Patent ID: 11920526
Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
Field: Engines, pumps, turbines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F | IPC F

Claim 0:
1. A propulsion system for an aircraft comprising:
a core engine including a core flow path where a core flow is compressed in a compressor section, communicated to a combustor section, mixed with a hydrogen-based fuel and ignited to generate a gas flow that is expanded through a turbine section;
a fuel system configured to supply the hydrogen-based fuel to the combustor through a fuel flow path;
a condenser arranged along the core flow path and configured to extract a water flow from the gas flow; and
an intercooling system that includes a preheater that provides thermal communication between a portion of the water flow from the condenser and the core flow within the compressor section for cooling said portion of the core flow at a first location within the compressor section, wherein a heated water from the preheater is exhausted to a second location within the core flow path downstream of the first location; and
an exhaust evaporator arranged along the core flow path downstream of the turbine section, the exhaust evaporator configured to receive another portion of the water extracted by the condenser to generate a steam flow for injection into the core flow path upstream of the turbine section, wherein the preheater is in flow communication with the evaporator such that the heated water from the preheater is communicated to the exhaust evaporator.