US3241764A

US3241764A - Car heater

Info

Publication number: US3241764A
Application number: US373916A
Authority: US
Inventors: Morgan W Dawley; Raymond S Heym
Original assignee: Chrysler Corp
Current assignee: Old Carco LLC
Priority date: 1964-06-10
Filing date: 1964-06-10
Publication date: 1966-03-22
Anticipated expiration: 1983-03-22

Description

March 22, 1966 M. w. DAWLEY ET AL 3,241,764

GAR HEATER Filed June 10, 1964 INVENTORJ- United States Patent Ofiice 3,241,764 Patented Mar. 22, 1966 3,241,764 (CAR HEATER Morgan W. Dawley, Rochester, and Raymond S. Heym,

Lathrup Village, Mich, assignors to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed June It 1964, Ser. No. 373,915 7 Claims. (Cl. 237-123 This invention relates to improvements in a heating system for the passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle and has for an important object the provision of improvements in such a heating system for use with a gas turbine engine powered vehicle.

In a typical gas turbine engine, cool fresh combustion supporting inlet air is discharged at high pressure from a primary compressor and conducted through a portion of a rotary regenerator to be heated thereby. The heated air is admixed with fuel and burned, the gaseous combustion product being then directed against the turbine rotors to drive the same, the hot exhaust gases being then directed through another portion of the regenerator to heat the same. The regenerator comprises a high efficiency heat exchanger. Its heated portions are continuously rotated to receive the combustion supporting inlet air to heat the latter and these portions that have been cooled by heating the inlet combustion supporting air are continuously rotated to receive the hot exhaust gases to be re-heated thereby.

A concept of the present invention is to pass clean fresh air through a heated portion of the regenerator and then to discharge this air directly into the passenger compartment to heat the same, thereby to utilize the regenerator most efficiently for space heating purposes.

A limited amount of the hot gaseous combustion products utilized to heat the regenerator will be carried by rotation of the regenerator to the region which preheats the high pressure inlet combustion supporting air supplied by the primary compressor. It is accordingly another object of the invention to pass the clean air to be used for heating through a portion of the regenerator from which the combustion products have been thoroughly scavenged by the clean high pressure combustion supporting inlet air. Thus the heated heating air can be breathed safely by the passengers and utilized most effectively for space heating.

Preferably the heating air will be supplied by a comparatively low pressure auxiliary compressor or blower to avoid undue loading of the primary high pressure compressor. In accordance with other objects of the invention, however, the air used for heating may be supplied directly by the primary compressor and the heated air discharged from the regenerator may be utilized either directly by being discharged into the vehicle passenger compartment, or indirectly by being passed through a secondary heat exchanger which in turn will heat clean fresh air from a suitable source, then discharge that air into the passenger compartment.

Another object is to provide improved means cooperable with the gas turbine engine regenerator and an auxiliary blower for clean fresh heating air to regulate the amount of heat added to the heating air by the regenerator.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary schematic view of a gas turbine engine taken through the mid-region of the regenerator.

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of the regenerator and upper seal taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a schematic view of the heating circuit, the section through the regenerator being taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the broken line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but showing a modification.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by way of example in a heating system for the passenger compartment of an automobile vehicle powered by a gas turbine engine indicated generally by the numeral 9. The engine 9 includes a primary pressure compressor 10 which receives cool fresh clean inlet air axially and discharges this air radially under pressure through a spiral diffuser 12 which in turn discharges into an inlet header or dome 13 overlying one sector of a rotary disc type counter flow regenerator 14. The regenerator 14 is mounted within the engine 9 to rotate coaxially about a central axle 21 and comprises a multitude of axially extending gas flow passages adapted for flow of gases therethrough. Suitable seals indicated generally by the numeral 15 cooperate with the regenerator 14 and balfies, as for example the

baffles

17, 18 and 19 carried by the housing of the engine 9 to direct the air from the header 13 axially downward through a sector 14a of the regenerator into a high temperature chamber 16.

