JP6990916B2 - Turbines equipped with thermoelectric conversion power generation units and vehicles equipped with such turbines - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a turbine equipped with a thermoelectric conversion power generation unit and a vehicle equipped with such a turbine.

Patent Document 1 discloses a jet engine including a thermoelectric conversion power generation unit that generates electric power by utilizing the temperature difference between the heat generated in the jet engine and the outside air.

Patent Document 2 discloses the use of a thermoelectric conversion power generation unit mounted on an bleed air duct.

Patent Document 3 discloses the use of a pyroelectric power generation unit capable of obtaining waste heat from a vaporized fluid.

International Publication No. 2001/61768 U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0047684 U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0104831

The problem to be solved by the invention is to provide a small turbine with improved power generation capacity and easy maintenance and a vehicle equipped with such a turbine.

The above-mentioned tasks are achieved by a turbine having the characteristics described in the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are described in the dependent claims.

The turbine includes an outer skin, a first gas turbine unit having a gas turbine, and a second steam turbine unit having a steam turbine, and thermoelectric conversion power generation is performed between the outer skin and the second steam turbine unit. A part is provided.

In the case of a vehicle equipped with the above turbine, the temperature of the high-temperature exhaust gas discharged from the gas turbine reaches 600 ° C to 700 ° C. On the other hand, the temperature of the external fluid (air or water) is usually about −85 ° C. to + 40 ° C., although it depends on the type of vehicle, the altitude at which the vehicle travels or flies, and the weather conditions at that time. In either case, it is desirable to increase the temperature gradient and improve the efficiency of the thermoelectric conversion power generation unit by effectively arranging the thermoelectric conversion power generation unit between these two extreme temperature environments. Therefore, a thermoelectric conversion power generation unit is provided between the second steam turbine unit having the steam turbine and the outer skin, which is a place where the liquid is boiled by the high temperature exhaust gas of the gas turbine to drive the steam turbine.

The gas turbine may drive a power generation unit, and the steam turbine may drive a power generation unit different from the power generation unit. This allows each to be provided with a power generation unit configured to operate effectively in the main speed and torque range of the gas turbine or steam turbine.

Alternatively, the gas turbine and the steam turbine may drive the same power generation unit. This saves space for the turbine components, thus providing a smaller or more effective turbine. As will be clear from the embodiments described below, the power generation unit occupies a limited space in the turbine. For example, the number of power generation units is reduced from two to one by stopping the provision of power generation units for the second steam turbine unit and the steam turbine of the second steam turbine unit in addition to the power generation unit of the gas turbine. In this case, the vacant space can be used to extend the process in which the high-temperature exhaust gas discharged from the first gas turbine section goes around the piping of the second steam turbine section to boil the internal fluid. In other words, the distance in the extending direction of the turbine that transfers the thermal energy obtained from the high temperature exhaust gas of the first gas turbine section to the liquid of the second steam turbine section becomes long. This means that not only the efficiency of the second steam turbine section is improved, but also the amount of electric energy generated is increased by expanding the space used for the thermoelectric conversion power generation section.

The gas turbine and / or the steam turbine and the power generation unit may be interconnected by a gearbox. This allows the transmitted, i.e., speed and torque, to be maintained in the most desirable and most effective range for each generator. In the above case, that is, when there is only one power generation unit, the gearbox can eliminate the difference between the speed and torque output by the gas turbine and the speed and torque output by the steam turbine. Speed and torque are maintained in the most effective range for a single power source.

The second steam turbine section may have an exhaust heat recovery boiler arranged between the first gas turbine section and the steam turbine and / or surrounding the steam turbine. If the exhaust heat recovery boiler surrounds the steam turbine, a small turbine can be provided. Further, since it is not necessary to secure a space dedicated to the steam turbine in the turbine, the exhaust gas of the gas turbine can be used for a longer stroke. Such an advantage is also enjoyed when the second steam turbine section is provided without the power generation section as described above. This is achieved by using only one power generation unit or by arranging the power generation unit of the second steam turbine unit outside the turbine.

The thermoelectric conversion power generation unit may be provided between the outer skin and the casing of the second steam turbine unit. This makes it possible to take advantage of the uniform, constant and large temperature difference that occurs between the outer skin of the vehicle cooled by the outside air and the casing warmed by the exhaust gas discharged from the gas turbine.

