 202 to the second wall manifold 204. Specifically, the width 296 of at least one channel portion 256 of the plurality of channel portions 256 can be constant from the side surface 269 of the first wall manifold 202 to the side surface 279 of the second wall manifold 204.

[0088] Alternatively or additionally, such as Fig.11As shown, the width 296 of at least one channel portion 256 of the plurality of channel portions 256 can vary continuously from the first wall manifold 202 to the second wall manifold 204. Specifically, the width 296 of at least one channel portion 256 of the plurality of channel portions 256 can vary continuously from the side surface 269 of the first wall manifold 202 to the side surface 279 of the second wall manifold 204. In such an embodiment, one, more than one, or all of the ribs 295 can converge and diverge axially (in a substantially sinusoidal pattern) between the first wall manifold 202 and the second wall manifold 204.

[0089] Fig.12 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a three-flow engine 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein one or more heat exchangers 200 may be arranged circumferentially within fan duct 172. Fig.12 Although one half of a three-flow engine 100 is shown, it should be understood that the features referenced in 10 may be used for the entire engine. Fig.12 A three-flow engine 100 is shown in FIG. 1 , but it should be understood that the heat exchanger 200 may be similarly used in another type of aircraft engine (e.g. Figure 1 As described above, air flowing through fan duct 172 may travel generally axially (i.e., relative to Fig.12 In and Out Page). A portion of the air traveling through the fan duct 172 may pass between the heat exchangers 200, and a portion of the air may pass through the heat exchangers 200 (eg, between the blades 206 of the heat exchangers 200).

[0090] exist Fig.12 In the illustrated embodiment, the heat exchangers 200 may be disposed within the fan duct 172 and spaced circumferentially apart from one another. For example, the heat exchangers 200 may be positioned equidistant (or unequally spaced in some embodiments) from one another in the circumferential direction C within the fan duct 174. In other embodiments (not shown), the heat exchangers 200 may be continuous in the circumferential direction C (e.g., around the longitudinal axis 112-360°) such that all air passing through the fan duct 172 flows through the heat exchangers 200. Fig.12, the core cover 122 can generally surround and accommodate the support frame 123 (shown with cross hatching). Similarly, the fan cover 170 can generally surround and accommodate the support frame 171 (shown with cross hatching). As described above, the support frames 123, 171 can each provide structural support for the corresponding covers 122, 170 and various other components of the three-stream engine 100. For example, the stationary struts 174 can each extend radially between the support frames 123 and 171 and be connected to the support frames 123 and 171. In addition, one or more heat exchangers 200 can be connected to any one or both of the support frames 123 and 171 (permanently via welding, or non-permanently via bolts and fasteners).

[0091] The number and size of the heat exchangers 200 may depend on how much cooling is needed or desired for a particular system. In other words, if a large amount of cooling is required, the three-stream engine 100 may employ a heat exchanger 200 that occupies a large portion of the fan duct 172. In such an embodiment, where a large amount of cooling is required for the system, the circumferential spacing between the heat exchangers 200 may be small to nonexistent. For example, in some embodiments, 100% of the air flowing through the fan duct 172 may pass through the heat exchanger 200. In such an embodiment, the heat exchanger 200 may extend continuously around the longitudinal centerline 112 (or multiple heat exchangers 200 may be adjacent to each other within the fan duct 172 so that no circumferential spacing is provided between the heat exchangers 200).

[0092] In many embodiments, from about 10% to about 100% of the air flowing through the fan duct 172 passes through the heat exchanger 200. In other embodiments, from about 20% to about 100% of the air flowing through the fan duct 172 passes through the heat exchanger 200. In various embodiments, from about 30% to about 100% of the air flowing through the fan duct 172 passes through the heat exchanger 200. In further embodiments, from about 50% to about 100% of the air flowing through the fan duct 172 passes through the heat exchanger 200. In particular embodiments, from about 30% to about 70% of the air flowing through the fan duct 172 passes through the heat exchanger 200.

