Patent ID: 11970970
Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F  B | IPC B  F

Claim 13:
14. A method of operating a propulsion system comprising:
generating a high energy exhaust gas flow with at least one core engine including a core flow path through a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section, wherein the high energy exhaust gas flow is produced in the combustor section and expanded through the turbine section to drive the compressor section;
driving a first bottoming turbine with thermal energy transferred from the high energy exhaust flow into a bottoming working fluid flow within a first bottoming cycle system to recover power from the high energy exhaust gas flow during operation in a first engine operating condition and during a second engine operating condition; and
driving a second bottoming turbine with thermal energy transferred from the high energy exhaust gas flow into the bottoming working fluid flow within a second bottoming cycle system in thermal communication with the high energy exhaust gas flow during the first engine operating condition; and
decoupling the second bottoming cycle system from thermal communication with the high energy exhaust gas flow during the second engine operating condition, wherein a controller operates at least one control valve to stop bottoming working fluid flow to the second bottoming cycle system in response to an indication that the high energy exhaust gas flow has less thermal energy than desired to operate both of the first bottoming turbine and the second bottoming turbine.