Rtx Corporation

Raytheon Technologies Corporation

United Technologies Corporation

Neil J Terwilliger

Joseph Brent Staubach

Daniel Bernard Kupratis

Christopher J Hanlon

Lance L Smith

Sorin Bengea

Marc J Muldoon

Joseph E Turney

Zubair Ahmed Baig

Jesse M Chandler

Jon E Sobanski

Abbas A Alahyari

David Lei Ma

Brandon M Evans

Gabriel L Suciu

John P Virtue

Steven M O'Flarity

Michael M Romero

Andressa L Johnson

William G Sheridan

Charles E Lents

Dmitriy B Sidelkovskiy

Walter A Ledwith

Nancy Poisson

David A Golfin

Brian D Merry

Gary D Roberge

William K Ackermann

Haralambos Cordatos

Nathan A Snape

Coy Bruce Wood

Michael D Greenberg

Gary Collopy

Malcolm P MacDonald

Simon W Evans

Neal R Herring

Patrick D Couture

Stuart S Ochs

Justin R Urban

Jacob C Snyder

Christopher D Ramsey

Victor Pascu

Keith J Kucinskas

Milos Ilak

Arnab Roy

Dennis P Cronin

Daniel T Pollock

Garry Collopy

A propulsion system for an aircraft includes a core engine that includes a core flow path where air is compressed in a compressor section, communicated to a combustor section, mixed with a gaseous fuel and ignited to generate an exhaust gas flow that is expanded through a turbine section. A fuel system supplies a fuel to the combustor through a fuel flow path, a first heat exchanger thermally communicates a first heat load into a cooling flow, a turboexpander where a heated cooling flow from the first heat exchanger is expanded to generate shaft power and cooled to provide a cooled cooling flow, and a second heat exchanger thermally communicates a second heat load to the cooled cooling flow that is communicated from the turboexpander, cooling flow from the second heat exchanger is communicated to the combustor section.

Hydrogen steam injected turbine engine with turboexpander heat recovery

A hybrid electric engine of an aircraft includes a compressor, a turbine operably connected to the compressor via a variable gear ratio gearbox and a combustor configured to drive the turbine via a flow of combustion products. An electric motor is operably connected to the variable gear ratio rear box and configured to input rotational energy into the gearbox. The input of rotational energy into the gearbox from the electric motor changes a rotational speed of one of the compressor or the turbine relative to the other of the compressor or the turbine.

Hybrid electric multiple shaft core

An aircraft propulsion system includes a compressor section where an inlet airflow is compressed, a combustor section where the compressed inlet airflow is mixed with fuel and ignited to generate an exhaust gas flow that is communicated through a core flow path, a turbine section through which the exhaust gas flow expands to generate a mechanical power output, the exhaust gas flow is split into at least a first exhaust gas flow and a second exhaust gas flow, and a condenser where water is extracted from the second exhaust gas flow, and a bottoming cycle where extracted water is transformed into a steam flow and injected into the core flow path.

Partial exhaust bottoming cycle

An aircraft propulsion system includes a core engine, a first bottoming cycle and a second bottoming cycle that utilize different working fluids having different critical temperatures such that each of the bottoming cycles have different heat absorption capabilities.

Stacked cryogenic bottoming cycles

Examples described herein provide a computer-implemented method that includes providing the hybrid electric engine, the hybrid electric engine having a gas generating core and an electric machine powered by electric energy. The method further includes determining, by a processing device, whether a use of the electric energy will increase time on wing of the hybrid electric engine of the aircraft a threshold amount. The method further includes, responsive to determining that the use of energy will increase time on wing the threshold amount, apportioning the electric energy from a battery system of the aircraft to increase the time on wing.

Energy optimization for a hybrid electric engine

A propulsion system for an aircraft includes a gas generating core engine generates an exhaust gas flow that is expanded through a turbine section, a power turbine driven by the exhaust gas flow, a propulsor coupled to the power turbine, a hydrogen fuel system configured to supply hydrogen fuel to the combustor through a fuel flow path, a condenser arranged along the core flow path and configured to extract water from the exhaust gas flow, and an evaporator arranged along the core flow path receiving a portion of the water extracted by the condenser to generate a steam flow that is injected into the core flow path upstream of the turbine section.

Reverse flow hydrogen steam injected turbine engine

Examples described herein provide a computer-implemented method for managing battery usage for a hybrid electric engine of an aircraft. The method includes receiving a flight plan comprising flight plan data for a flight of an aircraft. The method further includes receiving battery data about a battery system of the aircraft. The method further includes determining waypoints for when to apply electric power from the battery system based at least in part on the flight plan data and the battery data. The method further includes controlling, based at least in part on the waypoints, an electric motor while the flight plan is executed. The method further includes updating, while the flight plan is executed, the waypoints based at least in part on data received during the flight.

