PROPULSION SYSTEM USING SUPERCRITICAL CO2 POWER TRANSFER

• US 20170082066A1
• Filed: 09/22/2016
• Published: 03/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc. (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc), Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc. (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Armstrong, Michael J., Vaisman, Igor
• Granted Patent: US 10,458,364 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/02 Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants fuselages specially adapted for mounting power plants B64C1/16; wings specially adapted for power plants B64C3/32
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/026 comprising different types of power plants, e.g. combination of a piston engine and a gas-turbine Hybrid electric aircraft B64D27/33
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 35/02 specially adapted for specific power plants
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 35/04 characterised by the transmission driving a plurality of propellers or rotors
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 23/10 with exhaust fluid of one cycle heating the fluid in another cycle F01K17/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 25/103 Carbon dioxide F01K25/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 1/105 construction; details
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/18 using the waste heat of gas-turbine plants outside the plants themselves, e.g. gas-turbine power heat plants using waste heat as source of energy for refrigeration plants F25B27/02; using the waste heat of a gasturbine for steam generation or in a steam cycle see F01K23/10
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/206 the vehicles being airscrew driven
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 3/06 with front fan
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 3/077 the plant being of the multiple flow type, i.e. having three or more flows
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 3/12 characterised by having more than one gas turbine
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 5/00 Plants including an engine, other than a gas turbine, driving a compressor or a ducted fan
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2210/12 gaseous, i.e. compressible
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2210/13 mixed, e.g. two-phase fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/40 Use of a multiplicity of similar components
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2250/311 the axes being in line
• 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 power and propulsion system includes an air compressor, a combustor positioned to receive compressed air from the air compressor as a core stream, and a closed-loop system having carbon dioxide as a working fluid that receives heat from the combustor and rejects heat to a cooling stream. The closed-loop system configured to provide power to a fan that provides the cooling stream, and to one or more distributed propulsors that provide thrust to an aircraft.

Claims

1. A power and propulsion system, comprising:

an air compressor;

a combustor positioned to receive compressed air from the air compressor as a core stream; and

a closed-loop system having carbon dioxide as a working fluid that receives heat from the combustor and rejects heat to a cooling stream, the closed-loop system configured to provide power to;

a fan that provides the cooling stream; and

one or more distributed propulsors that provide thrust to an aircraft.

2. The power and propulsion system of claim 1, further comprising:

the closed-loop system further comprising;

a carbon dioxide compressor;

a closed-loop turbine;

a heat rejection heat exchanger; and

one or more additional turbines for each of the one or more distributed propulsors; and

the closed-loop system configured to;

receive thermal energy from the heat rejection heat exchanger;

reject heat to the cooling stream; and

provide a related portion of a carbon dioxide stream exiting the combustor for the closed-loop turbine driving the carbon dioxide compressor and for each additional turbine associated with the distributed propulsors.

3. The power and propulsion system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first shaft having a first turbine that receives power in the closed loop system, the first shaft including the fan;

a second shaft having a second turbine that receives power in the closed loop system, the second shaft including the air compressor;

a third shaft having a third turbine that receives power in the closed loop system from the combustor via the working fluid, the third shaft including a compressor that receives the working fluid from a heat rejection heat exchanger that rejects the heat to the cooling stream.

4. The power and propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the distributed propulsors are positioned removed from a power-producing device that includes the air compressor, the combustor, and one or more turbines and compressors of the closed-loop system.

5. The power and propulsion system of claim 3, wherein the closed-loop system includes a first supply manifold and a first return manifold, and each of the propulsors includes a respective supply line and return line in fluid communication with the respective first supply manifold and first return manifold.

6. The power and propulsion system of claim 4, wherein the propulsors are arranged in parallel with one another via the supply and return manifolds.

7. The power and propulsion system of claim 4, further comprising:

a second supply manifold and a second return manifold that provides redundant supply and return of working fluid to the propulsors; and

an isolation valve that is configured to isolate one of the propulsors from one of the supply manifolds, return manifolds, supply lines, and return lines.

8. The power and propulsion system of claim 4, further comprising a second gas turbine having its own closed-loop system to provide power to a set of distributed propulsors different from the one or more distributed propulsors.

9. A method of providing power via one or more gas turbine engines, comprising:

providing cooling to a heat rejection heat exchanger via a fan that provides a cooling stream, wherein the heat rejection heat exchanger cools a working fluid within a closed-loop system; and

distributing power to one or more distributed propulsors from the closed-loop system via the working fluid, to provide thrust to an aircraft.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the closed-loop system includes carbon dioxide as a working fluid.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein distributing the power includes distributing via distributed propulsors that are positioned removed from a power-producing device that includes the air compressor, the combustor, and one or more turbines and compressors of the closed-loop system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the closed-loop system includes a first supply manifold and a first return manifold, and each of the propulsors includes a respective supply line and return line in fluid communication with the respective first supply manifold and first return manifold.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the propulsors are arranged in parallel with one another via the supply and return manifolds.

14. The method of claim 12, providing a redundant supply and return of working fluid to the propulsors via a second supply manifold and a second return manifold.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising isolating one of the propulsors from one of the supply manifolds, return manifolds, supply lines, and return lines via an isolation valve.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing power to a set of distributed propulsors different from the one or more distributed propulsors via a second gas turbine having its own closed-loop system.

17. A power-producing device, comprising:

a closed-loop system having a working fluid operated in super-critical mode, the closed-loop system providing power to;

a fan to provide a cooling stream to a heat rejection heat exchanger to cool the working fluid within the closed-loop system; and

one or more distributed propulsors that provide thrust to an aircraft.

18. The power-producing device of claim 17, wherein the distributed propulsors are positioned removed from the power-producing device that includes an air compressor, a combustor, and one or more turbines and compressors of the closed-loop system.

19. The power-producing device of claim 18, wherein the closed-loop system includes a first supply manifold and a first return manifold, and each of the propulsors includes a respective supply line and return line in fluid communication with the respective first supply manifold and first return manifold.

20. The power-producing device of claim 19, wherein the propulsors are arranged in parallel with one another via the supply and return manifolds.