Compact Thermal Energy Recovery System for Intercooled Gas Turbine Incorporated

Our objective is to develop an innovative thermal management system for recovering waste heat from engines. The proposed system will tap the large quantities of waste hat from the intercooler of gas turbine engines and use a Rankine cycle to increase the power of core gas turbine, or to drive an electric generator to power auxiliary systems. The innovative aspect of this thermal management system is to employ Creare's advanced component technology for compact heat exchangers and high-efficiency turbomachines to minimize the size and weight of the energy recovery system. For aerospace thermal management applications, Creare has developed very compact, high flux heat exchangers which can be used to gather heat from the intercooler as well as to boil and condense the working fluid. Creare has also developed turbomachinery and systems for aerospace applications in which advanced fabrication techniques enable small size and high efficiency, and non-contact bearings give simplicity and high reliability. By integrating these advanced technology components, we will develop a lightweight, small volume energy recovery system for gas turbine engines. during Phase I we will select a engine, perform sizing and design studies to develop conceptual designs, select an efficient bottoming cycle based upon our advanced component technology, and prepare a plan to test the system in Phase II. We will develop this technology for commercial applications for various transportation systems on land, sea, and air, including passenger vehicles with internal combustion engines to improve fuel economy.