From the chamber 16, the heated inlet air is conducted to a conventional combustion chamber where fuel is added and burned. Thereafter the hot combustion products are directed through the gas turbine rotors to drive the same and are thence discharged to an exhaust header 16b immediately underlying sector 14b of the regenerator 14. The hot exhaust combustion products are then directed axially upward through the matrix of the regenerator 14 at the sector 14b into an exhaust passage 20 from which the combustion products are exhausted to the atmosphere. One of the gas turbine rotors is operably coupled with the compressor shaft 11 to rotate the same and operate the compressor 10, the shaft 11 being also operably connected as indicated by the dotted line with a ring gear 11a secured coaxially to the regenerator 14 to rotate the latter at greatly reduced speed in accordance with rotation of the compressor 10.

In passing upwardly at the region of sector 14b, the heat of the exhaust gases is given up to the regenerator matrix to heat the latter, whereby upon rotation of the regenerator about its axle 21, the heated portions of the sector 14!) are continuously rotated to the region of the sector 14a to preheat the high pressure inlet air flowing downwardly from header 13 into chamber 16.

The seals 15 may be considered part of the regenerator system. They are arranged above and below the regenerator 14 at its axially opposite sides and in the present instance are illustrated as being identical to each other. Each seal comprises a circumferential portion 15a, extending around the periphery of the regenerator 14, a diametric portion 15b, and a radial portion 15c, all cooperating to partition the regenerator into the aforesaid sectors 14a and 14b and an intermediate sector located in advance of the sector 14b (with respect to the direction of rotation) and between the latter sector and sector 14a. Thus, residual combustion products carried over into the sector 14a from the sector 14b will be thoroughly scavenged from the regenerator matrix as the latter rotates into the sector 14c.

In a preferred construction, a supplementary heater blower 22 mounted as for example on the interior or passenger side of the firewall 24, FIGURE 3, receives cool fresh inlet air, as for example via the cowl inlet 22a. The air from blower 22 is discharged via conduit 23 to the sector 140 at the upper side of the regenerator 14 so as to be heated by passage through sector 140. The heated air from conduit 23 is conducted from the lower side of sector 140 via conduit 25 back into the interior of the passager compartment where it is discharged through suitable vents 26 and used for heating purposes.

In order to control the heat from the regenerator 14, a bypass conduit 27 connects conduit 23 at a location upstream of the regenerator 14 with conduit 25 at a location downstream of the regenerator. A regulator valve 28 is arranged in conduit 25 so as to progressively close the latter and simultaneously open bypass 27 into conduit 25 at a location downstream of valve 28 upon counterclockwise swinging of the valve 28, and conversely to progressively close bypass 27 and open conduit 25 between the regenerator and vent 26 upon clockwise swinging of valve 28. Thus the resistance to gas flow through bypass 27 will tend to increase the pressure at the regenerator sector 14c and minimize undesired leakage of combustion products from sector 14b into sector 14c across seal 15b.

In operation of the structure described, while the engine is running, the regenerator 14 will be gradually rotated clockwise in the direction of the arrows, FIG- URE 2, and heated exhaust gases will pass upwardly through sector 14b to heat the regenerator. The heated portions of the regenerator are rotated from sector 14b to sector 14a Where the downwardly flowing fresh inlet air from compressor will tend to cool the regenerator 14 while heating the inlet air. At the same time, the clean inlet air flowing through sector 14a will completely blow out any gaseous combustion products carried over from sector 14b. The aforesaid inlet air from compressor 10, though cool in comparison to the temperature of the regenerator sector 14a, by virtue of having been highly compressed will be hot in comparison to the temperature of the heating air in either

conduit

23 or 25.

Although the regenerator will be somewhat cooled in passing through sector 14a, it will still contain considerable heat as it moves into sector 14c. In the latter sector, clean, cool heating air from blower 22 will be passed downwardly through the sector 140 to be heated. The heated air is then conducted into the passenger compartment via conduit 25 to vent system 26. The amount of air passed through the regenerator sector 140 is controlled by swinging valve 28 clockwise or counterclockwise in FIGURE 3 to progressively close or open bypass 27 to vent 26 and correspondingly to open or close the connection via conduit 25 between the regenerator sector 14c and the vent systems 26.