Alternatively, the casing and / or the outer skin of the second steam turbine section may form a part of the heat conductive substrate of the thermoelectric conversion power generation section. Inside the casing and / or the outer skin, a notch or a through hole configured to accommodate the heat conductive substrate of the thermoelectric conversion power generation unit may be formed. As a result, heat loss can be further suppressed. Also, because the material required for the casing and / or the outer skin is reduced, the turbine can be further miniaturized and cost-effective.

The thermoelectric conversion generation unit may be provided on the outer skin and may be arranged on a removable cover that allows temporary intervention inside the turbine. This simplifies the maintenance of each part of the thermoelectric conversion power generation unit and the turbine. In particular, the cover can only be opened while it is attached to the vehicle, but it can also be removed and taken out for repair. This is important because the heat transfer substrate of the thermoelectric conversion generator requires maintenance or replacement due to the thermal stress that continues during normal use and the resulting mechanical stress. Of course, a plurality of covers having a large number of thermoelectric conversion power generation units may be provided.

The removable cover is foldable and may preferably be hinged to the outer skin. This allows direct intervention in the interior and the thermoelectric conversion generator and ensures quick and easy opening and closing of the turbine.

The thermoelectric conversion power generation unit may have a ceramic heat conductive plate as a heat conductive substrate. Ceramics are known to retain their structural shape even under thermal stress and can withstand very high temperatures.

Further, a vehicle, preferably an aircraft, more preferably an airplane or a drone, may include one of the turbines described above, preferably in the rear fuselage of the vehicle. The rear torso of the vehicle is streamlined and usually has a tapered shape that tapers towards the tip of the tail. Further, the cross-sectional dimension of the turbine extending with the spindle in the same direction as the vehicle is constant or tapered at a looser angle than the rear body of the vehicle. Therefore, when the second steam turbine portion is directed toward the tip of the rear body portion and the turbine is arranged inside the rear body portion of the vehicle, the distance from the outer dimension of the turbine to the outer dimension of the outer skin of the vehicle changes. Specifically, the distance becomes shorter toward the second steam turbine section of the turbine, where the thermoelectric conversion power generation section is arranged. Therefore, it is desirable to accommodate the turbine, especially the second steam turbine section including the thermoelectric conversion power generation section, as close to the tip of the rear body portion as possible. By doing so, the distance between the second steam turbine section and the outer skin is minimized, and the efficiency of the thermoelectric conversion power generation section is maximized. Further, when a large number of thermoelectric conversion power generation units are used, all of these thermoelectric conversion power generation units may have the same size. In such a case, as described above, the power generation unit may be omitted from the second steam turbine unit, and / or the steam turbine may be surrounded by an exhaust heat recovery boiler.

The turbines described above can be applied to various vehicles such as ships, landcraft, aircraft and the like. For aircraft flying at high altitudes, the outside temperature is expected to be very low. Therefore, specifically, when the above turbine is applied to an aircraft such as an airplane whose flight altitude is extremely high and constant as compared with an aircraft such as a helicopter, a particularly high advantage is exhibited. Aircraft such as helicopters also include drones.
The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the figure, similar elements are designated by the same reference numerals. In consideration of the legibility of the drawings, some of the similar reference numerals will be omitted to the extent that they do not interfere with the understanding of those skilled in the art.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a small turbine having an improved power generation capacity and easy maintenance.

It is a perspective view of an aircraft, and the turbine of the present invention and the rear fuselage are integrated. It is a figure which shows the arrangement of the element inside the turbine shown in FIG. 1, and the 1st gas turbine part is arranged on the left side, and the 2nd steam turbine part is arranged on the right side. It is a breaking sectional view of the rear fuselage part shown in FIG. 1, and a large number of thermoelectric conversion power generation parts are provided between the outer skin of a turbine or an airplane, and the second steam turbine part. FIG. 3 is an enlarged fracture view of one of the thermoelectric conversion power generation units provided between the outer skin shown in FIG. 3 and the second steam turbine unit.

FIG. 1 shows a hybrid propulsion airplane 1. The hybrid propulsion airplane 1 is equipped with three electric propulsion engines for each wing. In the rear fuselage 5 of the hybrid propulsion airplane 1, the turbine 7 is integrally provided between the two horizontal stabilizers 9 provided on the rear fuselage. The electric propulsion engine 3 obtains its energy from both the turbine 7 and the electric energy stored in the internal battery of the hybrid propulsion airplane 1.

