SYSTEM FOR COOLING FLUID FLOW WITHIN AN ENGINE

• US 20130092350A1
• Filed: 10/14/2011
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: N., Pugalenthi, Rao, Ganti Sanyaswara
• Application Number:
  US13/274,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20130092350A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/51
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/084 the fluid circulating at the periphery of a multistage rotor, e.g. of drum type
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 9/06 Fluid supply conduits to nozzles or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/12 Cooling of plants of component parts, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. F01D; cooling of engines in general F01P
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/213 by the provision of a heat exchanger within the cooling circuit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

A system includes an engine having a first fluid pathway and a second fluid pathway at least partially adjacent to one another. The system also includes a solid-state heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the first fluid pathway to the second fluid pathway upon application of an electrical current to the solid-state heat exchanger.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an engine having a first fluid pathway and a second fluid pathway at least partially adjacent to one another; and

a solid-state heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the first fluid pathway to the second fluid pathway upon application of an electrical current to the solid-state heat exchanger.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first fluid pathway is configured to convey a first compressed air extracted from a compressor of the engine to a turbine wheel space of the engine.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second fluid pathway is configured to transfer a second compressed air discharged from the compressor.

4. The system of claim 3, comprising a sensor in fluid communication with the turbine wheel space, wherein the sensor is configured to output a signal indicative of a fluid temperature within the turbine wheel space.

5. The system of claim 4, comprising a controller configured to maintain a desired temperature within the turbine wheel space by adjusting the electrical current to the solid-state heat exchanger based on the signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the solid-state heat exchanger comprises at least one Peltier element.

7. The system of claim 6, comprising a barrier separating the first fluid pathway from the second fluid pathway.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein a first Peltier element is coupled to a first side of the barrier within the first fluid pathway, and a second Peltier element is coupled to a second side of the barrier within the second fluid pathway.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the solid-state heat exchanger is distributed about at least one square meter of the barrier.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the solid-state heat exchanger is configured to decrease a temperature of fluid within the first fluid pathway by at least about 25 degrees Celsius.

11. A system comprising:

an engine having a first fluid pathway and a second fluid pathway at least partially adjacent to one another;

a solid-state heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the first fluid pathway to the second fluid pathway upon application of an electrical current to the solid-state heat exchanger; and

a controller configured to maintain a desired fluid temperature within the first fluid pathway by adjusting the electrical current to the solid-state heat exchanger.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first fluid pathway is configured to convey a first compressed air extracted from a compressor to a turbine wheel space, and the second fluid pathway is configured to transfer a second compressed air discharged from the compressor.

13. The system of claim 12, comprising a sensor in fluid communication with the turbine wheel space, wherein the sensor is configured to output a signal indicative of a fluid temperature within the turbine wheel space, and the controller is configured to adjust the electrical current to the solid-state heat exchanger based on the signal.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the solid-state heat exchanger comprises at least one Peltier element.

15. The system of claim 14, comprising a barrier separating the first fluid pathway from the second fluid pathway, wherein a first Peltier element is coupled to a first side of the barrier within the first fluid pathway, and a second Peltier element is coupled to a second side of the barrier within the second fluid pathway.

16. A system comprising:

a gas turbine engine, comprising;

a first fluid pathway configured to convey a first compressed air extracted from a compressor to a turbine wheel space; and

a second fluid pathway configured to transfer a second compressed air discharged from the compressor; and

a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the first fluid pathway to the second fluid pathway.

17. The system of claim 16, comprising a sensor in fluid communication with the turbine wheel space, wherein the sensor is configured to output a signal indicative of a fluid temperature within the turbine wheel space.

18. The system of claim 17, comprising a controller configured to maintain a desired temperature within the turbine wheel space by adjusting a heat transfer of the heat exchanger based on the signal.

19. The system of claim 16, comprising a barrier separating the first fluid pathway from the second fluid pathway, wherein the heat exchanger comprises a solid-state heat exchanger coupled to the barrier.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the solid-state heat exchanger comprises a plurality of Peltier elements, at least one Peltier element is coupled to a first side of the barrier within the first fluid pathway, and at least one Peltier element is coupled to a second side of the barrier within the second fluid pathway.