Rolls-royce Corporation

Other

Christopher A Murray

Nicholas Howarth

Richard Geoffrey Stretton

Ian J Bousfield

Daniel Swain

Mark J E Bellis

John Zamick

Mark Bellis

A blower system for supplying pressurized air to an airframe of an aircraft comprises: an air inlet for receiving air from an air source; an air outlet for supplying pressurized air to an airframe; a blower compressor in fluid communication with the air inlet and the air outlet, the blower compressor comprising a first rotor and a second rotor, wherein the first and second rotors are independently rotatable in order to compress air received from the air inlet and deliver the compressed air to the air outlet; a variable transmission comprising a first output for driving the first rotor, a second output for driving the second rotor, and first, second and third inputs; and first and second electrical machines, each comprising an electric rotor and an electric stator, wherein: the first input of the variable transmission is configured to be mechanically coupled to a spool of a gas turbine engine; the second input of the transmission is mechanically coupled to the electric rotor of the first electrical machine; the third input of the transmission is mechanically coupled to the electric rotor of the second electrical machine; and the electric stators of the first and second electrical machines are electrically connected to an electrical power management system configured to control the supply of electrical power to the first and second electrical machines in order to control the speed of the first and second outputs of the variable transmission.

Blower system

A guide vane assembly includes a guide vane and a sealing assembly slidable along a span of the guide vane relative to the guide vane and extending along a chordal axis and the span of the guide vane. The sealing assembly includes a plate configured to be disposed around at least a portion of an external surface of the guide vane. The sealing assembly further includes a manifold coupled to the plate and configured to receive pressurized fluid therein. The manifold is disposed around the plate. The sealing assembly further includes a plurality of flow tubes extending between the manifold and the plate. Each of the plurality of flow tubes are configured to receive the pressurized fluid from the manifold.

Guide vane assembly

A blower system for a gas turbine engine comprising: a rotor assembly, an airframe port and a routing-control valve. The rotor assembly is configured to be mechanically coupled to a spool of the gas turbine engine. The airframe port is configured to receive and discharge air to an airframe system. The routing-control valve comprises: a primary channel for bidirectional flow between the rotor assembly and the airframe port; a primary valve member configured to open and close the primary channel; and an auxiliary channel branched from the primary channel. The auxiliary channel is configured to bypass the primary valve member for: a first auxiliary flow from the airframe port to the rotor assembly; or a second auxiliary flow for purging air from the rotor assembly to a discharge port. The blower system is configured to operate in an engine drive mode and in a blower mode.

Blower system for bidirectional flow

There is provided a gas turbine engine comprising a blower system for supplying pressurised air to an airframe via an airframe port. The blower system comprises a compressor configured to receive air from a bypass duct or a core of the gas turbine engine and to discharge compressed air into a delivery line extending from the compressor to the airframe port. The blower system also comprises a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the compressed air to a coolant and a valve arrangement configured to switch between operation of the blower system in a baseline mode and a cooling mode, the valve arrangement being configured to: selectively divert the compressed air within the delivery line to the heat exchanger for operation in the cooling mode; and/or selectively provide the coolant to the heat exchanger for operation in the cooling mode.

Gas turbine engine

There is provided an air pressurisation system comprising: a blower compressor coupled to a spool of a gas turbine engine and configured to receive inlet air from a bypass duct of the gas turbine engine; an air treatment apparatus to mix air from the air cycle line with air from the bypass line to control a temperature of air for discharge to an airframe system; and a core bleed line configured to provide a second inlet flow of air from a compressor of the gas turbine engine to the air treatment apparatus in an augmented air supply mode of the air pressurisation system; wherein the core bleed line is configured to provide the second inlet flow of air directly to the bypass line or mix the second inlet flow of air with air from the blower compressor upstream of the bypass line.

Air pressurisation system

A cabin blower system, for an aircraft, comprising: a cabin blower compressor, for compressing air for delivery to a cabin of an aircraft, comprising a compressor drive shaft running on a contactless bearing system; and a transmission comprising an input and an output, the input being arranged to receive power from an engine of the aircraft and the output being arranged to mechanically drive the cabin blower compressor, wherein the output of the transmission is mechanically coupled with the compressor drive shaft via a flexible drive coupling.

