US 11,746,701 B2
Bleed expander cooling with turbine
Paul O'Meallie, Brownsburg, IN (US); and Douglas J. Snyder, Carmel, IN (US)
Assigned to ROLLS-ROYCE NORTH AMERICAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC., Indianapolis, IN (US)
Filed by Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc., Indianapolis, IN (US)
Filed on Aug. 2, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/530,447.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/716,841, filed on Aug. 9, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0355121 A1, Nov. 12, 2020
Int. Cl. F02C 7/277 (2006.01); F02C 7/18 (2006.01); F02C 9/18 (2006.01); F02C 7/36 (2006.01); F02C 3/06 (2006.01); B64D 13/06 (2006.01)
CPC F02C 7/18 (2013.01) [F02C 3/062 (2013.01); F02C 7/277 (2013.01); F02C 7/36 (2013.01); F02C 9/18 (2013.01); B64D 2013/064 (2013.01); F05D 2220/323 (2013.01); F05D 2240/60 (2013.01); F05D 2260/213 (2013.01); F05D 2260/221 (2013.01); F05D 2260/232 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
12. A method of managing a thermal load of a vehicle system comprising,
cooling bleed air from a gas turbine engine with a first heat exchanger comprising a bleed air inlet configured to receive bleed air from the gas turbine engine and a bleed air outlet configured to output cooled bleed air from the first heat exchanger;
extracting work from the cooled bleed air with an air starter turbine comprising a turbine inlet and a turbine outlet,
wherein the air starter turbine is configured to drive a shaft mechanically coupled to the air starter turbine,
wherein extracting work from the cooled bleed air further cools the cooled bleed air,
wherein the turbine inlet is configured to fluidically couple to:
a compressed air source located remote from the vehicle system at a first time, and
the bleed air outlet of the first heat exchanger at a second time, and
wherein the shaft driven by the air starter turbine is mechanically coupled to the gas turbine engine such that energy from the expansion of the bleed air by the air starter turbine is delivered back to the gas turbine engine; and
extracting heat from at least one heat source with a second heat exchanger comprising an expanded bleed air inlet fluidically coupled to the turbine outlet of the air starter turbine using the expanded bleed air.