The typical heater blower 22 will discharge air at a comparatively high volume and low pressure as compared to the compressor 10, which discharges at high pressure and at a volume comparable to the volume of air discharged from blower 22, especially for comparatively small gas turbine engines. Inasmuch as the volume of air required for heating the interior of the passenger compartment can be significant in comparison to the volume of air discharged by compressor 10 for supporting combustion, the use of a supplemental blower 22 is usually preferred.

Because of the comparatively low pressure of the air discharged from blower 22, the pressure of the heating air in conduit 25 immediately downstream of the regenerator 14 will in some instances be lower than the pressure in header 16b upstream of the regenerator 14 at the region 14b. In such a situation there is a tendency for leakage of combustion products across seal 15b into the fresh air sector 14c. In order to positively avoid such leakage, a supplementary seal 15d illustrated in FIG- URE 4 extends from seal 150 in parallelism with seal 15b to the peripheral sealing portion 15a. The seal 15:] is spaced sufiiciently from seal 15b to provide a narrow sector 14a in communication with the high pressure inlet air of header 13. Accordingly the discharge from compressor 10 will flow downwardly in

sectors

14a and 14a into chamber 16. The high pressure air in sector 14a will positively prevent leakage from the low pressure sector 14b. In fact, all leakage from sector will be into sectors 14b and 140. A slight leakage across seals 15c and into sector 14c is not objectionable because the clean fresh inlet air in header 13 is safe to breathe.

The sector 14a will preferably be as narrow as practicable without interfering with its function of providing a high pressure barrier between sectors 14b and 14c. Thus the sector 14c Will be located near the coolest (approximately 500 F.) portion of the regenerator 14 and will be a minimum deterrent to the efficiency of the regenerator 1 in preheating the combustion supporting air for the engine. In other words, the most efficient high temperature regenerator sector 14a (approximately 1200 F. adjacent the clockwise edge of sector 14b) is employed for preheating the higher temperature and high pressure inlet air (approximately 500 F. and 45 p.s.i.) discharged from compressor 10 into chamber 13, whereas the cooler and less eflicient regenerator sector 140 is employed for heating the much cooler and low pressure heating air discharged from blower 22.

I claim:

1. In combination, a vehicle body, a gas turbine engine for propelling said vehicle, said engine including regenerator means having a rotary matrix adapted by rotation to successively index the portions of said matrix at first, second, and third fixed regions, said regenerator matrix being adapted to receive comparatively hot gaseous combustion products of said engine for passage through the portion of said matrix at said first region to heat the latter portion and being also adapted to receive comparatively cool inlet air for passage through the portion of said matrix at said second region to heat said inlet air, and a heating system for said body comprising means for conducting heating air through the portion of said matrix at said third region to heat said heating air and for conducting the heated heating air from said third region to said body to heat the same, said third region being located to receive portions of said matrix after the same have rotated through said second region sufficiently to scavenge combustion products therefrom residual from said first region.

2. In combination, a vehicle body, a gas turbine engine for propelling said vehicle, said engine including regenerator means having a rotary matrix adapted by rotation to successively index the portions of said matrix at first, second, and third fixed regions, said regenerator matrix being adapted to receive comparatively hot gaseous combustion products of said engine for passage through the portion of said matrix at said first region to heat the latter portion and being also adapted to receive comparatively cool inlet air for passage through the portion of said matrix at said second region to heat said inlet air, and a heating system for said body comprising means for conducting heating air through the portion of said matrix at said third region to heat said heating air and for utilizing the heat of the heated air from said third region to heat said body, said third region being located between said first and second regions and in advance of said first region with respect to the direction of rotation of said regenerator.

3. In combination, a vehicle body, a gas turbine engine for propelling said body, said engine including regenerator means having a rotary matrix adapted by rotation to successively index the portions of said matrix at first, second, and third fixed regions, means for conducting comparatively h'ot gaseous combustion products of said engine to the portion of said matrix at said first region for passage through the latter portion to heat the same, means for conducting comparatively cool inlet air to the portions of said matrix at said second and third regions for passage therethrough to heat inlet air and a heating system for said body comprising means for conducting the heated inlet air from said third region and utilizing the heat thereof for heating said body, said third region being located between said first and second regions in advance of said first region with respect to the direction of rotation of said matrix to receive portions thereof from which gaseous combustion products have been scavenged while rotating through said second region.

