Can aircraft fuel be used to cool hot engine components? According to an engineer with Purdue University, the answer is yes.
Air from an engine’s compressor typically cools hot engine components. However, a key issue with this system is that it doesn’t work well in high-performance engines, says mechanical engineering professor Issam Mudawara.
"Cooling an engine with air from the aircraft's compressor is not viable for high-performance engines since the compressor air at supersonic speeds is too hot itself," he explained. "My technology uses the aircraft fuel to cool the compressor air before it is used to cool the hot engine components in the aircraft."
Mudawar says his technology could come in handy to manufacturers. “The technology consists of a heat exchanger that is composed of a multitude of modules in which the cold fuel is passed through internal mini-channels and the hot air is passed in cross-flow along the finned outer surface," he said. "It is very compact and light weight, possesses very high heat transfer performance and the modules can be configured in many possible ways to suit the engine's packaging requirements."
The Purdue professor – who’s patented his technology – is currently looking for investors, particularly in the aviation industry. "This technology could be especially useful to manufacturers who work with high-performance engines who need a device that minimizes weight and volume while increasing heat transfer," said Mudawar. "The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, who work with some of the fastest airplane models, such as the high Mach supersonic aircraft, could greatly benefit from this technology."
For more information about Mudawar’s cooling technology, visit the university’s website.