Gas Turbine Compartment Cooling via Integrated Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engines face inefficiencies in thermal management and environmental control due to the use of bleed air, which affects engine performance and increases system complexity and weight, especially in advanced architectures with low fan pressure ratios.
Innovation Solution
An integrated thermal management system (TMS) and environmental control system (ECS) are combined, utilizing an air-oil cooler and air-air precooler in a single unit, with a bypass flow duct and compressor flow duct arrangement, and a constant speed transmission to optimize airflow and reduce packaging volume, allowing for efficient cooling and thrust recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If bleed air is used for cooling and environmental control, then cooling function is provided, but engine performance efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cooling function from the bleed air system and creates a separate compartment cooling system that draws cooling air from the bypass flow path. This separates the cooling function from the bleed air path, allowing the bleed air to be used more efficiently for environmental control while the compartment cooling is handled independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The bypass flow serves multiple functions: it provides cooling air for engine compartments, drives the TMS pump and ECS pump, and contributes to thrust recovery. This multi-functional use of the bypass flow improves overall system efficiency while providing the necessary cooling functions.
2Temperature
If bleed air is routed through pipes and valves to precooler, then cabin air cooling is provided, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the TMS and ECS into a single integrated thermal system with a common cooling air source from the bypass flow path. The air-oil cooler and air-air precooler are integrated into a single unit, reducing the number of separate components and simplifying the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated thermal system provides multiple functions through a unified architecture: engine oil cooling, bearing compartment cooling, and cabin air cooling all through a single system that uses bypass flow as the common cooling source, reducing system complexity.
3Temperature
If bleed air is used for cooling, then cooling is provided, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air-oil cooler and air-air precooler are merged into a single integrated unit with shared structure and common bypass flow source. This consolidation eliminates duplicate components and reduces overall system weight while maintaining both cooling functions.
4Temperature
If heat exchangers are used to reject internal engine heat, then thermal management is provided, but volume increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air-oil cooler and air-air precooler are combined into a single heat exchanger unit with integrated structure. This merging reduces the total volume required for thermal management by eliminating the need for separate heat exchanger volumes and shared mounting space.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated heat exchanger unit nests multiple cooling functions within a single structural envelope. The air-oil cooler and air-air precooler are arranged to share common structures and flow paths, effectively nesting the cooling functions within a compact volume.
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 enhances engine efficiency, reduces weight and complexity, and increases the operating range by minimizing the impact of bleed air on the high pressure compressor, while providing efficient cabin air cooling and thrust recovery, thus improving overall system performance and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
An integrated thermal management system (TMS) and environmental control system (ECS) are combined, utilizing an air-oil cooler and air-air precooler in a single unit
Data Source
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AI summary
A gas turbine engine includes a first pump (86) driven by a spool (30), an air-oil cooler (88) downstream of the first pump (86), a second pump (90) driven by the spool (30) and an air-air precooler (92) downstream of the second pump (90). The air-air precooler (92) is downstream of the air-oil cooler (88). A compartment is downstream of the precooler (92) to receive a cooling air from the precooler (92).