US-12624663-B2 - Aircraft engine with recuperator and bypass

Abstract

An aircraft engine, has: a compressor, a combustor downstream of the compressor, and a turbine; a recuperator having a heat absorption conduit fluidly connecting the compressor to the combustor and a exhaust conduit fluidly connecting the turbine to ambient air surrounding the aircraft engine, the heat absorption conduit in heat exchange relationship with the exhaust conduit; a compressor conduit fluidly connecting the compressor to the heat absorption conduit of the recuperator, the compressor conduit defining a bypass outlet upstream of the recuperator relative to the flow of the compressed air; and a closure at the bypass outlet, the closure having: a closed position in which the closure closes the bypass outlet; and an opened position in which the closure opens the bypass outlet, wherein the closure is structured to move from the closed position to the opened position upon a pressure drop through the recuperator exceeding a pressure drop threshold.

Inventors

• Daniel Van Den Ende
• Dave MENHEERE

Assignees

• PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20240909

Claims (20)

1. 1 . An aircraft engine, comprising: a compressor, a combustor fluidly downstream of the compressor relative to a flow of compressed air through the aircraft engine, and a turbine fluidly downstream of the combustor; a recuperator having a heat absorption conduit fluidly connecting the compressor to the combustor and an exhaust conduit fluidly connecting the turbine to ambient air surrounding the aircraft engine, the heat absorption conduit in heat exchange relationship with the exhaust conduit; a compressor conduit fluidly connecting the compressor to the heat absorption conduit of the recuperator, the compressor conduit defining a bypass outlet upstream of the recuperator relative to the flow of the compressed air; a closure at the bypass outlet, the closure having a closed position in which the closure closes the bypass outlet, and an opened position in which the closure opens the bypass outlet; an actuator operatively connected to the closure; a sensor sensing a pressure drop through the recuperator and generating a signal being indicative of the pressure drop; and a controller operatively connected to the sensor and to the actuator, the controller being programmed to: determine when the pressure drop through the recuperator exceeds a pressure drop threshold from the signal from the sensor, and in response to determining that the pressure drop through the recuperator exceeds the pressure drop threshold, operate the actuator to move the closure from the position to the opened position.
2. 2 . The aircraft engine of claim 1 , wherein the closure is an annular wall annularly extending around a central axis of the aircraft engine.
3. 3 . The aircraft engine of claim 2 , wherein the annular wall extends circumferentially around the combustor, the annular wall axially overlapping the combustor.
4. 4 . The aircraft engine of claim 2 , wherein the annular wall extends from a base to a tip, the annular wall being cantilevered from the base.
5. 5 . The aircraft engine of claim 4 , wherein, in the closed position, the tip of the annular wall abuts a flange defined by the compressor conduit at the bypass outlet.
6. 6 . The aircraft engine of claim 5 , wherein, in the opened position, the annular wall defines a plurality of convolutions circumferentially distributed about the central axis.
7. 7 . The aircraft engine of claim 6 , wherein the annular wall is sheet metal having a thickness selected to permit a creation of the plurality of convolutions.
8. 8 . The aircraft engine of claim 1 , comprising a second compressor conduit fluidly connecting an outlet of the heat absorption conduit of the recuperator to the combustor, the closure defining a portion of both of the compressor conduit and the heat absorption conduit.
9. 9 . The aircraft engine of claim 8 , wherein, in the opened position, the compressor conduit is fluidly connected to the exhaust conduit via the bypass outlet.
10. 10 . The aircraft engine of claim 8 , wherein the closure defines a portion of both of the second compressor conduit and the compressor conduit.
11. 11 . A method of mitigating pressure loss through a recuperator facilitating heat exchange between exhaust gases exiting a combustor and compressed air exiting a compressor of an aircraft engine, comprising: transferring heat from the exhaust gases to the compressed air; and in response to an increase in a power demand at or above a power demand threshold, flowing the compressed air from the compressor to the combustor while bypassing the recuperator, including flowing the compressed air through a bypass outlet of a compressor conduit fluidly connecting the compressor to the recuperator by moving an annular wall from a closed position to an open position.
12. 12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the moving of the annular wall includes moving the annular wall when a pressure drop through the recuperator is above a pressure drop threshold.
13. 13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the moving of the annular wall from the closed position to the open position includes deforming the annular wall until the annular wall defines convolutions distributed around a central axis of the aircraft engine.
14. 14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the bypassing the recuperator includes flowing the compressed air around a tip of the annular wall from the compressor conduit fluidly connecting the compressor to the recuperator to a plenum containing the combustor.
15. 15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the flowing of the compressed air through the bypass outlet includes moving a bypass closure with an actuator upon detecting that a pressure drop through the recuperator is above a pressure drop threshold.
16. 16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein flowing the compressed air while bypassing the recuperator includes opening a bypass closure upon one of: receiving a signal indicative of the power demand being above the power demand threshold; receiving a signal indicative that a throttle lever is moved at an angular speed being above a speed threshold; and receiving a signal from a cockpit switch, the signal indicative that the recuperator is to be bypassed.
