Rolls-royce Corporation

Arthur Laurence Rowe

Marko Bacic

Ahmed M Y Razak

Alexander MacDonald

Michael A Horswill

Nicholas Howarth

Arnold C Newton

Mark David Taylor

Philip P Walsh

Ahmed My Razak

Stephen Granville Garner

Paul Michael Hield

Ronald A Midgley

Mark Scully

Nicholas C Corbett

Richard V Brooks

Cerith Davies

Paul R Thornton

Mark N Binnington

Marc Pons Perez

Nickolaos Pilatis

Colin J Woodward

Anthony J Brook

Luis F Llano

Nikolaus Kurz

Ian A Griffin

Robert John Snell

Alasdair Gardner

Steven Michael Anthony

Stefania Mandirola

Netsebrak T Zewde

Christopher Redfern

John M Cundy

Luis Llano

Anthony John Brook

Richard Valentine Brooks

Michael Aldersley Horswill

A combined cycle heat engine (). The engine () comprises a first gas turbine engine () comprising a first air compressor system (), a first combustion system () and a first turbine system () and a second gas turbine engine () comprising a second air compression system (), a second turbine system (), and a heat exchanger () configured to transfer heat from an exhaust () of the first turbine system () to compressed air from the second air compressor (). The second gas turbine engine () comprises a second combustion system () downstream of the heat exchanger () and upstream of the second turbine system ().

Combined cycle heat engine comprising a first and second gas turbine engine

A fuel flow control system is configured to perform a method including: setting a fuel flow demand proportional to compressor discharge pressure; detecting an actual fuel flow; and applying an enhanced schedule for fuel flow demand while fuel flow demand is less than a predefined proportion of actual fuel flow.

Fuel flow control

An apparatus measuring thrust of an aircraft gas turbine engine includes a core shaft connecting a turbine and compressor, a fan and gearbox with a sun gear driven by the core shaft, a plurality of planet gears, an annulus gear mounted in a static structure, and a planet carrier driven by the fan via fan shaft. The apparatus includes a sensor to measure force applied by the annulus gear on the static structure and first and second sensors to measure rotational speed of the core and fan shafts. A processor determines restoring torque on the annulus gear from measurement of force applied by the gear on the static structure, torque applied to the fan by the planet carrier using rotational speeds of core and fan shafts and restoring torque on the annulus gear, and thrust of the fan from torque applied to the fan and the fan's rotational speed.

Apparatus and a method of measuring the thrust of a geared gas turbine engine

A method of controlling turbine tip clearance includes measuring turbine speed; measuring turbine temperature; measuring parameters indicative of current operating conditions; determining limits for the turbine speed and turbine temperature; calculating target tip clearance from the turbine speed, turbine temperature and parameters, to optimise turbine efficiency within the turbine speed and turbine temperature limits; and controlling turbine tip clearance apparatus to the calculated target tip clearance.

Turbine tip clearance

A control system for a gas turbine engine includes an engine core, the engine core including combustion equipment, a turbine, a compressor, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor. The control system includes at least one variable stator vane for controlling the angle at which gas enters the engine core, and there is a bypass passage within the engine core for directing gas flow to bypass the combustion equipment.

Control system for a gas turbine engine

A method () of controlling fuel flow in a gas turbine engine. First, detect a surge condition. Set fuel flow demand (W) proportional to compressor discharge pressure (P). Detect actual fuel flow (W). Then apply an enhanced schedule () for fuel flow demand (W) while fuel flow demand (W) is less than a predefined proportion (k) of actual fuel flow (W). Also a gas turbine engine (), fuel flow system () and fuel flow control system () each implementing the method ().

A rotor assembly () comprising a rotor () having an annular array of rotor blades (), the rotor mounted to a shaft (). A phonic wheel () coupled to the shaft. A speed sensor () axially aligned with the phonic wheel and configured to measure voltage (V), amplitude of the voltage being proportional to clearance () between the sensor and phonic wheel. A processor () configured to: receive the voltage measurement; derive shaft speed (&#x3c9;) from the voltage measurement; identify modulation of the voltage amplitude at a frequency which is an integer multiple of the shaft speed; compare voltage amplitude to a threshold; and output a rotor damage signal based on the comparison.

