How it works
Flex Recuperators™ for Gas Turbine Engines
Patented design combines the best attributes of existing technology for superior durability
By recovering exhaust heat, recuperators can greatly improve fuel efficiency in gas turbine engines. This has been recognized since the early yearsof engine development, but realized with only modest success due to the severity of a typical engine internal operating environment.
Seeking significant improvements in recuperator durability in a compact and economical design, FlexEnergy Inc has developed a new recuperator technology. This evolutionary heat exchanger designemploys a highly effective counter-flow plate-fin heat exchange matrix in a construction that avoids damaging thermal stresses.
Compact design for enhanced efficiency and scalability
The FlexEnergy Inc Recuperator™ is designed with folded fins for a high heat exchange area and volume. This highly effective surface has the added benefit of being more compact than conventional technologies. Key to the technology is a unit-cell construction applied to a brazed plate-fin heat exchanger design. By allowing cells to mechanically slip and deflect in response to the thermal gradients experienced by a heat exchanger, the thermal fatigue seen in more typical monolithic designs is effectively eliminated. Inherent in the design is the ability to vary size to meet performance requirements. Combined with a variable stack height, the IR Recuperator can beeasily adapted to different engines.
FlexEnergy Inc Recuperators™ are produced in stainless steel and nickel alloys for applications ranging from turbines to propulsion turbines for naval ships. All use the patented unit-cell technology to economically achieve both high performance and durability.
Competitive first cost and attractive life-cycle cost
The unique design of the recuperator core provides exceptionallylong life even under the harshest thermal transients, overcoming the fatigue problems of conventional plate-fin designs. This high durability, combined with a low part count, results in a very attractive life-cycle cost.
A competitive first cost of the Recuperator is realized from theuse of conventional alloys and state-of-the-art manufacturing. For engines 20kW to 20MW with pressure ratios from 3:1 to 20:1, FlexEnergy Inc can assist manufacturers in the cycle optimization and component selection for the recuperator.
With a 90% effectiveness and superior durability, the Flex Recuperator™ provides an optimum package specifically engineered to the application without the cost or uncertainty of a custom design.
Key Benefits
• Exceptional durability
• Compact
• Zero leakage design
• Scalable design for a wide range of applications
• Competitive life-cycle cost
