Thermal Transport Bus Cooling for Gas Turbine Accessory Heat Loads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gas turbine engines have inefficient heat exchanger configurations, leading to suboptimal use of resources as individual heat exchangers are sized for maximum heat removal, resulting in some operating at full capacity while others are underutilized or not used at all, which affects size, weight, and design.
Innovation Solution
A thermal management system with a thermal transport bus and heat exchange fluid, featuring a plurality of heat source exchangers and a heat sink exchanger, allowing for efficient heat allocation and reduction in the number or size of heat exchangers by integrating multiple accessory systems' heat transfer into a single system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If individual heat exchangers are dedicated to each accessory system and sized for maximum heat removal, then each system can operate at full capacity, but the overall system efficiency decreases and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple accessory systems into a single integrated thermal management system with a common heat exchanger. The thermal transport bus aggregates heat from multiple sources (lubrication system, hydraulic system, electrical system, pneumatic system) and directs it to a shared heat sink, eliminating the need for separate dedicated heat exchangers for each system while maintaining adequate heat removal capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The common heat exchanger serves multiple functions by handling heat from various accessory systems simultaneously. The thermal transport bus acts as a universal heat collection mechanism that can accommodate different heat sources, making the heat exchanger a multi-functional component rather than a single-purpose device.
2Reliability
If multiple dedicated heat exchangers are used for different accessory systems, then each system has adequate cooling capacity, but system weight and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate heat exchanger assemblies into a single common heat exchanger. By consolidating the cooling function for lubrication, hydraulic, electrical, and pneumatic systems into one unit, the overall weight of the heat exchanger assembly is reduced compared to having multiple separate units, while still providing adequate cooling capacity for all systems.
3Temperature
If individual heat exchangers are sized for maximum heat removal requirements, then peak cooling demands are met, but heat exchanger utilization efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal transport bus continuously collects heat from multiple accessory systems and delivers it to the common heat exchanger, ensuring continuous useful action. By aggregating heat from multiple sources, the system maintains high utilization efficiency of the heat exchanger across varying operating conditions, as heat from different systems can complement each other to keep the heat exchanger operating near optimal capacity.
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 configuration enables more efficient heat removal from gas turbine engines, reducing the number and size of heat exchangers required, optimizing resource use, and providing redundancy and flexibility in heat management, while preventing overheating of fuel and maintaining efficient operation across varying conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal transport bus having a heat exchange fluid flowing therethrough
Implementation Method 2
a pump for generating a flow of the heat exchange fluid in the thermal transport bus
Data Source
AI summary
A thermal management system for a gas turbine engine and/or an aircraft is provided including a thermal transport bus having a heat exchange fluid flowing therethrough. The thermal management system also includes a plurality of heat source exchangers and at least one heat sink exchanger. The plurality of heat source exchangers and the at least one heat sink exchanger are in thermal communication with the heat exchange fluid in the thermal transport bus. The plurality of heat source exchangers are arranged along the thermal transport bus and configured to transfer heat from one or more accessory systems to the heat exchange fluid, and the at least one heat sink exchanger is located downstream of the plurality of heat source exchangers and configured to remove heat from the heat exchange fluid.