4. In combination, a vehicle body, a gas turbine engine for propelling said body, said engine including regenerator means having a rotary matrix adapted by rotation to successively index the portions of said matrix at first, second, and third fixed regions, means for conducting comparatively hot gaseous combustion products of said engine to the portion of said matrix at said first region for passage through the latter portion to heat the same, means for conducting comparatively cool fresh combustion supporting inlet air to the portion of said matrix at said second region for passage therethrough to heat said inlet air, an air compressor for supplying pressurized heating air, means for conducting said pressurized heating air to the portion of said matrix at said third region for passage therethrough to heat the latter air, and means for conducting the heated heating air from the portions of said matrix at said third region to said body to heat the same, said third region being located in advance of said first region With respect to the direction of rotation of said matrix and between said first and second regions to receive portions of said matrix from which gaseous combustion products have been scavenged by said combustion supporting air passing therethrough at said second region.

5. In the combination according to claim 4, said means for conducting said pressurized heating air to and from portions of said matrix at said third region including high pressure conduit means extending from said compressor to said matrix at said third region and including low pressure conduit means extending from said matrix at said third region to the interior of said body, bypass means for connecting said high pressure conduit means at a location upstream of said matrix with said low pressure conduit means at a location downstream of said matrix, and diverter valve means operative to progressively close or open said low pressure conduit means at a location between said bypass means and said matrix and simultaneously to progressively open or close said bypass means.

6. In a heating system for a vehicle body propelled by an internal combustion engine, regenerator means for preheating combustion supporting air for said engine, high pressure conduit means for conducting heating air to said regenerator means for passage therethrough to heat said air, low pressure conduit means for conducting the heated heating air from said regenerator means, means in communication with said low pressure conduit means for utilizing the heat of said heated air for heating said body, bypass means for connecting said high pressure conduit means at a location upstream of said regenerator means with said low pressure conduit means at a location downstream of said regenerator means, and diverter valve means operative to progressively close or open said low pressure conduit means at a location between said regenerator means and bypass means and simultaneously to progressively open or close said bypass means.

7. In combination, a vehicle body, a gas turbine engine for propelling said vehicle, said engine including regenerator means having a rotary matrix adapted by rotation to successively index the portions of said matrix by first, second, and third fixed regions, said regenerator matrix being adapted to receive comparatively hot gaseous combustion products of said engine for passage through the portion of said matrix at said first region to heat the latter portion and being also adapted to receive comparatively cool inlet air for passage through the portion of said matrix at said second region to heat said inlet air, and a heating system for said body comprising means for conducting heating air through the portion of said matrix at said third region to heat said heating air and for utilizing the heat of the heated air from said third region to heat said body, said third region being located adjacent and in advance of said first region with respect to the direction of rotation of said regenerator and being spaced from said first region by portions of said second region both in advance of and behind said third region With respect to said direction of rotation.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS EDWARD J. MICHAEL, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. IN COMBINATION, A VEHICLE BODY, A GAS TURBINE ENGINE FOR PROPELLING SAID VEHICLE, SAID ENGINE INCLUDING REGENERATOR MEANS HAVING A ROTARY MATRIX ADAPTED BY ROTATION TO SUCCESSIVELY INDEX THE PORTIONS OF SAID MATRIX AT FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD FIXED REGIONS, SAID REGENERATOR MATRIX BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE COMPARATIVELY HOT GASEOUS COMBUSTION PRODUCTS OF SAID ENGINE FOR PASSAGE THROUGH THE PORTION OF SAID MATRIX AT SAID FIRST REGION TO HEAT THE LATTER PORTION AND BEING ALSO ADAPTED TO RECEIVE COMPARATIVELY COOL INLET AIR FOR PASSAGE THROUGH THE PORTION OF SAID MATRIX AT SAID SECOND REGION TO HEAT