Single rotor engine with turbine exhausting to subatmospheric pressure

• US 4,301,649 A
• Filed: 08/24/1979
• Issued: 11/24/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Walker, Frank H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Casaregola, Louis J.
• Application Number:
  US06/069,561
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 60/39.07, 60/39.41, 60/39.43, 60/39.5, 60/39.51 R
• US Class Current: 60/784
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00007 Combined heating, ventilating, or cooling devices control systems or mechanisms B60H1/00642
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/006 Open cycle gas-turbine in which the working fluid is expanded to a pressure below the atmospheric pressure and then compressed to atmospheric pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/20 Adaptations of gas-turbine plants for driving vehicles

Abstract

An automotive single shaft gas turbine engine has a monorotor with a plurality of radial flow compressor blades thereon discharging compressed air to a recuperator for transferring heat from engine exhaust to the inlet combustion air to a combustor which produces motive fluid directed across a plurality of radial inflow turbine vanes on the monorotor and wherein the automotive gas turbine engine is further associated with an exhaust flow system including the regenerator, a series connected intercooler and a secondary compressor to produce a subatmospheric pressure source in the engine gas cycle to improve the thermal efficiency of the engine cycle and to further define a vacuum source for operating automotive accessories; and to provide a heat source at subatmospheric pressure for passenger compartment heater operation. The subatmospheric source is connected to the secondary compressor which is operative to compress turbine exhaust gas back to one atmosphere of pressure for discharge to the environment. The secondary compressor and the inlet compressor establishing a pressure build-up and pressure depression in the system which in one embodiment is across a series arranged, two-stage radial and axial turbine to produce an overall turbine pressure ratio for increasing the temperature drop across the turbine thereby to decrease work load of the downstream heat exchanger components between the outlet of the turbine stages and the secondary compressor.

Claims

1. An automotive gas turbine engine assembly comprising:

a rotor having a first fluid flow path therein operable to compress inlet air, means for combusting the compressed inlet air with fuel for producing a discharge of motive fluid, means forming a turbine for extracting energy from said motive fluid discharge and operable to drive said rotor to induce flow through said first flow path, recuperator means for transferring heat of exhaust from said turbine to discharge flow from said first path prior to its passage into said combustor means, intercooler means, means for connecting said recuperator means to said intercooler means, said intercooler means having a ram air inlet with a cooling air pass therefrom supplied by cooling air in response to forward vehicle movement to cool exhaust from said recuperator means, and a secondary compressor for reducing the pressure of said turbine exhaust gas to a predetermined subatmospheric pressure level to define a subatmospheric source of heating fluid, thereby to improve engine cycle efficiency, and means including said secondary compressor defining a compression flow path operative to draw fluid from said subatmospheric source for discharge to atmosphere to produce an exhaust compression mode thereby to complete engine gas flow back to atmosphere.

2. An automotive gas turbine engine assembly comprising:

a rotor having a first fluid flow path therein operable to compress inlet air, means for combusting the compressed inlet air with fuel for producing a discharge of motive fluid, means forming a turbine for extracting energy from said motive fluid discharge and operable to drive said rotor to induce flow through said first flow path, recuperator means for transferring heat of exhaust from said turbine to discharge flow from said first path prior to its passage into said combustor means, means including said recuperator means, intercooler means, and a secondary compressor for reducing the pressure of said turbine exhaust gas to a predetermined subatmospheric pressure level to define a subatmospheric source of heating fluid, thereby to improve engine cycle efficiency, and means including said secondary compressor defining a compression flow path operative to draw fluid from said subatmospheric source for discharge to atmosphere to produce an exhaust compression mode thereby to complete engine gas flow back to atmosphere and passenger compartment heater means including a core located within said subatmospheric source of heating fluid and means for transferring heat therefrom for conditioning the passenger compartment of an automobile powered by the gas turbine engine assembly.

3. An automotive gas turbine engine assembly comprising:

a rotor having a first fluid flow path therein operable to compress inlet air, means for combusting the compressed inlet air with fuel for producing a discharge of motive fluid, means forming a turbine for extracting energy from said motive fluid discharge and operable to drive said rotor to induce flow through said first flow path, recuperator means for transferring heat of exhaust from said turbine into discharge flow from said first path prior to its passage into said combustor means, means including said recuperator means, intercooler means, and a secondary compressor for reducing the pressure of said turbine exhaust gas to a predetermined subatmospheric pressure level to define a subatmospheric source of heating fluid, thereby to improve engine cycle efficiency, and means including said secondary compressor defining a compression flow path operative to draw fluid from said subatmospheric source for discharge to atmosphere to produce an exhaust compression mode thereby to complete engine gas flow back to atmosphere and means for tapping said subatmospheric source of pressure as a source of vacuum for powering vacuum operated automobile accessories.

4. An automotive gas turbine engine assembly comprising:

a rotor having a first fluid flow path therein operable to compress inlet air, means for combusting the compressed inlet air with fuel for producing a discharge of motive fluid, means forming a turbine for extracting energy from said motive fluid discharge and operable to drive said rotor to induce flow through said first flow path, recuperator means for transferring heat of exhaust from said turbine to discharge flow from said first path prior to its passage into said combustor means, means including said recuperator means, intercooler means and a secondary compressor for reducing the pressure of said turbine exhaust gas to a predetermined subatmospheric pressure level thereby to improve engine cycle efficiency, and means defining said secondary compressor as a compression flow path in said rotor operative to draw fluid from said subatmospheric source for discharge to atmosphere to produce an exhaust compression mode thereby to complete engine gas flow back to atmosphere, and means located within said rotor to cause flow through said compression flow path to transfer heat from said rotor for reducing the operating temperature thereof so as to improve its thermal mechanical characteristics.