Rotor blade damage

An engine that has, in axial flow series, booster compressor, core compressor, combustion equipment, core turbine, and low-pressure turbine. Core turbine drives core compressor via an interconnecting high-pressure shaft. Low-pressure turbine drives booster compressor via an interconnecting low-pressure shaft. Low-pressure turbine also drives external load having a defined speed characteristic that dictates speed of the low-pressure turbine and booster compressor. Booster compressor has one or more rows of variable stator vanes. The method includes: scheduling variation in the angle of variable stator vanes as a function of speed of the booster compressor wherein the vanes open as booster compressor speed increases; measuring or setting one or more operational parameters which are determinative of temperature at entry to core turbine; and biasing scheduling of angle variation of variable stator vanes as a function of operational parameter(s) to reduce variation in temperature at entry to core turbine.

Control of a gas turbine engine

A method to detect shaft break includes monitoring first and second parameters and defining a two-dimensional parameter space that is a function of the first and second parameters, the two-dimensional parameter space includes integration regions. The method also includes defining an integration function for each integration region. For measured values of the first and second parameters, the method determines the applicable integration region and applies the integration function to the first parameter to give an integration result; and then sets a shaft break signal to TRUE when the integration result exceeds a predetermined threshold. The present invention also provides a shaft break detection system.

Shaft break detection

A gas turbine engine control system comprising a variable stator vane schedule for normal operation of the gas turbine engine. The system is configured to generate an arm signal indicating potential shaft break. Then the system is configured to alter the variable stator vane schedule to slew each variable stator vane to decrease the available surge margin in response to the arm signal. Or the system is configured to limit a response rate of a variable stator vane actuator in response to the arm signal. Or the system is configured to alter the variable stator vane schedule and limit the response rate of the actuator.

Surge margin control

A shaft break detection system and a method of detecting shaft break for a gas turbine engine. A first indication is calculated from measured rotational speed of a shaft. A second indication is calculated from the rotational speed. A shaft break signal is generated if both indications are true.

A turbine fuel supply system is disclosed as including a first sub-system having: a first nozzle for injecting fuel into a combustor of a turbine engine; a first valve controllable to communicate fuel to the first nozzle; and a first fuel manifold for communicating fuel to the first valve from a fuel source; the system further including a controller assembly for raising the pressure of fuel in the first fuel manifold; and the system being characterized in that the first valve is adapted to open in response to a predetermined pressure difference between the first fuel manifold and the pressure in the combustor, thereby allowing fuel to be communicated from the first fuel manifold to the first nozzle. The system may include a first recirculating conduit in fluid communication with the first fuel manifold and the fuel source, the first recirculating conduit allowing fuel not communicated by the first valve to be returned to the fuel source.

Fuel supply system

A compressor variable stator vane arrangement comprises at least one stage of variable stator vanes. A speed sensor measures the rotational speed of the compressor rotor. A pressure sensor measures the outlet pressure of the compressor. A second pressure sensor, a temperature sensor and a third pressure sensor measure the total inlet pressure, the temperature and the ambient pressure at the inlet of the gas turbine engine. A processor determines a target operating line as a function of ambient pressure and total inlet pressure. The target operating line is defined to ensure the gas turbine engine operates simultaneously at both the minimum required compressor speed and the minimum required compressor outlet pressure when commanded to idle to minimize idle thrust and fuel burn. The processor determines if the operating point of the compressor, defined in terms of corrected outlet pressure and corrected rotational speed of the compressor rotor is above or below the target operating line of the compressor. The processor adjusts the angle of the variable stator vanes to make the operating point operate on the target operating line.

Gas turbine engine compressor variable stator vane arrangement

The present invention relates to control of engine variable of a gas turbine engine to regulate the surge margins of at least two compressors. A controller () receives data measured from engine sensors () and uses said data to determine an indication of surge margin for each of at least two compressors () of the gas turbine engine. The controller () uses the indications of surge margin for each of the compressors to determine a control strategy that balances the requirements of each compressor. In one embodiment a surge margin operating map divided into different control domains () is used. The indication of surge margin determined for each compressor is plotted to determine which control domains the current operating point on the surge margin operating map falls within. The invention is particularly suited to control binary bleed valves associated with the compressors and the position of the current operating point in a control domain and/or the time spent in the operating domain can be used to determine how many of the binary valves should be opened or closed.

Surge margin regulation

An apparatus and method for inducing waves within a container arranged to permit a through-flow of fluid flowing generally from an inlet of the container to an exit of the container, wherein the container has wave inducing means located at the exit of the container, the wave inducing means being operable to vary the area of the exit thereby inducing waves within the container. The apparatus may form part of a combustor test rig.

Growing community of inventors

Derby, United Kingdom

Arthur Laurence Rowe