Hybrid electric engine power distribution

An aircraft propulsion system includes a thrust reverser assembly that includes a reverser door corresponding to a cooling air outlet duct for directing a cooling air flow from a condenser forward.

Thrust reverser in condenser exit duct

An aircraft propulsion system includes a condenser at least partially disposed within the core flow path where water is extracted from the exhaust gas flow, an evaporator system that is at least partially disposed within the core flow path upstream of the condenser where thermal energy from the exhaust gas flow is utilized to generate a steam flow from at least a portion of water that is extracted by the condenser. Steam within the exhaust gas flow is concentrated into a portion of the exhaust gas flow that is communicated through the condenser.

Centrifugal water molecular separation

Turbine engine systems include a core assembly having a compressor section, a burner section, and a turbine section arranged along a shaft, with a core flow path through the turbine engine such that exhaust from the burner section passes through the turbine section and exits through a nozzle. A core condenser is arranged downstream of the turbine section and upstream of the nozzle and configured to condense water from the core flow path. A fuel cell is operably connected to the core assembly. A fuel source is configured to supply a fuel to each of the burner section for combustion and the fuel cell for reaction to generate electricity. At least one electric motor is operably coupled to the core assembly and configured to impart power to a portion of the core assembly and the fuel cell is configured to supply electrical power to the at least one electric motor.

Hybrid electric hydrogen engine for aircraft

A propulsion system for an aircraft includes at least two steam generation assemblies that each include a condenser where water is extracted from the gas flow and an evaporator where the extracted water is heated to generate a portion of a total steam flow for injection into the core flow path. A monitoring system is configured to gather information indicative of operation of each of the at least two steam generation assemblies. A control system is configured to independently adjust operation of each of the at least two steam generation assemblies.

Steam injected turbine engine steam generation control

An aircraft propulsion system includes a core engine that includes a main compressor where an inlet airflow is compressed and communicated to a combustor to generate an exhaust gas flow that is expanded through a main turbine section to generate power used to drive the main compressor and a propulsive fan, a bottoming cycle where a working fluid mixture within a closed circuit is heated and expanded through a bottom turbine to generate shaft power, the working fluid mixture includes at least two fluids that have different properties that change a capability of the working fluid mixture at different bottoming cycle operating points, a first heat exchanger where heat is input into the working fluid mixture, and a second heat exchanger where the working fluid mixture is cooled.

Cryogenic bottoming cycle with variable fluid mixture

An aircraft propulsion system includes a core engine that includes a combustor where a cryogenic fuel is mixed with compressed air and ignited to generate an exhaust gas flow, a propulsive fan driven by shaft power that is generated by the core engine, a cryogenic fuel system that includes a cryogenic fuel storage tank, a fuel flow path where a fuel flow is circulated from upstream in a direction downstream toward the combustor of the core engine, a bottoming compressor where a gaseous fuel flow is compressed, a first heat exchanger where the gaseous fuel flow exhausted from the bottoming compressor is heated, a turboexpander where the gaseous fuel flow from the first heat exchanger is expanded to generate shaft power, and a mixer where the gaseous fuel flow mixes with and heats a liquid fuel flow to generate a gaseous fuel flow for communication to the bottoming compressor.

Cryogenic fuel semi-closed injection cooled bottoming cycle

An aircraft propulsion system includes a core engine assembly that generates an exhaust gas flow, a bottoming cycle that includes a bottoming fluid flow that is expanded through a bottoming turbine, a first heat exchanger where heat from the exhaust gas flow is transferred to heat the bottoming fluid flow, and a second heat exchanger where heat from a secondary heat source is transferred to heat the bottoming fluid flow. The second heat exchanger is disposed upstream of the first heat exchanger such that heat from the secondary heat source preheats the bottoming fluid flow prior to accepting heat from the exhaust gas flow in the first heat exchanger.

Turbine engine bottoming cycle heat exchanger bypass

A turbine engine assembly includes a core engine that generates an exhaust gas flow, a condenser where water is extracted from the exhaust gas flow, an evaporator where heat is input into the water that is extracted by the condenser into a first steam flow, a steam turbine where the first steam flow is expanded and cooled, and a superheater where additional heat is input into the first steam flow that is exhausted from the steam turbine to generate a second steam flow. The second steam flow is injected into a core flow path of the core engine.

Increased water heat absorption capacity for steam injected turbine engine

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Cheshire, CT, United States of America

Neil J Terwilliger