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EP-4737698-A1 - TURBINE ENGINE COOLED AIR SUPPLY

EP4737698A1EP 4737698 A1EP4737698 A1EP 4737698A1EP-4737698-A1

Abstract

A gas turbine engine (20) has: a compressor (24); a combustor (56); a turbine (28); a gaspath (C) through the compressor (24), combustor (56) and turbine (28); a bleed flowpath (920) from the gaspath (C); an air-air heat exchanger (200) having a heat donor leg along the bleed flowpath (920) ; and a Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube (220) having an inlet (222) along the bleed flowpath (920) and having a cool air outlet (228) and hot air outlet (226). The cool air outlet (228) is connected to a cold air load.

Inventors

  • GERLACH, DAVID W.

Assignees

  • RTX Corporation

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251029

Claims (15)

  1. A gas turbine engine (20) comprising: a compressor (24); a combustor (56); a turbine (28); a gaspath (C) through the compressor (24), combustor (56) and turbine (28); a bleed flowpath (920) from the gaspath (C); an air-air heat exchanger (200) having a heat donor leg along the bleed flowpath (920); and a Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube (220) having an inlet (222) along the bleed flowpath (920) and having a cool air outlet (228) and hot air outlet (226); a bearing compartment (88); and a buffer chamber (90A; 90B) for the bearing compartment (88) and coupled to the cool air outlet (228).
  2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 wherein: the buffer chamber (90A; 90B) is a first buffer chamber (90A; 90B) at a first side of the bearing compartment (88); and a second buffer chamber (90B; 90A) for the bearing compartment (88) is at a second side of the bearing compartment (88) and coupled to the cool air outlet (228).
  3. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 or 2 being a turbofan (20) wherein: the air-air heat exchanger (200) has a heat receiving leg along a bypass flowpath (B) of the turbofan (20), optionally the hot air outlet (226) is positioned to discharge to a or the bypass flowpath (B).
  4. The gas turbine engine of any preceding claim further comprising: a first seal (92) between the buffer chamber (90A; 90B) and the bearing compartment (88) and a second seal (94) to an opposite side of the buffer chamber (90A; 90B), optionally the second seal (94) is between the buffer chamber (90A; 90B) and an external environment, optionally the first seal (92) and the second seals (94) are between a shaft (40) and static structure (36).
  5. The gas turbine engine of any preceding claim wherein: the gas turbine engine does not have a fuel-air heat exchanger along the bleed flowpath (920).
  6. The gas turbine engine of any preceding claim wherein: the gas turbine engine does not have an orifice or venturi along the bleed flowpath (920).
  7. The gas turbine engine of any preceding claim wherein the Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube (220) has: a controllable hot air outlet valve.
  8. The gas turbine engine of claim 7 wherein the controllable hot air outlet valve comprises: a centerbody (260); and an actuator (258) for axially shifting the centerbody (260).
  9. The gas turbine engine of any preceding claim wherein the Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube (220) has: a controllable cold air outlet valve (280), optionally wherein the controllable cold air outlet valve (280) is an iris valve (280).
  10. A method for using the gas turbine engine of claim 1, the method comprising: compressing air in the compressor (24); combusting fuel mixed with the compressed air in the combustor (56); expanding combustion gas from the combusting in the turbine (28) to drive the compressing; passing bleed air (921) from the compressor (24) along the bleed flowpath (920) to the Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube (220); discharging a hot air stream (923) from the hot air outlet (226); and passing a cold air stream (925) from the cold air outlet (228) to a load (90A; 90B) comprising the buffer chamber (90A; 90B), optionally, the cold air stream (925) bypassing a seal (92) and exiting the bearing compartment (88) as a mixed oil/air outflow (992) along a recirculating oil flowpath including an oil inflow (990) to the bearing compartment (88).
  11. The method of claim 10 wherein: the load (90A; 90B) further comprises a second buffer chamber (90B; 90A) of the bearing compartment (88).
  12. The method of claim 10 or 11 further comprising: controlling a cool air outlet valve (280) and a hot air outlet valve to balance satisfying a cooling or buffering load (90A; 90B) from the cold air outlet (228) while limiting bleed flow (921).
  13. A gas turbine engine (20) comprising: a compressor (24); a combustor (56); a turbine (28); a gaspath (C) through the compressor (24), combustor (56) and turbine (28); a bleed flowpath (920) from the gaspath (C); and means (220) for: receiving air from the bleed flowpath (920); separating the received air into a hotter portion (942, 923) and a cooler portion (944, 925); discharging the hotter portion (942, 923); and passing the cooler portion (944, 925) to a load (90A; 90B), optionally, wherein: the load (90A; 90B) is a buffer chamber (90A; 90B) for a bearing compartment (88); and/or the discharging is to a bypass flowpath (B).
  14. A method for using a gas turbine engine (20), the method comprising: compressing air in a compressor section (24); combusting fuel mixed with the compressed air in a combustor (56); expanding combustion gas from the combusting in a turbine section (28) to drive the compressing; passing bleed air (921) from the compressor section (24); separating the bleed air (921) into a hotter portion (942, 923) and a cooler portion (944, 925); discharging the hotter portion (942, 923); and passing the cooler portion (944, 925) to a load (90A; 90B), optionally, wherein: the load (90A; 90B) is a buffer chamber (90A; 90B) of a bearing compartment (88); and/or the cooler portion bypasses a seal (92) and exits the bearing compartment (88) as a mixed oil/air outflow (992) along a recirculating oil flowpath including an oil inflow (990) to the bearing compartment (88); and/or the discharging is to a bypass flowpath (B).
  15. The method of claim 14 wherein: a temperature difference between the hotter portion (942, 923) and the cooler portion (944, 925) is at least 25°C.

