Session: 30-14 Waste Heat Recovery & Geothermal

Paper Number: 129456

129456 - sCO2 Cycle Selection for Waste Heat Recovery From Aircraft Engine 

The reduction of emissions for any sector, such as aviation, can be done via alternative fuels (direct approach) and/or utilization of waste heat (indirect approach). With an indirect approach, waste heat recovery (WHR) systems can provide onboard electrical power and eliminate or reduce the need to produce electrical power with other systems. An engine with a WHR system could potentially produce similar power/thrust with smaller fuel consumption. WHR systems could have additional benefits for the engine core and bypass flow. WHR systems can be designed with different working fluids and cycle layouts, and the selection of the power cycle must consider the impact on overall engine performance. This work is focused on the sCO₂ power cycle selection for a potential WHR system for an innovative aircraft engine based on a Leap-1B engine using H₂ as working fuel and NH3 as a fuel carrier. This analysis is divided into two parts. The first part is the evaluation and comparison of potential WHR cycles with the cold heat sink as either the bypass air or the fuel. Several sCO₂ power cycle layouts are investigated for each case, including simple, recuperative, re-compression, dual expansion, pre-compression, split expansion, cascade, and preheating. The second part is focused on detailed optimization of the selected cycle layout for the maximum power requirement and heat availability to transfer to the NH₃ line or bypass. The cycle selection also considered the impact on thrust and the component weight and size. The results show potential benefits and disadvantages of each cycle layout and demonstrate that the WHR system can meet the 180 kW power generation requirement for the airplane and still provide significant heat to the NH₃ line or bypass flow.

Presenting Author: Claire Bury University of Central Florida

Presenting Author Biography: Claire-Phonie Bury is a mechanical engineering senior at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Her focus is on aviation propulsion and currently conducts research at the Center of Turbo machinery and Energy Research Lab UCF. Under the NASA University Leadership Initiative, She is researching the integration of sCO2 Waste Heat Recovery system in a n Ammonia as energy carrier Turbofan engine, all to support the Department of Energy (DoE)’s 2050 decarbonation initiatives

Authors:

Ladislav Vesely University of Central Florida
William Andress Purdue University
Guillermo Paniagua Purdue University
Marcel Otto University of Central Florida
Jayanta Kapat University of Central Florida
Claire Bury University of Central Florida