FIG. 2 shows the inside of the turbine 7 shown in FIG. This type of turbine 7 is known as a "combined cycle gas turbine" for producing electrical energy. This type of turbine 7 has a first gas turbine section 11 and a second steam turbine section 13. The two arrows on the left side of FIG. 2 indicate the outside air. The outside air flows into the compression unit 15. Subsequently, fuel is added from the fuel inlet to the outside air. The mixture of compressed air and fuel thus obtained is burned to drive the gas turbine 19. The first output shaft 21 transmits the torque generated by the gas turbine 19 to the first power generation unit 23. The high-temperature exhaust gas discharged from the gas turbine 19 flows into the exhaust heat recovery boiler 25 of the second steam turbine section 13. Here, the liquid flowing inside the pipe 27 is heated and evaporated to drive the steam turbine 29 provided thereafter. The second output shaft 31 transmits the torque generated by the steam turbine 29 to the second power generation unit 33. The electric energy generated by the first power generation unit 23 and the second power generation unit 33 is temporarily stored in the battery of the hybrid propulsion airplane 1 or sent directly to the electric propulsion engine 3. These batteries may be structural batteries, which are lighter than replaceable batteries, or may be supercapacitors.

FIG. 3 shows a gas turbine 7 which is the above-mentioned combined cycle gas turbine. The turbine 7 is arranged inside the rear fuselage 5 of the hybrid propulsion airplane 1 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the outer skin 35 of the hybrid propulsion airplane 1 surrounds the turbine 7 and surrounds the space where the turbine 7 is installed. Further, a thermoelectric conversion power generation unit 37 is provided between the outer skin 35 and the second steam turbine unit 13. As can be seen by referring to FIG. 3 more closely, a part of the thermoelectric conversion power generation unit 37 is arranged on the removable cover 39 of the outer skin 35. The removable cover 39 is foldably hinged to the outer skin 35. As a result, it is possible to temporarily intervene inside the turbine 7 in order to perform maintenance and maintenance of the thermoelectric conversion power generation unit 37 and the second steam turbine unit 13.

FIG. 4 shows an arrangement example of one of the plurality of thermoelectric conversion power generation units 37 shown in FIG. 3 of the thermoelectric conversion power generation unit 37. The wavy arrow in the upper part of FIG. 4 indicates the direction in which the exhaust gas flows. This exhaust gas flows around the fluid pipe 27 along the heat conduction inner wall of the casing 41 of the second steam turbine section 13. On the opposite side of the heat conductive inner wall of the casing 41, one of the two heat conductive substrates is formed as a ceramic heat conductive substrate 43. The heat conductive substrate 43 is directly connected to a plurality of N-type semiconductors 45 and a plurality of P-type semiconductors 47. The plurality of N-type semiconductors 45 and the plurality of P-type semiconductors 47 are connected to the other heat conductive substrate 49 formed as a heat conductive plate made of ceramic, similarly to the heat conductive substrate 43. The straight arrow at the bottom of FIG. 4 indicates the flow direction for the external fluid. The external fluid is, in this case, the outside air. The thermoelectric conversion power generation unit 37 is in direct contact with the high temperature casing 41 of the second steam turbine unit 13 via the heat conduction substrate 43 constituting a part of the thermoelectric conversion power generation unit 37 so that heat is transferred, and is also provided by the outside air. It also comes into direct contact with the low-temperature outer skin 35 of the cooled hybrid propulsion airplane 1 via the heat conductive substrate 49 which constitutes a part of the thermoelectric conversion power generation unit 37 so that heat is transferred. In the case of an airplane flying at a high altitude, that is, an altitude exceeding 10,000 m, the outside air temperature drops to −50 ° C., but the high temperature exhaust gas discharged from the gas turbine 19 reaches 600 ° C. to 700 ° C. Therefore, the temperature gradient of the thermoelectric conversion power generation unit 37 with respect to the plurality of N-type semiconductors 45 and the plurality of P-type semiconductors 47 is well over 200 ° C. even if the loss due to the intervening material is taken into account.