Description

BACKGROUND The disclosure relates to gas turbine engines. More particularly, the disclosure relates to cooled air supply. Gas turbine engines (used in propulsion and power applications and broadly inclusive of turbojets, turboprops, turbofans, turboshafts, industrial gas turbines, and the like) divert and cool bypass air for delivery to various engine and aircraft loads. Example engine loads include: bearing compartment buffering; oil cooling; and electronics cooling. Example non-engine aircraft loads include: airframe cooling; electronics cooling; and cabin and cockpit cooling. Separately, the Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube is a passive mechanical device (no moving parts needed) that receives a compressed gas inlet flow and outputs respective hot and cold outlet gas flows (i.e., respectively above and below the inlet flow temperature but at lower pressure). The cold outlet is at one end of a tubular body and the hot outlet is at the other end. Such tubes are known to be used in machine tool cooling in shop/factory situations wherein the inlet flow is shop air. In one group of example vortex tubes, the inlet flow tangentially enters a swirl chamber near the cold end so that angular momentum of the flow causes the flow to form an outer vortex flowing along the inner surface of the tube toward the hot outlet. An outlet nozzle allows gas specifically from this outer layer to escape at that end. The outlet nozzle may be formed by a conical centerbody in the tube producing flow cross-sectional area contraction/convergence toward the hot outlet. The centerbody directs a remainder of the gas to pass back toward the cold outlet as an inner vortex of concentrically within the outer vortex.. The gas in the inner vortex passes back toward the cold outlet. The cold outlet flow will be at a lower temperature than the inlet flow and the hot outlet flow will be at a higher temperature than the inlet flow. SUMMARY One aspect of the disclosure involves a gas turbine engine comprising: a compressor; a combustor; a turbine; a gaspath through the compressor, combustor and turbine; a bleed flowpath from the gaspath; an air-air heat exchanger having a heat donor leg along the bleed flowpath; and a Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube having an inlet along the bleed flowpath and having a cool air outlet and hot air outlet. A further example of the foregoing may additionally and/or alternatively include: a bearing compartment; and a buffer chamber for the bearing compartment and coupled to the cool air outlet. A further example of the foregoing may additionally and/or alternatively include: a first seal between the buffer chamber and the bearing compartment and a second seal to an opposite side of the buffer chamber. Optionally the second seal is between the buffer chamber and an external environment. Optionally the first seal and the second seals are between a shaft and static structure. A further example of the foregoing may additionally and/or alternatively include: a second buffer chamber for the bearing compartment and coupled to the cool air outlet. In a further example of any of the foregoing, additionally and/or alternatively, the gas turbine engine of is a turbofan wherein the air-air heat exchanger has a heat receiving leg along a bypass flowpath of the turbofan. In a further example of any of the foregoing, additionally and/or alternatively, the hot air outlet is positioned to discharge to the bypass flowpath. In a further example of any of the foregoing, additionally and/or alternatively, the gas turbine engine does not have a fuel-air heat exchanger along the bleed flowpath. In a further example of any of the foregoing, additionally and/or alternatively, the gas turbine engine does not have an orifice or venturi along the bleed flowpath. In a further example of any of the foregoing, additionally and/or alternatively, the Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube has a controllable hot air outlet valve. In a further example of any of the foregoing, additionally and/or alternatively, the controllable hot air outlet valve comprises: a centerbody; and an actuator for axially shifting the centerbody. In a further example of any of the foregoing, additionally and/or alternatively, the Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube has a controllable cold air outlet valve. In a further example of any of the foregoing, additionally and/or alternatively, the controllable cold air outlet valve is an iris valve. A further aspect of the disclosure involves a method for using the gas turbine engine, the method comprising: compressing air in the compressor section; combusting fuel mixed with the compressed air in the combustor; expanding combustion gas from the combusting in the turbine section to drive the compressing; passing bleed air from the compressor along the bleed flowpath to the Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube; discharging a hot air stream from the hot air outlet; and passing a cold air stream from the cold air outlet to a load. In a further example of any of the foregoing, addit