Turboprop/-shaft with heat exchanger
- Thread starter Pasoleati
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Heat exchangers are heavy and need air flow, so add drag.
The basic problem is a heat exchanger design/aero integration that keeps the reduced fuel burn from the cycle efficiency improvement ahead of the extra fuel burn required for the extra mass and drag.
Not so easy
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Recuperative cycle for gas turbines is most effective at increasing fuel efficiency for low compression ratio designs where the exhaust airflow temp is significantly higher than the compressor discharge temp.
For modern gas turbines, the increased cycle thermal efficiency from increasing the compression ratio and increased turbine inlet temperature far outweighs the weight and complexity of the recuperative heat exchangers.
For modern gas turbines, the increased cycle thermal efficiency from increasing the compression ratio and increased turbine inlet temperature far outweighs the weight and complexity of the recuperative heat exchangers.
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I guess you might be able to find a niche application for recuperated turboprops...maybe something that flies slow enough that drag is not as much of a problem, and that needs *very* good SFC for loiter endurance? An ISR platform comes to mind, unmanned because it would have to fly for very long periods of time for this to make sense.
Of course there's the added problem that if you want it to fly at high altitudes, there may not be air dense enough to satisfy your thermal needs
Of course there's the added problem that if you want it to fly at high altitudes, there may not be air dense enough to satisfy your thermal needs
Not an aircraft application but the AGT1500 engine in the Abrams tank has a recuperator:
YouCantbeCirrus
I am Cirrus, and don't call me Cessna
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Chrysler was the company behind this engine, and actually had a lot of experience with turbine engines with regenerators/recouperators. In fact they had plans together before the famous turbine car for a turboprop aircraft engine with regenerators.Not an aircraft application but the AGT1500 engine in the Abrams tank has a recuperator:
After the turbine cars got recalled they revived the technology when they bid on the XM-1 project which became the M1 Abrams.
Article here on allpar: https://www.allpar.com/threads/the-chrysler-turboprop-advanced-aviation-engine.227815/
Some info here.
