Gas turbine engine and cooling system
One embodiment of the present invention is a unique gas turbine engine. Another embodiment is a unique cooling system for a gas turbine engine. Other embodiments include apparatuses, systems, devices, hardware, methods, and combinations for cooling one or more objects of cooling. Further embodiments, forms, features, aspects, benefits, and advantages of the present application shall become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.
1. A cooling system for use with a gas turbine engine, comprising:
a heat exchanger operative to cool air of a first working fluid stream of the gas turbine engine;
a cooling medium inlet for said heat exchanger structured to receive a cooling medium from a second working fluid stream in one of a first fan bypass duct and a second fan bypass duct in fluid communication with a fan of the gas turbine engine; and
a cooling medium outlet for said heat exchanger structured to discharge the cooling medium to a third working fluid stream in the other of a first fan bypass duct and a second fan bypass duct in fluid communication with another fan of the gas turbine engine,
wherein said cooling system is structured to transfer heat from the air of the first working fluid stream to the cooling medium and discharge the cooling medium into the third working fluid stream.
2. The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein a pressure differential between the second working fluid stream and the third working fluid stream determines a flow rate of the air received from the second working fluid stream through said heat exchanger.
3. The cooling system of claim 1 , further comprising a passage structured to conduct air of the first working fluid stream to the heat exchanger.
4. The cooling system of claim 3 , wherein said passage includes a pipe.
5. The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein said heat exchanger is structured to cool only a portion of the air of the first working fluid stream.
6. The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the first working fluid stream is a core air flow of said gas turbine engine.
7. The cooling system of claim 6 , wherein the second working fluid stream is the output of the fan of said gas turbine engine, and wherein the third working fluid stream is the output of the other fan of said gas turbine engine.
8. A cooling system for use with a gas turbine engine, comprising:
a heat exchanger structured to remove heat from an object of cooling;
a heat exchanger inlet in fluid communication with a first fan bypass duct in fluid communication with a fan of the gas turbine engine; and
a heat exchanger outlet in fluid communication with a second fan bypass duct in fluid communication with another fan of the gas turbine engine,
wherein said heat exchanger removes heat from the object of cooling using pressurized air received from said first fan bypass duct through said heat exchanger inlet and discharged into said second fan bypass duct through said heat exchanger outlet.
9. The cooling system of claim 8 , wherein air pressure in the first fan bypass duct is greater than air pressure in the second fan bypass duct, and wherein a pressure differential between the first fan bypass duct and the second fan bypass duct determines a cooling air flow rate through said heat exchanger.
10. The cooling system of claim 9 , wherein the pressure differential between the first fan bypass duct and the second fan bypass duct varies with a thrust output of the gas turbine engine.
11. The cooling system of claim 8 , wherein the first fan bypass duct channels a first thrust component of the gas turbine engine thrust output, wherein the second fan bypass duct channels a second thrust component of the gas turbine engine thrust output, and wherein a pressure differential between the first fan bypass duct and the second fan bypass duct determines a cooling air flow rate through said heat exchanger.
12. The cooling system of claim 8 , wherein said heat exchanger is in fluid communication with an engine core of the gas turbine engine, and wherein the object of cooling is air received from the engine core.
13. A gas turbine engine, comprising:
a first fan;
a second fan in fluid communication said first fan;
a compressor system in fluid communication with at least one of said first fan and said second fan;
a combustor in fluid communication with said compressor system and structured to receive a first working fluid stream discharged by said compressor system;
a turbine system in fluid communication with said combustor to receive and extract power from the first working fluid stream, said turbine system being drivingly coupled to said first fan, said second fan and said compressor system;
a first bypass duct in fluid communication with said second fan and structured to conduct a second working fluid stream;
a second bypass duct in fluid communication with said first fan and structured to conduct a third working fluid stream; and
a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the second working fluid stream and the third working fluid stream and operable to remove heat from an object of cooling using air extracted from the second working fluid stream and discharged into the third working fluid stream.
14. The gas turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein said heat exchanger is in fluid communication with said compressor system, and wherein the object of cooling is air of the first working fluid stream.
15. The gas turbine engine of claim 14 , wherein said heat exchanger is structured to cool only a portion of the air of the first working fluid stream.
16. The gas turbine engine of claim 14 , further comprising a passage structured to conduct the air of the first working fluid stream to the heat exchanger.
17. The gas turbine engine of claim 16 , wherein said passage includes a pipe.
18. The gas turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the first working fluid stream, the second working fluid stream and the third working fluid stream are discharged as thrust output of said gas turbine engine.
19. The gas turbine engine of claim 13 , further comprising an exhaust nozzle in fluid communication with at least one of said first bypass duct and said second bypass duct, said exhaust nozzle being operable to control a pressure in said at least one of said first bypass duct and said second bypass duct.
20. The gas turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the third working fluid stream has a lower pressure than the second working fluid stream, and wherein said heat exchanger cools the object of cooling using flow generated by a pressure differential between the second working fluid stream and the third working fluid stream.
21. The gas turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein said heat exchanger is located in at least one of said first bypass duct and said second bypass duct.
22. The gas turbine engine of claim 13 , further comprising an exhaust nozzle operable to control a pressure differential between said first bypass duct and said second bypass duct.