The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 25, 2000
Filed:
May. 29, 1998
Giuseppe Romani, Mississauga, CA;
Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp., Longueil, CA;
Abstract
The fuel efficiency of a gas turbine engine is enhanced by preheating compressed air before combustion by passing the compressed air through a heat exchange recuperator in thermal contact with hot exhaust gases. An integral recuperator/heat exchanger is defined by multiple diffuser pipes routed from a centrifugal compressor to extend radially across the hot gas duct through the inner and outer duct walls. As a result, a recuperative heat exchange air passage is defined by the compressor, diffusers, combustion chamber and hot gas duct, where the recuperative heat exchange air flow passage consists of a minimal simple single loop. Since many engines currently use a pipe diffuser, there is very little increase in air flow resistance by merely re-routing the pipe diffuser to cross the exhaust duct. In contrast, conventional heat exchange recuperators include structures which dramatically increase internal air flow resistance, engine weight and frontal area due to the relatively bulky and numerous convoluting ducts usually included.