The following modifications are given to the above embodiment.
(1) The thermoelectric conversion power generation unit 37 is also arranged between the outer skin 35 of the hybrid propulsion airplane 1 and a part of the first gas turbine unit 11 (including the gas turbine 19 of the first gas turbine unit 11). May be done.
(2) One or more thermoelectric conversion power generation units 37 may be arranged only on the removable cover 39. Further, a plurality of the removable covers 39 may be provided.
(3) In the above embodiment, it has been described that the gas turbine 19 and the steam turbine 29 drive two separate power generation units 23 and 33, respectively, but the gas turbine 19 and the steam turbine 29 drive the same power generation unit. It can also be. For this purpose, of the two output shafts 21 and 31, one of the output shafts 21 and 31 is hollow so that the other output shaft can be inserted through the other output shaft, and both of the output shafts 21 and 31 are 2. It can also be configured to connect to the same power generation unit of one of the two separate power generation units 23, 33. Alternatively, by arranging a single power generation unit between the first gas turbine unit 11 and the second steam turbine unit 13, each output shaft of the gas turbine 19 and the steam turbine 29 becomes the single power generation unit. It can also be configured to extend from two different sides of the power generation section of the.
(4) Alternatively or additionally, the gearbox may interconnect the gas turbine 19 and / or the steam turbine 29 to each of the two separate power generation units 23, 33. Thereby, what is transmitted, that is, the speed and torque of each output shaft 21, 31 can be adjusted for one or more power generation units.
(5) Alternatively or additionally, the steam turbine 29 may be arranged inside the exhaust heat recovery boiler 25 so as to be surrounded by the exhaust heat recovery boiler 25. For this purpose, the fluid pipe 27 may be arranged so as to surround the steam turbine 29.
(6) In order to increase the efficiency of the thermoelectric conversion power generation unit 37, the heat conductive substrate 43 and the heat conductive substrate 49 may be composed of one or both of the outer skin 35 and the casing 41.
(7) The casing 41 of the second steam turbine section 13 may be expanded to form the casing 41 of the first gas turbine section 11.
(8) In the above embodiment, the hybrid propulsion airplane 1 including the turbine 7 according to the present disclosure has been described, but various other vehicles such as an aircraft, particularly an airplane or a drone, have the turbine 7 according to the present invention. can do.

5: Rear body 7: Gas turbine 7: Turbine 11: First gas turbine section 13: Second steam turbine section 19: Gas turbine 23: Power generation section 25: Exhaust heat recovery boiler 29: Steam turbine 33: Power generation section 35: Outer skin 37: Thermoelectric conversion power generation unit 39: Detachable cover 41: Casing 43: Heat conduction substrate 49: Heat conduction substrate

Claims (11)

An outer skin (35) through which an external fluid flows on the outer surface ,
A first gas turbine section (11) provided inside the outer skin (35) and having a gas turbine (19),
A second steam turbine section (13) provided inside the outer skin (35) and having a steam turbine (29) is provided.
A thermoelectric conversion power generation unit (37) is provided between the outer skin (35) and the steam turbine (29) .
The thermoelectric conversion unit (37) is configured to transfer the heat of the outer skin (35).
Turbine (7). The turbine (7) according to claim 1.
The gas turbine (19) drives a power generation unit (23).
The steam turbine (29) is a turbine (7) that drives a power generation unit (33) different from the power generation unit (23). The turbine (7) according to claim 1.
The gas turbine (19) and the steam turbine (29) are turbines (7) that drive the same power generation unit. The turbine (7) according to claim 2 or 3.
The gas turbine (19) and / or the steam turbine (29) and the power generation unit (23, 33) are interconnected by a gearbox (7). The turbine (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The second steam turbine section (13) is arranged between the first gas turbine section (11) and the steam turbine (29), and / or exhaust heat recovery surrounding the steam turbine (29). A turbine (7) with a boiler (25). The turbine (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The thermoelectric conversion power generation unit (37) is a turbine (7) provided between the outer skin (35) and the casing (41) of the second steam turbine unit (13). The turbine (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The casing (41) and / or the outer skin (35) of the second steam turbine section (13) constitutes a part of the heat conduction substrate (43, 49) of the thermoelectric conversion power generation section (37). 7). The turbine (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
The thermoelectric conversion power generation unit (37) is provided on the outer skin (35) and is arranged on a removable cover (39) that allows temporary intervention inside the turbine (7). .. The turbine (7) according to claim 8.
The removable cover (39) is foldable, preferably a turbine (7) hinged to the outer skin (35). The turbine (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
The thermoelectric conversion power generation unit (37) is a turbine (7) having a ceramic heat conductive plate (43, 49) as a heat conductive substrate (43, 49). A vehicle provided with the turbine (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 10 in the rear body portion (5).

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