Internal Flow-Guided Plumbing to Cut Engine Bay Blockage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engines face issues with cooling systems, where inlet piping of heat exchangers can block and heat up the engine bay, causing pressure loss and inefficient heat rejection.
Innovation Solution
A conduit assembly with a pipe and hollow passages, including flow guides, is designed to transfer heat by guiding a first fluid through the pipe and a second fluid through the hollow passages, potentially reducing the need for traditional heat exchangers by acting as a heat exchanger itself.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If traditional heat exchangers with inlet piping are used, then heat transfer function is provided, but the piping blocks and heats up the engine bay causing pressure loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the conduit structure with the heat transfer function by integrating hollow passages directly into the conduit walls. This eliminates the need for separate heat exchanger units and their associated inlet piping, thereby removing the source of engine bay blockage and pressure loss while maintaining effective heat transfer between the conveyed fluid and the engine bay environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The conduit assembly serves dual functions: transporting fluid and performing heat exchange. The hollow passages within the conduit walls allow the conduit itself to act as the heat transfer medium, eliminating the need for external heat exchanger components and their problematic inlet piping.
2Loss of energy
If traditional heat exchangers are used, then heat transfer is achieved, but device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the heat transfer function with the conduit structure by embedding hollow passages within the conduit walls. This integration eliminates the need for separate heat exchanger units, reducing overall device complexity and size while maintaining effective heat transfer capability between the fluid and surrounding environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The conduit assembly performs multiple functions simultaneously: fluid transport through the conduit and heat exchange through the hollow passages. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated heat exchanger components, simplifying the overall system architecture.
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 solution enhances heat transfer efficiency, potentially reducing the size of heat exchangers and eliminating them when sufficient heat transfer is achieved, thereby addressing blockage and pressure loss issues in gas turbine engines.
Implementation Method 1
the conduit assembly is configured to transfer heat from the first fluid to the second fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A conduit assembly may comprise: a pipe; a plurality of hollow passages disposed through the pipe; and a plurality of flow guides disposed in the pipe, each flow guide in the plurality of flow guides at least partially defining a respective hollow passage in the plurality of hollow passages. The conduit assembly may act as a heat exchanger.