Devices and methods of rocket propulsion are disclosed. In one aspect, a staged combustion liquid rocket engine with preburner and turbopump unit (TPU) integrated into the structure of the combustion chamber is described. An initial propellant mixture is combusted in a preburner combustion chamber formed as an annulus around a main combustion chamber, the combustion products from the preburner driving the turbine of the TPU and subsequently injected into the main combustion chamber for secondary combustion along with additional propellants, generating thrust through a supersonic nozzle. The preburner inner cylindrical wall is shared with the outer cylindrical wall of the engine's main combustion chamber and the turbine is axially aligned with the main combustion chamber. Liquid propellants supplied to the engine are utilized for regenerative cooling of the combustion chamber and preburner, where the liquid propellants are gasified in cooling manifolds before injection into the preburner and main combustion chamber.

A gas turbine engine includes a core engine that includes a core flow path where air is compressed in a compressor section, communicated to a combustor section, mixed with an ammonia based fuel and ignited to generate a high energy combusted gas flow that is expanded through a turbine section. The turbine section is mechanically coupled to drive the compressor section. An ammonia flow path communicates an ammonia flow to the combustor section. A cracking device is disposed in the ammonia flow path. The cracking device is configured to decompose the ammonia flow into a fuel flow containing hydrogen (H2). At least one heat exchanger is upstream of the cracking device that provides thermal communication between the ammonia flow and a working fluid flow such that the ammonia fluid flow accepts thermal energy from the working fluid flow.

An airfoil, such as a vane or a blade for a gas turbine engine, may be provided. The airfoil may include a platform; a spar; a fillet; and a coversheet. The spar may include a passageway inside of the spar for a cooling fluid, a pedestal on an outer surface of the spar, and a spar hole configured to direct the cooling fluid from the passageway to the outer surface of the spar. The fillet may be located at the intersection of the platform and the spar, and may couple the spar to the platform. The fillet and/or the coversheet may include a protrusion extending along the edge of the coversheet. The protrusion, along with the pedestal and the outer surface of the spar, may define a purge groove. The purge groove and a purge groove outlet may form a cooling path for cooling fluid to flow onto the platform.

A method of cooling a vane of a turbine is provided. The turbine includes an airfoil, an outer shroud disposed at an outer radial end of the airfoil and an inner shroud, the airfoil including a plurality of air channels extending along the radial direction of the turbine, the air channels comprising a first air channel and a second air channel. A cooling air is caused to flow inside the first air channel to cool the first air channel, then cool one of the outer shroud and the inner shroud. A cooling air is caused to flow inside the second air channel to cool the second air channel, then cool the other one of the outer shroud and the inner shroud.

A cooling structure for a trailing edge of a turbine blade is provided. The cooling structure for the trailing edge of the turbine blade comprising an airfoil shaped blade part including a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure surface and a suction surface connecting the leading edge and the trailing edge, and a cavity channel formed in the blade part and through which a cooling fluid flows, the cooling structure including slots and lands arranged alternately on the trailing edge along a span direction of the pressure surface by cutting a portion of the pressure surface, the slots communicating with the cavity channel and defined by adjacent lands where the pressure surface remains, wherein a pin-fin structure is disposed in the cavity channel on an upstream side of the slot, and wherein the cooling fluid is introduced through a micro-channel formed inside the pin-fin structure and is discharged through film cooling holes formed in the pressure surface.

A gas turbine engine assembly includes a gas turbine engine with a combustion section, a fuel delivery system, and a thermal energy management system. The fuel delivery assembly provides a fuel to the combustion section of the gas turbine engine. The thermal energy management system includes a thermal transport bus, a heat source heat exchanger, and a heat sink heat exchanger. The thermal transport bus has a portion of the fuel configured to flow therethrough. The fuel is disposed as a heat exchange fluid of the thermal energy management system. The heat source heat exchanger is in thermal communication with the flow of fuel through the transport bus. The heat sink heat exchanger is in thermal communication with the flow of fuel through the transport bus.

A turbine blade having a blade airfoil. A first cooling path for a first coolant stream and a second cooling path for a second coolant stream are formed within the blade airfoil. The first cooling path includes a first coolant passage, which is designed for cyclone cooling of the leading edge, and a second coolant passage, which adjoins the first coolant passage and extends below the blade tip from the leading edge toward the trailing edge. The second cooling path includes a serpentine coolant passage for cooling a central region of the blade airfoil and a first trailing-edge coolant passage for partially cooling a trailing-edge region.

The present disclosure provides hydrogen energy conversion systems, assemblies and methods. More particularly, the present disclosure provides clean energy hydrogen-powered turbine and emergency hybrid power unit (EHPU) systems, assemblies and methods (e.g., for aircraft or the like). The present disclosure provides for a hydrogen based gas turbine coupled with a hydrogen fuel cell architecture. Both the turbine and the fuel cell (FC) can increase or decrease output. Energy storage batteries or ultra-capacitors can store amounts of emergency peak demand and/or emergency energy. This approach coupled with distributed redundant propulsors creates a safe and highly redundant clean aircraft. The fuel cell can act as emergency power and reduce turbine sizing. The batteries provide peak load capacity and additional emergency power. The fuel cell and gas turbine can keep the battery and/or the supercapacitor fully charged until required.

Systems and methods of operating systems are provided. For example, a system comprises a fuel cooling loop including a cold fuel flowpath having a fuel flowing therethrough, a fuel cooler heat exchanger for cooling the fuel in fluid communication with the cold fuel flowpath, and a cold fuel tank disposed along the cold fuel flowpath for accumulating at least a portion of the cooled fuel. The system further comprises a fuel heating loop including a hot fuel flowpath for a flow of the fuel, a fuel heater heat exchanger for heating the fuel in fluid communication with the hot fuel flowpath, and a hot fuel tank disposed along the hot fuel flowpath for accumulating at least a portion of the heated fuel. The fuel cooling loop is coupled to the fuel heating loop such that the fuel circulates through both the fuel cooling loop and the fuel heating loop.

A cryogenic cooling system for an aircraft includes a first air cycle machine, a second air cycle machine, and a means for collecting liquid air. The first air cycle machine is operable to output a cooling air stream based on a first air source. The second air cycle machine is operable to output a chilled air stream at a cryogenic temperature based on a second air source cooled by the cooling air stream of the first air cycle machine. An output of the second air cycle machine is provided to the means for collecting liquid air.