Engine driven by SC02 cycle with independent shafts for combustion cycle elements and propulsion elements

• US 9,982,629 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2016
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2015
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivera, Carlos A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Linderman, Eric
• Application Number:
  US15/185,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20160369746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• 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 1/007 combination of cycles
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 1/10 Closed cycles
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/04 having a turbine driving a compressor power transmission arrangements F02C7/36; control of working fluid flow F02C9/16
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/10 with another turbine driving an output shaft but not driving the compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/13 having variable working fluid interconnections between turbines or compressors or stages of different rotors controlling flow ratio between different flows of multi-flow jet-propulsion plant, e.g. ducted fan F02K3/075
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/206 the vehicles being airscrew driven
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/08 Heating air supply before combustion, e.g. by exhaust gases
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/141 of working fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/143 before or between the compressor stages
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/18 the medium being gaseous, e.g. air F02C7/125 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 3/00 Plants including a gas turbine driving a compressor or a ducted 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 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2210/10 Kind or type
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2210/13 mixed, e.g. two-phase fluid
• 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: F22B 3/08 at critical or supercritical pressure values
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 : Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

A gas turbine engine includes a first shaft coupled to a first turbine and a first compressor, a second shaft coupled to a second turbine and a second compressor, and a third shaft coupled to a third turbine and a fan assembly. The turbine engine includes a heat rejection heat exchanger configured to reject heat from a closed loop system with air passed from the fan assembly, and a combustor positioned to receive compressed air from the second compressor as a core stream. The closed-loop system includes the first, second, and third turbines and the first compressor and receives energy input from the combustor.

Claims

1. A gas turbine engine, comprising:

a first shaft coupled to a first turbine and a first compressor;

a second shaft coupled to a second turbine and a second compressor;

a third shaft coupled to a third turbine and a fan assembly;

a heat rejection heat exchanger configured to reject heat from a closed loop system with bypass air passed from the fan assembly to provide cooling to the heat rejection heat exchanger;

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

wherein the closed-loop system includes the first, second, and third turbines and the first compressor and receives energy input from the combustor; and

wherein the closed-loop system is configured to provide power from the combustor to the first, second, and third turbines.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the closed-loop system includes carbon dioxide as a working fluid.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, further comprising a gear coupled to the third shaft that reduces a rotation of a fan blade within the fan assembly relative to a rotational speed of the third shaft.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, further comprising an inner housing that houses at least a portion of the first, second, and third shafts, and passes air therethrough from the fan assembly to the combustor, and the bypass air passes from the fan assembly and the bypass air passing externally to the inner housing to provide cooling to the heat rejection heat exchanger.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein thrust is provided from both combustion byproducts from the combustor and from the bypass air.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, further comprising a fourth shaft having a fourth turbine and a second fan assembly coupled thereto, and a baffle positioned between the inner housing and an outer surface of the gas turbine engine, wherein:

the closed-loop system includes the fourth turbine; and

the second fan assembly provides;

bypass air as thrust air that passes between the baffle and the inner housing; and

cooling air.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, the closed loop further comprising a recuperative heat exchanger that exchanges heat from the working fluid between an outlet of the first turbine and an input to the combustor.

8. A method of providing power via a gas turbine engine, comprising:

powering a first shaft via a closed loop system that passes a working fluid from a first compressor to a combustor, receives power from combustion in the combustor, passes the working fluid from the combustor to a first turbine, and cools the working fluid with bypass air in a heat rejection heat exchanger;

passing the working fluid from the combustor and powering a second shaft using a second turbine of the closed loop system that is coupled to the second shaft, to provide a core stream of air via a second compressor to the combustor; and

passing the working fluid from the combustor and powering a third shaft using a third turbine of the closed loop system that is coupled to the third shaft, to provide power to a fan assembly that provides both the core stream of air to the second compressor, and to provide a cooling stream of air to the heat rejection heat exchanger;

wherein the closed-loop system includes the first, second, and third turbines and the first compressor and receives energy input from the combustor; and

wherein the closed-loop system is configured to provide power from the combustor to the first, second, and third turbines.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the closed-loop system includes carbon dioxide as a working fluid.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising operating the first, the second, and the third shafts separately and at different speeds from one another.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising a gear coupled to the third shaft that reduces a rotation of a fan blade within the fan assembly relative to a rotational speed of the third shaft.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising passing air through an inner housing that houses at least a portion of the first, second, and third shafts, and from the fan assembly to the combustor, and passing the bypass air from the fan assembly and the bypass air that passes externally to the inner housing to provide cooling to the heat rejection heat exchanger.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing thrust from both combustion byproducts from the combustor and from the bypass air.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the gas turbine further comprises a fourth shaft having a fourth turbine and a second fan assembly coupled thereto, and a baffle positioned between the inner housing and an outer surface of the gas turbine engine, and the closed-loop system includes the fourth turbine;

the method further comprising providing the bypass air via the second fan assembly and as thrust air that passes between the baffle and the inner housing.

15. The method of claim 8, the closed loop system further comprising a recuperative heat exchanger, further comprising exchanging heat from the working fluid between an outlet of the first turbine and an input to the combustor.

16. A power-producing device, comprising:

an inner housing for passing a core stream of air, the inner housing houses;

a first shaft coupled to a first turbine and a first compressor;

a second shaft coupled to a second turbine and a second compressor;

a third shaft coupled to a third turbine and a fan assembly;

a combustor positioned to receive compressed air from the second compressor; and

a heat rejection heat exchanger configured to reject heat from a closed loop system with bypass air passed from a fan assembly to provide cooling to the heat rejection heat exchanger;

wherein the closed-loop system includes the first, second, and third turbines and the first compressor and receives energy input from the combustor; and

wherein the closed-loop system is configured to provide power from the combustor to the first, second, and third turbines.

17. The power-producing device of claim 16, wherein the closed-loop system includes carbon dioxide as a working fluid.

18. The power-producing device of claim 16, wherein the first, the second, and the third shafts are separately operable at different speeds from one another.

19. The power-producing device of claim 16, further comprising an inner housing that houses at least a portion of the first, second, and third shafts, and passes air therethrough from the fan assembly to the combustor, and the bypass air passes from the fan assembly and the bypass air passing externally to the inner housing to provide cooling to the heat rejection heat exchanger.