Rolls-royce Corporation

Richard G Mochrie

David A Jones

Jade Whittle

Graeme E F Sutcliffe

Paul R Davies

Alexander T Joyce

Gordon Illing

A fuel management system for a gas turbine engine. The fuel management system comprises a fuel supply line configured to supply fuel from an inlet to a combustor of the gas turbine engine. The fuel management system also includes a recirculation line extending from a recirculation point on the fuel supply line and configured to recirculate excess fuel from the fuel supply line for resupply to the fuel supply line. In addition, the fuel management system comprises a heat exchanger configured to reject heat from a thermal load of the gas turbine engine to fuel in the fuel management system. The heat exchanger is disposed on the fuel supply line upstream of the recirculation point or on the recirculation line. The fuel management system further comprises a fuel cooling device disposed along the recirculation line and configured to reject heat from the excess fuel therein.

Fuel management system

A ram-air duct system includes a ram-air duct configured to receive a flow of ram-air from a ram-air inlet and discharge the flow to a ram-air outlet. The system also includes a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with air within the ram-air duct, an auxiliary air passageway and an electrically-driven air mover configured to move a flow of auxiliary air along the auxiliary air passageway for discharge into the ram-air duct through an intermediate inlet between the ram-air inlet and the ram-air outlet. The air duct system further includes a controller configured to selectively operate the ram-air duct system in an auxiliary supply mode in which the air mover and/or a control valve are controlled to cause the flow of auxiliary air to be discharged into the duct through the intermediate inlet, to thereby control a rate of heat exchange between the heat exchanger and air within the duct.

Ram-air duct system

A thermal management system for an aircraft comprises a first gas turbine engine, one or more first electric machines rotatably coupled to the first gas turbine engine, a first thermal bus, and a first heat exchanger module. The first thermal bus comprises a first heat transfer fluid, with the first heat transfer fluid being in fluid communication, in a closed loop flow sequence, between the first gas turbine engine, the or each first electric machine, and the first heat exchanger. Waste heat energy generated by at least one of the first gas turbine engine, and the or each first electric machine, is transferred to the first heat transfer fluid. The first heat exchanger module comprises a first flow path and a second flow path. The first flow path is configured to direct a flow of the first heat transfer fluid either to a first heat dissipation portion in which a first proportion Qof the waste heat energy from the first heat transfer fluid is transferred to a first dissipation medium, or additionally to a second heat dissipation portion in which a second proportion Qof the waste heat energy from the first heat transfer fluid is transferred to a second dissipation medium, in dependence on a temperature of the first heat transfer fluid entering the first heat exchanger module, a temperature of the first heat dissipation medium, and a temperature of the second heat dissipation medium. The second flow path is configured to direct the flow of the first heat transfer fluid to a second heat dissipation portion in which a second proportion Qof the waste heat energy from the first heat transfer fluid is transferred to a second dissipation medium, or additionally to the first heat dissipation portion in which a first proportion Qof the waste heat energy from the first heat transfer fluid is transferred to a first dissipation medium, in dependence on a temperature of the first heat transfer fluid entering the first heat exchanger module, a temperature of the first heat dissipation medium, and a temperature of the second heat dissipation medium.

Thermal management system for an aircraft

A fuel management system for a gas turbine engine, the fuel management system comprising a fuel supply line configured to supply fuel from a system inlet to a combustor of the gas turbine engine via a combustor pump and combustor valve. A heat exchanger is configured to reject heat from a thermal load of the gas turbine engine to fuel in the fuel supply line between the system inlet and the combustor valve. There is a downstream recirculation line configured to recirculate a downstream excess portion of fuel from the fuel supply line, the downstream recirculation line extending from a downstream recirculation point on the fuel supply line between the heat exchanger and the combustor valve.

A gas turbine engine comprising a combustor and a fuel management system. The fuel management system comprises a fuel supply line, recirculation line and heat exchanger. The fuel supply line is configured to supply fuel to the combustor. The recirculation line is configured to recirculate excess fuel from the fuel supply line to an engine-located fuel tank via a fuel cooling device. The fuel cooling device is configured to reject heat from the excess fuel in the recirculation line. The heat exchanger is configured to reject heat from a thermal load of the gas turbine engine to fuel in the fuel management system. The heat exchanger is disposed on the fuel supply line or on the recirculation line. The fuel supply line is configured to receive fuel from an external source and from the engine-located fuel tank.

Gas turbine engine with a fuel management system

A thermal management system for an aircraft comprises a first gas turbine engine, a first thermal bus, a first heat exchanger, and a chiller. The first thermal bus comprises a first heat transfer fluid, with the first heat transfer fluid being in fluid communication, in a closed loop flow sequence, between the first gas turbine engine, the first heat exchanger, and the chiller. Waste heat energy generated by the first gas turbine engine, is transferred to the first heat transfer fluid. The chiller is configured to lower a temperature of the first heat transfer fluid prior to the first heat transfer fluid being circulated through the gas turbine engine. The first heat exchanger is configured to transfer the waste heat energy from the first heat transfer fluid to a dissipation medium.

A fuel management system includes: a fuel tank; a fuel supply line that supply fuel from the fuel tank to a combustor of the gas turbine engine; a reheat fuel supply line that supply fuel from fuel tank to a reheat of the gas turbine engine, the reheat fuel supply line extending from a reheat branching point on the fuel supply line to the reheat; a fuel supply pump disposed along fuel supply line upstream of the reheat branching point; a reheat pump disposed along reheat fuel supply line, the reheat pump that pressurise fuel to a reheat delivery pressure for delivery to the reheat; and a reheat recirculation line that recirculate fuel from the reheat fuel supply line to a location upstream of fuel supply pump, the reheat recirculation line extending from a reheat recirculation branching point on the reheat fuel supply line downstream of the reheat pump.

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Guildford, United Kingdom

Richard G Mochrie