Patent ID: 11933225
Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
Field: Engines, pumps, turbines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F | IPC F

Claim 13:
14. A method of managing fuel in a gas turbine engine comprising:
supplying fuel from a fuel tank to a combustor of the gas turbine engine via a fuel supply line comprising a first fuel supply pump;
branching fuel from the fuel supply line into a reheat fuel supply line for supplying fuel to a reheat of the gas turbine engine at a reheat branching point, the reheat branching point being downstream of the first fuel supply pump;
pressurising the fuel in the reheat fuel supply line to a reheat delivery pressure using a reheat pump along the reheat fuel supply;
recirculating fuel from the reheat fuel supply line via a reheat recirculation line to a location upstream of the first fuel supply pump, the reheat recirculation line extending from a reheat recirculation branching point on the reheat fuel supply line downstream of the reheat pump;
controlling recirculation of the fuel from the reheat fuel supply line via the reheat recirculation line;
determining a reheat pump supply rate from the reheat pump;
determining a reheat fuel demand rate required by the reheat;
determining a required recirculation rate based upon the reheat pump supply rate and the reheat fuel demand rate; and
recirculating fuel at the required recirculation rate via the reheat recirculation line to provide fuel to the reheat at the reheat fuel demand rate.