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A recuperator disposed in the exhaust duct of a gas turbine engine includes a plurality of recuperator plates arranged in a spaced-apart relationship to define therebetween a plurality of interstices and fluid channels, the plurality of interstices adapted to direct therethrough at least one first s

A recuperator disposed in the exhaust duct of a gas turbine engine includes a plurality of recuperator plates arranged in a spaced-apart relationship to define therebetween a plurality of interstices and fluid channels, the plurality of interstices adapted to direct therethrough at least one first stream received at a leading plate edge of the recuperator plates and the plurality of fluid channels adapted to direct therethrough at least one second stream to effect heat exchange between the at least one first stream and the at least one second stream. Each recuperator plate includes, formed at the leading plate edge thereof, a first concavity extending along the leading edge in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the plate. The first concavity extends transversely to a direction of the at least one first stream flowing over each recuperator plate.

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1. A recuperator for a gas turbine engine, the recuperator comprising an air-to-air heat exchanger including a plurality of recuperator plates longitudinally extending in a longitudinal direction between an upstream end and a downstream end spaced apart along a longitudinal axis, the recuperator pla

1. A recuperator for a gas turbine engine, the recuperator comprising an air-to-air heat exchanger including a plurality of recuperator plates longitudinally extending in a longitudinal direction between an upstream end and a downstream end spaced apart along a longitudinal axis, the recuperator plates transversely extending in a transverse direction between a leading edge and a trailing edge, the leading edge and the trailing edge each extending longitudinally between the upstream and downstream ends, the transverse direction being substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction defined by the longitudinal axis, the plurality of recuperator plates arranged in a spaced-apart relationship to define therebetween a plurality of interstices adapted to direct therethrough at least a first airstream received at the leading plate edge of the recuperator plates and flowing in the transverse direction, each of the recuperator plates defining at least one fluid channel therein, the fluid channel being closed along longitudinally extending edges thereof to direct therethrough at least a second airstream flowing in the longitudinal direction and effecting heat exchange between the first airstream and the second airstream, each said recuperator plate having at least a first concavity disposed at the leading edge thereof, the first concavity extending linearly in the longitudinal direction along the leading edge and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the recuperator plate and to the leading edge, the first concavity thereby extending transverse to the transverse direction of the first airstream flowing over each said recuperator plate, the fluid channel defining a cross-sectional profile having a height in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction, the height being non-uniform along the transverse direction and narrowing toward the leading edge. 2. The recuperator of claim 1, wherein the first concavity faces a suction side of each said recuperator plate thereby containing a leading edge laminar flow bubble therein and causing re-attachment of laminar flow of the at least one first stream immediately downstream of the first concavity extending along the leading edge. 3. The recuperator of claim 1, wherein each recuperator plate has formed at the trailing edge thereof opposite the leading edge a second concavity, the first and the second concavities extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the recuperator plate. 4. The recuperator of claim 3, wherein the first and second concavities of a first one of the plurality of recuperator plates are adapted to be transversely aligned with the first and second concavities of a second one of the plurality of recuperator plates for positioning the first recuperator plate relative to the second recuperator plate. 5. The recuperator of claim 3, wherein each recuperator plate comprises a first thermally conductive sheet coupled to a second thermally conductive sheet, the first thermally conductive sheet having a first leading sheet edge and a first trailing sheet edge opposite the first leading sheet edge and the second thermally conductive sheet having a second leading sheet edge and a second trailing sheet edge opposite the second leading sheet edge. 6. The recuperator of claim 5, wherein the first thermally conductive sheet is coupled to the second thermally conductive sheet by brazing the first leading sheet edge to the second leading sheet edge and the first trailing sheet edge to the second trailing sheet edge. 7. The recuperator of claim 6, wherein the first thermally conductive sheet has formed adjacent the first leading sheet edge a first leading recess and the second thermally conductive sheet has formed adjacent the second leading sheet edge a second leading recess, the first leading recess adapted to be mated with the second leading recess for forming the first concavity when the first thermally conductive sheet is coupled to the second thermally conductive sheet. 