Raytheon Technologies Corporation

Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation

Rtx Corporation

United Technologies Corporation

United Technologies Coproration

Christopher Britton Greene

Joseph E Turney

Robert H Dold

John H Whiton

Brian M Holley

Adam Takashi Holley

Peter A T Cocks

James M Donohue

Andrzej Ernest Kuczek

Peter Cocks

Stuart S Ochs

Dustin Joseph Frohnapfel

A combustor for a detonation engine includes a radially outer wall extending along an axis; a radially inner wall extending along the axis, wherein the radially inner wall is positioned at least partially within the radially outer wall to define an annular detonation chamber having an inlet for fuel and oxidant and an outlet; a cooling flow passage defined along at least one of the radially outer wall and the radially inner wall and comprising at least two axially spaced cooling flow passage sections, whereby a different cooling rate can be implemented in the at least two axially spaced cooling flow passage sections.

Cooling for detonation engines

A method for operating a rotating detonation engine, having a radially outer wall extending along an axis; a radially inner wall extending along the axis, wherein the radially inner wall is positioned within the radially outer wall to define an annular detonation chamber having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the method includes flowing liquid phase fuel along at least one wall of the radially inner wall and the radially outer wall in a direction from the outlet toward the inlet to cool the at least one wall and heat the liquid fuel to provide a heated liquid fuel; flowing the heated liquid fuel to a mixer at the inlet to reduce pressure of the heated liquid fuel, flash vaporize the heated liquid fuel and mix flash vaporized fuel with oxidant to produce a vaporized fuel-oxidant mixture; and detonating the mixture in the annular detonation chamber.

Regenerative cooling and adjustable throat for rotating detonation engine

Supercritical fluid systems and aircraft power systems are described. The systems include a compressor, a turbine, and a generator. A primary working fluid flow path has a primary working fluid that passes through the compressor, a separator, the turbine, and back to the compressor. A secondary working fluid flow path having a secondary working fluid that passes through the generator, the compressor, the separator, and back to the generator. The primary working fluid and the secondary working fluid are compressed and mixed within the compressor to form a mixture of the two fluids and the separator separates the mixture of the two fluids to direct the primary working fluid back to the turbine and the secondary working fluid to the generator.

Supercritical fluid systems

A diffuser may comprise an inlet and an outlet. The inlet may comprise an arcuate shape. The outlet may comprise an annular shape. The diffuser may transition from the arcuate shape at the inlet to the annular shape at the outlet. The diffuser may comprise a radially inner wall and a radially outer wall disposed opposite the radially inner wall. The radially inner wall and the radially outer wall may partially define a duct.

Diffuser for rotating detonation engine

A heat exchanger including a plurality of tubes, a header, and a plurality of flow voids. The plurality of tubes extends in a first direction through which a first fluid is configured to flow. Each of the plurality of tubes have waves that repeat at regular intervals along the first flow direction and are spaced from one another vertically and laterally in the second direction. The header extends in the first direction and is attached to each of the plurality of tubes. The header is configured to convey the first fluid to each of the plurality of tubes. The plurality of flow voids are formed between the plurality of tubes. The plurality of flow voids extend in a second direction through which a second fluid is configured to flow such that the second fluid is in thermal contact with the plurality of tubes.

Cross-flow heat exchanger

A boost compressor assembly may comprise an outer annular structure and a plurality of blades. Each blade in the plurality of blades may be moveably coupled to the outer annular structure. The plurality of blades may be configured to deploy in response to the boost compressor assembly rotating. The plurality of blades may be configured to retract when the boost compressor assembly stops rotating.

Boost compressor assembly

Supercritical fluid systems and aircraft power systems are described. The systems include a compressor, a turbine operably coupled to the compressor, a generator operably coupled to the turbine and configured to generate power, a primary working fluid flow path having a primary working fluid configured to pass through the compressor, a separator, the turbine, and back to the compressor, and a secondary working fluid flow path passing through the generator, the compressor, the separator, and back to the generator. The primary working fluid is supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO) and the secondary working fluid is a fluid having at least one of a density less than the primary working fluid and a molecular size smaller than the primary working fluid.

A fuel mixer for mixing a fuel and an oxidizer prior to detonation in a rotating detonation engine includes a combustion channel configured to transport a final mixture of the fuel and the oxidizer for combustion. The fuel mixer also includes a mixture channel positioned upstream from the combustion channel and configured to transport a first mixture having at least some of the fuel and at least some of the oxidizer. The fuel mixer also includes a secondary outlet positioned upstream from the combustion channel and configured to output a supplemental mixture of the fuel and the oxidizer that includes at least one of the fuel or the oxidizer such that the first mixture and the supplemental mixture combine in the combustion channel to form the final mixture.

Rotating detonation engine multi-stage mixer

A rotating detonation engine includes an annulus that defines a volume in which a mixture of an oxidizer and a fuel detonate in a rotating fashion, the volume defining a downstream outlet through which detonation exhaust flows. The rotating detonation engine further includes a wave arrestor positioned upstream from a location of detonation and configured to reduce a magnitude of a pressure wave traveling upstream from the location of detonation.

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Hebron, CT, United States of America

Christopher Britton Greene