Turbine engine with mass rejection
Aircraft engines include a turbine engine comprising 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, a condensing assembly arranged downstream of the turbine section of the turbine engine along the core flow path, and an exhaust compressor arranged downstream of the condensing assembly along the core flow path. The condensing assembly is configured to reduce a mass flow of the exhaust compressor by condensing water vapor from the core flow and removing liquid water from the core flow.
1. An aircraft engine, comprising:
a turbine engine comprising 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;
a condensing assembly arranged downstream of the turbine section of the turbine engine along the core flow path; and
an exhaust compressor arranged downstream of the condensing assembly along the core flow path,
wherein the condensing assembly is configured to reduce a mass flow of the exhaust compressor by condensing water vapor from a core flow exhausted from the turbine section and removing liquid water from the core flow.
2. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , wherein the burner section is configured to combust hydrogen fuel therein.
3. The aircraft engine of claim 2 , wherein a fuel flow path of the hydrogen fuel passes through the condensing assembly prior to injection of the hydrogen fuel into the burner section.
4. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , wherein the condensing assembly comprises a condensing turbine.
5. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , wherein the condensing assembly comprises a heat exchange condenser.
6. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , wherein the condensed water vapor is stored in a water storage.
7. The aircraft engine of claim 6 , further comprising a water pump configured to pump water from the water storage to at least one of the burner section or the turbine section of the turbine engine.
8. The aircraft engine of claim 6 , further comprising at least one valve configured to selectively direct a portion of the condensed water vapor into the burner section or the turbine section as liquid water or steam.
9. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , further comprising an evaporator arranged downstream from the turbine section along the core flow path.
10. The aircraft engine of claim 9 , wherein the condensed water vapor is directed through the evaporator to generate steam.
11. The aircraft engine of claim 10 , wherein the steam is injected into at least one of the burner section and the turbine section of the turbine engine.
12. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , further comprising a fan and a bypass duct configured to direct bypass air past the compressor section, the burner section, and the turbine section.
13. The aircraft engine of claim 12 , wherein the bypass air is directed through a portion of the condensing assembly to cause condensing of water from an exhaust from the burner section.
14. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , wherein the condensing assembly comprises (i) a combustor exhaust-to-air heat exchanger and (ii) a combustor exhaust-to-fuel heat exchanger.
15. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , further comprising a water separator arranged downstream from the condensing assembly.
16. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , wherein the exhaust compressor is operated at sub-ambient pressures.
17. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , further comprising a Rankine bottoming cycle having a Rankine turbine, wherein at least a portion of the condensed water vapor is directed through the Rankine turbine.
18. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , wherein the condensing assembly comprises three cooling flow paths comprising: (i) a cooling air flow path, (ii) an oxygen fuel flow path, and (iii) a hydrogen fuel flow path.
19. The aircraft engine of claim 18 , wherein an exhaust from the burner section passes through the condensing assembly to sequentially thermally interact with the cooling air flow path, then the oxygen fuel flow path, and then the hydrogen fuel flow path to condense water from the exhaust of the burner section.
20. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , wherein the condensing assembly is configured to extract up to 100% of the water content from an exhaust from the burner section.