8. The recuperator of claim 7, wherein the first thermally conductive sheet has formed adjacent the first trailing sheet edge a first trailing recess and the second thermally conductive sheet has formed adjacent the second trailing sheet edge a second trailing recess, the first trailing recess adapted to be mated with the second trailing recess for forming the second concavity when the first thermally conductive sheet is coupled to the second thermally conductive sheet. 9. The recuperator of claim 5, wherein the first thermally conductive sheet of each recuperator plate has formed therein a first plurality of protrusions and the second thermally conductive sheet of the recuperator plate has formed therein a second plurality of protrusions, a convexly curved surface of each one of the second plurality of protrusions adapted to be conformally fitted to a concavely curved surface of each one of the first plurality of protrusions when the first thermally conductive sheet is coupled to the second thermally conductive sheet. 10. The recuperator of claim 9, wherein the fluid channel of the recuperator plate is defined between the convexly curved surface and the concavely curved surface. 11. The recuperator of claim 1, wherein the plurality of plates are arranged in a stacked relationship and comprise a first plurality of plates having formed therein a plurality of protrusions and a second plurality of plates having formed therein a plurality of recesses, a first concavely curved surface of each one of the plurality of protrusions positioned adjacent a second concavely curved surface of each one of the plurality of recesses and defining therebetween each one of the plurality of interstices. 12. A gas turbine engine comprising: a compressor which pressurizes an air flow;a combustor receiving the pressurized air flow and which ignites a mixture of fuel and the pressurized air flow to develop an output flow of expanded combustion gasses through one or more turbine sections for generating propulsion;a turbine receiving the output flow of expanded combustion gasses from the combustor and extracting energy from the combustion gases; anda recuperator disposed downstream of the turbine and receiving hot exhaust gasses therefrom, the recuperator comprising a plurality of elongated recuperator plates extending in a longitudinal direction between an upstream end and a downstream end spaced apart along a longitudinal axis, the recuperator plates transversely extending in a transverse direction between a leading edge and a trailing edge, the transverse direction being substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the plurality of recuperator plates arranged in a spaced-apart relationship to define therebetween a plurality of interstices directing therethrough at least one first stream of the hot exhaust gasses flowing in the transverse direction and received at the leading edge of the recuperator plates, each of the recuperator plates enclosing at least one fluid channel therein through which at least one second stream of colder compressor airflow, received from the compressor, flows in the longitudinal direction, the recuperator plates effecting heat exchange between the at least one first stream of hot exhaust gasses and the at least one second stream of colder compressor airflow, each of the recuperator plates having at the leading edge thereof a first concavity extending linearly along the leading edge in the longitudinal direction and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the recuperator plate and to the leading edge, the first concavity thereby extending in the transverse direction of the at least one first stream flowing over each said recuperator plate, a cross-sectional profile of the at least one fluid channel having a height relative to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction, the height being non-uniform along the transverse direction and narrowing toward the leading edge. 13. The engine of claim 12, wherein the first concavity faces a suction side of each said recuperator plates thereby containing a leading edge laminar flow bubble therein and causing re-attachment of laminar flow of the at least one first stream immediately downstream of the first concavity extending along the leading edge. 14. The engine of claim 12, wherein each recuperator plate has formed at a trailing plate edge thereof opposite the leading edge a second concavity and further wherein the first and second concavities of a first one of the plurality of recuperator plates are adapted to be aligned with the first and second concavities of a second one of the plurality of recuperator plates for positioning the first recuperator plate relative to the second recuperator plate. 15. The engine of claim 12, wherein each recuperator plate comprises a first thermally conductive sheet having formed therein a first plurality of protrusions and a second thermally conductive sheet having formed therein a second plurality of protrusions, the first sheet coupled to the second sheet such that the fluid channel of each recuperator plate is defined between a concavely curved surface of each one of the first plurality of protrusions and a convexly curved surface of each one of the second plurality of protrusions. 16. The engine of claim 12, wherein the plurality of recuperator plates are arranged in a stacked relationship and comprise a first plurality of plates having formed therein a plurality of protrusions and a second plurality of plates having formed therein a plurality of recesses, a first concavely curved surface of each one of the plurality of protrusions positioned adjacent a second concavely curved surface of each one of the plurality of recesses and defining therebetween each one of the plurality of interstices.