Turbine Steam System for Waste Heat Recovery and Flame Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbine engines face challenges in efficiently utilizing waste heat, leading to flame stability issues and dynamics problems during combustion, particularly with highly reactive fuels like diatomic hydrogen.
Innovation Solution
A steam system is integrated into the turbine engine to recover waste heat by generating steam, which is then injected into the core air flow path at multiple locations, including the primary combustion zone, to maintain optimal water-to-air ratios and improve flame performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If waste heat is utilized to generate steam, then energy recovery is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The steam system serves multiple functions: it recovers waste heat from exhaust gases, generates steam for injection into the combustion zone, and stabilizes flame dynamics. This multi-functionality improves energy recovery while justifying the added complexity through multiple benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical state of water by heating it in the steam generator using waste heat, transforming it into steam that is then injected into the combustion zone. This parameter change (liquid to gas phase transition) enables energy recovery and flame stabilization.
2Stability of the object's composition
If steam is injected into the primary combustion zone, then flame stability is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The steam injection system is segmented into multiple components: steam generator, steam lines, and injection nozzles positioned at specific locations in the combustion zone. This segmentation allows for controlled steam delivery and reduces the precision requirements for the overall system by distributing the functionality across multiple simpler components.
Solution Approach 2:
Steam acts as an intermediary substance that mediates between the waste heat source and the combustion process. The steam generator produces steam that is then injected into the combustion zone to stabilize flame dynamics, serving as a buffer that improves flame stability without requiring direct modification of the combustion chamber structure.
3Productivity
If mass flow in core air flow path is increased, then turbine engine efficiency is improved, but turbine engine size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the density and composition of the core air flow by injecting steam, which increases the mass flow without requiring a proportional increase in engine volume. The steam injection modifies the physical parameters of the gas flow, enabling higher productivity within the same physical dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The core air flow becomes a composite mixture of air and steam, combining two gases to achieve higher mass flow. This composite gas mixture allows the engine to process more mass through the turbine without increasing the physical size of the engine components.
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 steam system enhances energy recovery from waste heat, improves flame stability and dynamics, and allows for increased mass flow within the core air flow path, thereby increasing the turbine engine's efficiency and reducing its size.
Implementation Method 1
The steam system extracts water from the combustion gases and vaporizes the water to generate steam
Implementation Method 2
The steam system extracts water from the combustion gases and vaporizes the water to generate steam
Implementation Method 3
The steam system extracts water from the combustion gases
Implementation Method 4
A steam turbine is in fluid communication with the steam generator to receive the steam and cause the steam turbine to rotate
Data Source
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AI summary
A turbine engine (10) for an aircraft includes a turbo-engine (16) with a core air flow path (33), a fan (38) having a fan shaft (45) coupled to the turbo-engine (16) to rotate the fan shaft (45), and a steam system (100). The core air flow path (33) includes a plurality of core air flow path zones. A combustor (26) is positioned in the core air flow path (33) to combust fuel (67) and to generate combustion gases (66). The steam system (100) extracts water (124) from combustion gases (66) and vaporizes the water (124) to generate steam (128). The steam system (100) is fluidly coupled to a core air flow path (33) to inject the steam (128) into the core air flow path (33) at a plurality of steam injection zones (220) to add mass flow to the core air (64). Each steam injection zone (220) of the plurality of steam injection zones (220) corresponds to a core air flow path zone of the plurality of core air flow path zones.