Thermal electric assembly attached on an outer surface of a hot section of a gas turbine engine to generate electrical power

• Main Authors: Quiambao, Jimmy M, Peck, Jr., James L
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 14.01.2020
• Subjects: AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; AIRCRAFT; ARRANGEMENTS OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSIONTRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; BLASTING; COMBUSTION APPARATUS; COMBUSTION ENGINES; COMBUSTION PROCESSES; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; COSMONAUTICS; ELECTRICITY; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLYING SUITS; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNALCOMBUSTION ENGINES; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES ORENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; GENERATING COMBUSTION PRODUCTS OF HIGH PRESSURE OR HIGHVELOCITY, e.g. GAS-TURBINE COMBUSTION CHAMBERS; HEATING; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS; JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT PUMPS; PARACHUTES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS; STEAM ENGINES; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS

A gas turbine engine assembly may include a combustion chamber for igniting a fuel and air mixture that generates a core stream flow. The gas turbine engine may also include a hot section cowling for directing the core stream flow through the engine assembly. The hot section cowling may include an inside surface and an outside surface opposite the inside surface. The gas turbine engine assembly may additionally include a plurality of thermoelectric generator (TEG) assemblies that are thermally attached to the outside surface of the hot section cowling. Each TEG assembly may include a multiplicity of thermoelectric generator (TEG) devices that generate an electric current based on a temperature differential across each of the multiplicity of TEG devices. The TEG devices may include different materials that are used in different heat zones along the hot section cowling between the combustion chamber and an exhaust end of the engine.