[0093] In various embodiments, the heat exchanger 200 can be coupled to the three-flow engine 100 in a variety of ways. For example, as shown, in some embodiments, the heat exchanger 200 can be coupled to the fan cover 170 (e.g., in some embodiments, only coupled to the fan cover 170), so that the heat exchanger 200 is fixed in the fan duct 172 through the fan cover 170. In other embodiments, the heat exchanger 200 can be coupled to the core cover 122 (e.g., in some embodiments, only coupled to the core cover 122), so that the heat exchanger 200 is fixed in the fan duct 172 through the core cover 122. In further embodiments, the heat exchanger 200 can be coupled to one or more stationary struts 174 (e.g., in some embodiments, only coupled to the stationary struts 174), so that the heat exchanger 200 can be fixed in the fan duct through the stationary struts 174. In further embodiments, one or more heat exchangers can be coupled to any combination of the fan duct 172, the core duct 122, and the one or more stationary struts 174.

[0094] In certain embodiments, as described above, each heat exchanger 200 may be coupled to a different structure within the fan duct 172 of the three-stream engine 100. For example, as shown, a first heat exchanger 200 may be coupled to the fan cowl 170, a second heat exchanger 200 may be coupled to the core cowl, and a third heat exchanger 200 may be coupled to the stationary strut 174.

[0095] The heat exchanger 200 may be extended within the fan duct 172 in a variety of ways between different embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, Fig.10 As shown, one or more heat exchangers 200 may extend radially inward from the fan shroud 170 into the fan duct 172. In such embodiments, the heat exchanger 200 may be radially spaced apart from the core shroud 122, such that in some embodiments, the heat exchanger 200 does not contact the core shroud in any way. In other embodiments, the heat exchanger 200 may extend radially outward from the core shroud 120 into the fan duct 172. In such embodiments, the heat exchanger 200 may be radially spaced apart from the fan shroud 170, such that in some embodiments, the heat exchanger does not contact the fan shroud 170. In an exemplary embodiment, the heat exchanger 200 may extend completely radially through the fan duct 172 (e.g., between the core shroud 122 and the fan shroud 170).

[0096] In an exemplary embodiment, the heat exchanger 200 may be mounted in the fan duct 172 at only one end, so that the opposite end of the heat exchanger 200 is free to thermally expand and contract in the fan duct 172, thereby increasing the operational flexibility and life of the heat exchanger 200. For example, as shown, each heat exchanger 200 may extend between a fixed end 208 and a free end 210 in the fan duct 172 to allow thermal expansion of the heat exchanger 200 in the fan duct 172. For example, the fixed end 208 may be one of the wall manifolds 202, 204, and the free end may be the other of the wall manifolds 202, 204. The fixed end 208 of the heat exchanger may be welded, brazed or otherwise permanently coupled to one or more of the fan cowl 170, the core cowl 122 and / or the stationary strut 174. The free end 210 of each heat exchanger 200 may not be coupled to the three-stream engine 100, thereby allowing unrestricted thermal growth of the heat exchanger 200 in the fan duct 172. In some embodiments, the free end 210 may still contact one or more of the fan shroud 170, the core shroud 122, and / or the stationary struts 174, but may be completely separated therefrom such that the free end 210 may slide in contact with one or more surfaces defining the fan duct 172 as the heat exchanger 200 thermally expands / contracts.

[0097] This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also enables any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any device or system and performing any combined method. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. If these other examples include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements that do not differ substantially from the literal language of the claims, these other examples are intended to fall within the scope of the claims.

[0098] Further aspects are provided by the subject matter of the following clauses:

[0099] A heat exchanger for an aircraft engine, the heat exchanger comprising: a first wall manifold; a second wall manifold, the second wall manifold being spaced apart from the first wall manifold; a plurality of vanes, the plurality of vanes extending generally circumferentially between the first wall manifold and the second wall manifold; and a plurality of fluid circuits defined within the heat exchanger, each of the plurality of fluid circuits comprising an inlet channel portion and an outlet channel portion defined within the first wall manifold, a return channel portion defined within the second wall manifold, and at least one channel portion of a plurality of channel portions defined within each of the plurality of vanes, wherein the at least one channel portion extends between the return channel portion and one of the inlet channel portion and the outlet channel portion.