17. 17 . An aircraft engine, comprising: a compressor, a combustor fluidly downstream of the compressor relative to a flow of compressed air through the aircraft engine, and a turbine fluidly downstream of the combustor; a recuperator having a heat absorption conduit fluidly connecting the compressor to the combustor and an exhaust conduit fluidly connecting the turbine to ambient air surrounding the aircraft engine, the heat absorption conduit in heat exchange relationship with the exhaust conduit; a compressor conduit fluidly connecting the compressor to the heat absorption conduit of the recuperator, the compressor conduit defining a bypass outlet upstream of the recuperator relative to the flow of the compressed air; and a closure at the bypass outlet, the closure being an annular wall annularly extending around a central axis of the aircraft engine, the annular wall extending from a base to a tip, the annular wall being cantilevered from the base, the closure having: a closed position in which the closure closes the bypass outlet; and an opened position in which the closure opens the bypass outlet, wherein the closure is structured to move from the closed position to the opened position upon a pressure drop through the recuperator exceeding a pressure drop threshold.
18. 18 . The aircraft engine of claim 17 , wherein the closure is structured to move from the closed position to the opened position upon the pressure drop through the recuperator exceeding the pressure drop threshold by being made of a material having a stiffness selected to allow gasses acting on the passive closure to deflect the closure from the closed position toward the opened position upon the pressure drop through the recuperator exceeding the pressure drop threshold.
19. 19 . The aircraft engine of claim 17 , wherein, in the closed position, the tip of the annular wall abuts a flange defined by the compressor conduit at the bypass outlet.
20. 20 . The aircraft engine of claim 17 , wherein, in the opened position, the annular wall defines a plurality of convolutions circumferentially distributed bout about the central axis.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The application relates generally to aircraft engines and, more particularly, to recuperators used in such engines. BACKGROUND Aircraft engines may include recuperators to transfer heat from combustion gases to compressed air before the compressed air is fed to a combustor. Preheating the compressed air may improve fuel efficiency of the engine in a number of ways. Aircraft engines with recuperators may be suitable for their intended purposes, but there remains a need for improvement. SUMMARY In one aspect, there is provided an aircraft engine, comprising: a compressor, a combustor fluidly downstream of the compressor relative to a flow of compressed air through the aircraft engine, and a turbine fluidly downstream of the combustor; a recuperator having a heat absorption conduit fluidly connecting the compressor to the combustor and a exhaust conduit fluidly connecting the turbine to ambient air surrounding the aircraft engine, the heat absorption conduit in heat exchange relationship with the exhaust conduit; a compressor conduit fluidly connecting the compressor to the heat absorption conduit of the recuperator, the compressor conduit defining a bypass outlet upstream of the recuperator relative to the flow of the compressed air; and a closure at the bypass outlet, the closure having: a closed position in which the closure closes the bypass outlet; and an opened position in which the closure opens the bypass outlet, wherein the closure is structured to move from the closed position to the opened position upon a pressure drop through the recuperator exceeding a pressure drop threshold. The aircraft engine described above may include any of the following features, in any combinations. In some embodiments, the closure is structured to move from the closed position to the opened position upon the pressure drop through the recuperator exceeding the pressure drop threshold by being made of a material having a stiffness selected to allow gasses acting on the passive closure to deflect the closure from the closed position toward the opened position upon the pressure drop through the recuperator exceeding the pressure drop threshold. In some embodiments, the closure is structured to move from the closed position to the opened position upon the pressure drop through the recuperator exceeding the pressure drop threshold by: being operatively connected to an actuator, the actuator being operatively connected to a controller, the controller being operatively connected to a sensor sensing a pressure drop through the recuperator and generating a signal received by the controller and being indicative of the pressure drop, and the controller being programmed to determine when the pressure drop through the recuperator exceeds the pressure drop threshold, and in response to determining that the pressure drop through the recuperator exceeds the pressure drop threshold, operate the actuator to move the closure from the closed position to the opened position. In some embodiments, the closure is an annular wall annularly extending around a central axis of the aircraft engine. In some embodiments, the annular wall extends circumferentially around the combustor, the annular wall axially overlapping the combustor. In some embodiments, the annular wall extends from a base to a tip, the annular wall being cantilevered from the base. In some embodiments, in the closed position, the tip of the annular wall abuts a flange defined by the compressor conduit at the bypass outlet. In some embodiments, in the opened position, the annular wall defines a plurality of convolutions circumferentially distributed bout the central axis. In some embodiments, the annular wall is sheet metal having a thickness selected to permit a creation of the plurality of convolutions. In some embodiments, a second compressor conduit is fluidly connecting an outlet of the heat absorption conduit of the recuperator to the combustor, the closure defining a portion of both of the compressor conduit and the heat absorption conduit. In some embodiments, in the opened position, the compressor conduit is fluidly connected to the exhaust conduit via the bypass outlet. In some embodiments, the closure defines a portion of both of the second compressor conduit and the compressor conduit. In another aspect, there is provided a method of mitigating pressure loss through a recuperator facilitating heat exchange between exhaust gases exiting a combustor and compressed air exiting a compressor of an aircraft engine, comprising: transferring heat from the exhaust gases to the compressed air; and in response to an increase in a power demand at or above a power demand threshold, flowing the compressed air from the compressor to the combustor while bypassing the recuperator. The method described above may include any of the following features, in any combinations. In some embodiments, the bypassing the recuperator includes flowing the compressed air through a bypass