Fuel-Cooled Engine Components Using Cracked Fuel for Thermal Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing engine cooling techniques, particularly in gas turbine engines, are inadequate for managing high temperatures and thermally induced material degradation, and there is a need for alternative fuels to reduce emissions.
Innovation Solution
The use of non-hydrocarbon fuels, such as ammonia and hydrogen, is introduced to cool engine components by cracking them within internal passages and then directing the cooled fuel into the engine's flowpath for combustion, enhancing cooling efficiency and reducing emissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If air cooling is used to cool engine components, then thermally induced material degradation is reduced, but engine efficiency decreases due to energy loss
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel serves a dual function: it cools the engine components through its flow path and then is combusted to generate power. The fuel essentially cools itself by absorbing heat during component cooling, then converts that absorbed thermal energy back into useful work through combustion, making the cooling process self-servicing rather than a net energy loss
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the heated fuel after it exits the cooled components, the system recovers the thermal energy by combusting the fuel in the combustion chamber, converting the previously wasted thermal energy back into mechanical work
2Power
If conventional hydrocarbon fuels are used, then engine power output is maintained, but emissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters of the fuel from conventional hydrocarbons to alternative fuels such as ammonia (NH3), hydrogen (H2), or their mixtures, fundamentally altering the combustion products from CO2 and other pollutants to primarily water vapor and nitrogen, thereby reducing harmful emissions while maintaining power output
3Temperature
If fuel is directed through internal passages for cooling, then component temperature is reduced, but fuel flow path complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel flow path serves multiple functions simultaneously: it delivers fuel to the components, cools the components through heat absorption, transports the heated fuel to the combustion chamber, and enables thermal energy recovery. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate cooling systems and simplifies the overall system architecture despite the complex thermal management requirements
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method increases turbine engine efficiency by recapturing heat energy used for cooling and reintroducing it into the flowpath for combustion, improving power output and reducing the need for air cooling, which decreases efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The engine component is configured to crack at least some of the fuel within the component internal passage thereby cooling the engine component and providing at least partially cracked fuel
Implementation Method 2
The engine component is configured to receive fuel from the fuel source and flow the fuel within the component internal passage for cooling the engine component
Implementation Method 3
The assembly is configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into the flowpath for combustion
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly is provided for a turbine engine with a flowpath. This assembly includes a fuel source and an engine component. The engine component forms a peripheral boundary of the flowpath. The engine component includes a component internal passage. The engine component is configured to receive fuel from the fuel source. The engine component is configured to crack at least some of the fuel within the component internal passage thereby cooling the engine component and providing at least partially cracked fuel. The assembly is configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into the flowpath for combustion.