[0100] A heat exchanger according to one or more of these clauses, wherein the return channel portion fluidly connects a first channel portion of the plurality of channel portions to a second channel portion of the plurality of channel portions, the first channel portion extending between the return channel portion and the inlet channel portion, and the second channel portion extending between the return channel portion and the outlet channel portion.

[0101] A heat exchanger according to one or more of these clauses, wherein both the inlet channel portion and the outlet channel portion are respectively fluidly coupled to respective fluid systems, the respective fluid systems comprising at least one motive fluid supply and at least one motive fluid return.

[0102] A heat exchanger according to one or more of these clauses, wherein each of the plurality of fluid circuits is independently operable to receive a motive fluid from the at least one fluid supply via one of the inlet channel portion or the outlet channel portion and to deliver the motive fluid to the at least one fluid return via the other of the inlet channel portion or the outlet channel portion.

[0103] A heat exchanger according to one or more of these clauses, wherein the heat exchanger is integrally formed.

[0104] The heat exchanger of one or more of these clauses, wherein the first manifold and the second manifold are integrally formed and welded to the plurality of buckets.

[0105] The heat exchanger of one or more of these clauses, wherein each of the plurality of vanes includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a sidewall extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge.

[0106] A heat exchanger according to one or more of these clauses, wherein the plurality of vanes are spaced apart from one another in a radial direction to define airflow channels, and wherein each airflow channel is configured to receive and discharge an air flow in a direction generally perpendicular to the at least one channel portion of each of the plurality of fluid circuits.

[0107] A heat exchanger as described in one or more of these clauses, wherein the at least one channel portion of the plurality of channel portions defines a constant width from the first wall manifold to the second wall manifold.

[0108] A heat exchanger as described in one or more of these clauses, wherein the at least one channel portion of the plurality of channel portions defines a continuously varying width from the first wall manifold to the second wall manifold.

[0109] An engine, comprising: a fan section; a core engine, the core engine is arranged downstream of the fan section; a core cover, the core cover annularly surrounds the core engine and at least partially defines a core duct; a fan cover, the fan cover is arranged radially outward from the core cover and annularly surrounds at least a portion of the core cover; and a heat exchanger, the heat exchanger is arranged in the fan duct, wherein the heat exchanger provides thermal communication between a coolant fluid flowing through the fan duct and at least one power fluid flowing through the heat exchanger, the heat exchanger comprising: a first wall manifold; a second wall manifold, the second wall manifold and the first wall manifold a heat exchanger having a plurality of fluid circuits, each of the plurality of fluid circuits including an inlet channel portion and an outlet channel portion defined in the first wall manifold, a return channel portion defined in the second wall manifold, and at least one channel portion of a plurality of channel portions defined in each of the plurality of vanes, wherein the at least one channel portion extends between the return channel portion and one of the inlet channel portion and the outlet channel portion.

[0110] An engine according to one or more of these clauses, wherein the return channel portion fluidly connects a first channel portion of the plurality of channel portions to a second channel portion of the plurality of channel portions, the first channel portion extending between the return channel portion and the inlet channel portion, and the second channel portion extending between the return channel portion and the outlet channel portion.

[0111] An engine according to one or more of these clauses, wherein both the inlet channel portion and the outlet channel portion are respectively fluidly coupled to respective fluid systems, the respective fluid systems comprising at least one motive fluid supply and at least one motive fluid return.

[0112] An engine according to one or more of these clauses, wherein each of the plurality of fluid circuits is independently operable to receive motive fluid from the at least one fluid supply via one of the inlet channel portion or the outlet channel portion and to deliver the motive fluid to the at least one fluid return via the other of the inlet channel portion or the outlet channel portion.

