Reverse-Flow Hydrogen Turbine With Exhaust Steam Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas turbine engines in aircraft suffer from reduced efficiency due to the loss of heat energy in the turbine section and high carbon emissions, necessitating improvements in engine performance and environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
A hydrogen-powered, intercooled turbine engine system that includes a condenser to extract water from exhaust gases, an evaporator to generate steam, and an intercooling system to increase mass flow and efficiency, with a power turbine driving a propulsor independently of the core engine, enhancing power output and reducing engine size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If heat energy is exhausted from the turbine section to atmosphere, then the engine structure is simple, but the overall efficiency of the engine is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent recovers heat energy from the exhaust gas flow by directing it through a condenser that extracts water vapor, converting waste thermal energy into useful steam for injection back into the compressor inlet. This transforms the previously discarded heat into a resource that improves engine efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a condenser and evaporator system as intermediary components between the turbine exhaust and the compressor inlet. These intermediaries facilitate heat transfer and phase change, enabling the recovery and reuse of thermal energy without fundamentally redesigning the core engine structure.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If hydrogen based fuel is used in the combustor, then carbon emissions are reduced, but the engine requires specialized fuel handling systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the unique properties of hydrogen combustion, specifically the high water vapor content in the exhaust, and transforms this characteristic into a benefit by condensing and re-injecting the water as steam. This parameter change approach converts a potential disadvantage (water vapor) into a performance-enhancing feature.
3Power
If steam flow is injected into the core flow path, then power output and efficiency are increased, but the system complexity increases with condenser and evaporator components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the condenser and evaporator system to serve multiple functions: extracting water from exhaust, generating steam, and injecting it back into the airflow. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate systems and justifies the added complexity through substantial performance gains.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own exhaust gas flow as the heat source for the condenser, creating a self-contained thermal recovery loop. The exhaust provides the thermal energy needed to drive the condensation and evaporation processes, eliminating the need for external power sources or additional fuel consumption.
4Productivity
If the turbine section is placed engine forward of the compressor section, then the exhaust gas flow can be communicated to the power turbine, but the engine layout becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the engine into distinct functional sections: a core engine with forward-placed turbine, and a separate power turbine driven by exhaust from the core turbine. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each section and enables the power turbine to extract additional work from the exhaust flow without interfering with the core compression and combustion processes.
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
The system achieves increased power output and efficiency by recycling heat energy and reducing carbon emissions, with a smaller engine footprint and improved propulsive performance.
Implementation Method 1
a condenser arranged along the core flow path and configured to extract water from the exhaust gas flow
Implementation Method 2
an evaporator arranged along the core flow path and configured to receive a portion of the water extracted by the condenser to generate a steam flow
Implementation Method 3
mixed with a hydrogen based fuel and ignited to generate an exhaust gas flow
Data Source
AI summary
A propulsion system for an aircraft includes a gas generating core engine generates an exhaust gas flow that is expanded through a turbine section, a power turbine driven by the exhaust gas flow, a propulsor coupled to the power turbine, a hydrogen fuel system configured to supply hydrogen fuel to the combustor through a fuel flow path, a condenser arranged along the core flow path and configured to extract water from the exhaust gas flow, and an evaporator arranged along the core flow path receiving a portion of the water extracted by the condenser to generate a steam flow that is injected into the core flow path upstream of the turbine section.