Technical Paper
Thermal Analysis of Aircraft Auxiliary Power Unit: Potential of Super-Critical CO2 Brayton Cycle
2019-03-19
2019-01-1391
An “APU” (Auxiliary Power Unit) is a small gas turbine engine to provide supplementary power to an aircraft and is located at the tails of larger jets. APU generators provide auxiliary electrical power for running aircraft systems on the ground. Applications include powering environmental systems for pre-cooling or preheating the cabin, and providing power for crew functions such as preflight, cabin cleanup, and galley (kitchen) operation and long-haul airliners must be started using pneumatic power of APU compressor. The Honeywell 131-9A gas turbine APU has 440 kW shaft power and 90 kW electric generator consuming 120 kg fuel/hour. Hybrid power systems based on fuel cells are promising technology for the forthcoming power generation market. A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is the perfect candidate for utilizing waste heat recovery. This case deals with waste heat recovery from fuel cell exhaust using Brayton cycle as bottoming cycle for additional power production.