[0113] An engine according to one or more of these clauses, wherein the heat exchanger is integrally formed.

[0114] An engine as described in one or more of these clauses, wherein each of the plurality of buckets includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a sidewall extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge.

[0115] An engine according to one or more of these clauses, wherein the plurality of blades are spaced apart from one another in a radial direction to define airflow passages, and wherein each airflow passage is configured to receive and discharge an air flow in a direction generally perpendicular to the at least one passage portion of each of the plurality of fluid circuits.

[0116] A heat exchanger as described in one or more of these clauses, wherein the at least one channel portion of the plurality of channel portions defines a constant width from the first wall manifold to the second wall manifold.

[0117] A heat exchanger as described in one or more of these clauses, wherein the at least one channel portion of the plurality of channel portions defines a continuously varying width from the first wall manifold to the second wall manifold.

[0118] A heat exchanger for an aircraft engine, the heat exchanger comprising: a first wall manifold; a second wall manifold, the second wall manifold being spaced apart from the first wall manifold; a plurality of vanes, the plurality of vanes extending generally circumferentially between the first wall manifold and the second wall manifold; and a plurality of fluid circuits defined within the heat exchanger, each of the plurality of fluid circuits comprising a first channel portion defined within the first wall manifold, a second channel portion defined within the second wall manifold, and a channel portion of a plurality of channel portions defined within each of the plurality of vanes, each of the plurality of channel portions extending between a respective first channel portion and a respective second channel portion.

Claims

1. An engine, characterized in that: include: Fan section; a core engine disposed downstream of the fan section; a core shroud annularly surrounding the core engine and at least partially defining a core duct; a fan shroud disposed radially outward from the core shroud and annularly surrounding at least a portion of the core shroud; as well as a heat exchanger disposed within the fan duct, wherein the heat exchanger provides thermal communication between a coolant fluid flowing through the fan duct and at least one motive fluid flowing through the heat exchanger, the heat exchanger comprising: first wall manifold; a second wall manifold, the second wall manifold being spaced apart from the first wall manifold; a plurality of vanes extending generally circumferentially between the first wall manifold and the second wall manifold; and a plurality of fluid circuits defined within the heat exchanger, each of the plurality of fluid circuits comprising a first channel portion defined within the first wall manifold, a second channel portion defined within the second wall manifold, and a channel portion of a plurality of channel portions defined within each of the plurality of blades, each of the plurality of channel portions extending between a respective first channel portion and a respective second channel portion.

2. The engine according to claim 1, characterized in that Wherein both the first channel portion and the second channel portion are fluidly coupled to respective fluid systems, the respective fluid systems comprising at least one power fluid supply and at least one power fluid return.

3. The engine according to claim 2, characterized in that wherein each of the plurality of fluid circuits is independently operable to receive a motive fluid from the at least one fluid supply via one of the first channel portion or the second channel portion and to deliver the motive fluid to the at least one motive fluid return via the other of the first channel portion or the second channel portion.

4. The engine according to claim 1, characterized in that Wherein the heat exchanger is formed integrally.

5. The engine according to claim 1, characterized in that The first manifold and the second manifold are integrally formed and welded to the plurality of blades.

6. The engine according to claim 1, characterized in that Each of the plurality of buckets includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a sidewall extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge.

7. The engine according to claim 6, characterized in that The plurality of vanes are radially spaced apart from one another to define airflow passages, and each airflow passage is configured to receive and discharge airflow in a direction generally perpendicular to the at least one passage portion of each of the plurality of fluid circuits.

8. The engine according to claim 1, characterized in that Wherein the at least one channel portion of the plurality of channel portions defines a constant width from the first wall manifold to the second wall manifold.

9. The engine according to claim 1, characterized in that Wherein the at least one channel portion of the plurality of channel portions defines a continuously varying width from the first wall manifold to the second wall manifold.

10. The engine according to claim 1, characterized in that Wherein the fan section comprises a non-ducted fan.

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