Open rotor nose cone ram air heat exchanger with exhaust of cooling air through static structure
A gas turbine engine includes an open rotor configured to rotate with a nose cone. A heat exchanger is positioned within the nose cone and a system for using a working fluid. An inlet from the system is connected to the heat exchanger and an outlet from the heat exchanger connected back to the system. A central opening is in a central portion of the nose cone to deliver cooling air across the heat exchanger, and a duct downstream of the heat exchanger to direct the cooling air radially to at least one static opening such that the cooling air can move radially outwardly through static structure and be directed into a propulsion airflow path. A method and a heat exchange system are also disclosed.
1 . A gas turbine engine comprising: an open rotor configured to rotate with a nose cone, the open rotor having propeller blades with no housing radially outward of the propeller blades; a heat exchanger positioned within the nose cone and a system for using a working fluid, an inlet from the system connected to the heat exchanger and an outlet from the heat exchanger connected back to the system; and a central opening in a central portion of the nose cone to deliver cooling air across the heat exchanger, and a duct downstream of the heat exchanger to direct the cooling air radially to at least one static opening such that the cooling air moves radially outwardly through a static structure and be directed into a propulsion airflow path, wherein the at least one static opening is in a swirl recovery vane of the open rotor on an outer housing.
2 . The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the open rotor is driven by a gear reduction such that the open rotor rotates at a slower speed than a propulsor drive turbine of the gas turbine engine.
3 . The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the central opening in the nose cone directs air into a diffuser.
4 . The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising an exit manifold downstream of the heat exchanger.
5 . The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 4 , wherein downstream of the exit manifold the cooling air is connected into a connecting duct which turns the cooling air in a radially outward direction.
6 . The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the swirl recovery vane is positioned downstream of the open rotor on the outer housing enclosing a core engine including a propulsor drive turbine of the gas turbine engine.
7 . The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one static opening comprises a plurality of static openings in the swirl recovery vane.
8 . The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 7 , wherein at least one opening of the plurality of static openings is located at a radially outer end of the swirl recovery vane.
9 . The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising: a compressor section; and a turbine section; wherein the outer housing surrounds the compressor section and the turbine section.
10 . The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the at least one static opening is downstream of the open rotor.
11 . The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the cooling air is connected through static struts radially inward of the outer housing.
12 . The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a door operable to selectively block airflow into the central opening in a closed position, or allow airflow cooling air into the central opening in an open position.
13 . The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 12 , wherein an actuator drives the door between the open and closed positions.
14 . The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is at least one of:
rectangular;
circular;
arc-shaped; or
cylindrical.
15 . The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is cylindrical and includes a central channel through which the cooling air is received and passed through the heat exchanger.
16 . The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is cylindrical and has an outer wall that surrounds an inner cylinder, with a flow channel defined between the inner cylinder and the outer wall.