Cabin blower system

There is provided a blower system for providing air to an airframe system, comprising a rotor configured to be mechanically coupled to a spoolof a gas turbine engine, wherein the rotor is configured to: in a blower mode, be driven to rotate by the spool to discharge air to an airframe discharge port for supply to an airframe system; and, in an engine drive mode, receive air from an external air source via an impingement port that is configured to direct the received air onto the rotor and thereby drive the rotor to rotate to drive the spool to.

A variable speed pumping system, for an aircraft, comprising: a first electrical machine, the first electrical machine comprising an electrical machine rotor shaft mechanically connected to an engine of the aircraft and electrical machine stator coils; an electric pump motor-generator, the electric pump motor-generator comprising an electric pump rotor shaft mechanically connected to the electrical machine rotor shaft via a one way drive arrangement and electric pump stator coils; wherein the electric pump rotor shaft is mechanically connected to a fluid pumping system.

Variable speed pumping system with electric pump motor generator

There is provided a dynamic sealing assembly for a rotary machine, comprising a primary sandwich plate, a secondary sandwich plate and a bristle pack. The primary sandwich plate comprises a plurality of primary vane openings, and the secondary sandwich plate comprises a plurality of secondary vane openings. The bristle pack comprises a plurality of bristles and is disposed between the primary sandwich plate and the secondary sandwich plate. Each of the plurality of primary vane openings overlies and aligns with a respective secondary vane opening to form a vane channel for receiving a vane along a longitudinal axis of the dynamic sealing assembly. The bristle pack is configured to: provide a brush seal between each vane received within the respective vane channels and the dynamic sealing assembly; and allow relative movement between the dynamic sealing assembly and the vane received within each vane channel along the longitudinal axis.

Dynamic sealing assembly

A blower assembly for providing air to an airframe system, including a rotor configured to be mechanically coupled to a spool of a gas turbine engine and a flow modifier configured to receive and/or direct flow to the rotor; wherein the blower assembly is configured to permit relative movement between the rotor and the flow modifier to move between: a compressor configuration in which the rotor is configured to be driven to rotate by the spool and to receive and compress air from the gas turbine engine, and discharge the compressed air for supply to the airframe system; and a turbine configuration in which the rotor is configured to receive air from an external air source to drive the spool to rotate.

Blower assembly

A valve assembly includes a fluid flow passage, a valve seat, and an actuator assembly. The actuator assembly includes an actuator body stationary relative to the valve seat and a valve member moveable relative to the valve seat between a first position in which the valve member engages the valve seat, and a second position in which the valve member is remote from the valve seat. The valve member includes at least one orifice extending therethrough. The actuator assembly further includes a bellows attached to the valve member and to the actuator body. An interior surface of the bellows, the actuator body, and the valve member define a control chamber therebetween. An exterior surface of the bellows and the valve member define an outer volume therebetween such that the outer volume is around the control chamber. The at least one orifice fluidly communicates the control chamber with the outer volume.

Valve assembly

A controller assembly comprises an electromechanical actuator and a single-stage pneumatic flow switch configured to thermally protect the electromechanical actuator by a supply of cooling fluid. The single-stage pneumatic flow switch is movable between a first mode in which the switch is configured to open a cooling fluid flow passage and a second mode in which the switch is configured to close the cooling fluid flow passage. The electromechanical actuator is coupled to a valve movable between an open and a closed configuration.

Controller assembly

The valve includes a casing arrangeable so the fluid in the passage flows over an outer side. The valve includes a piston axially slidably positionable within the casing, and the axial position regulates the fluid pressure in the poppet valve passage downstream, an annular clearance between the piston and casing. The valve includes a dynamic seal between the piston and casing to seal the annular clearance end. The valve includes a piston chamber located on the dynamic seal opposing side of the annular clearance so a leakage flow may cross the dynamic seal between the annular clearance and piston chamber. The fluid pressure in the piston chamber varies the axial position within the casing. A diversion path formed in the casing diverts fluid for the leakage flow into the annular clearance from the fluid flow in the passage, the diversion path having filter to filter debris from the diverted fluid.

Poppet valve

The invention provides techniques for adaptive load balancing. Techniques are provided for monitoring a server's operating conditions; determining, based on the server's operating conditions, when to send a behavior modification hint to one or more clients that are being served by the server; generating the behavior modification hint based on the server's operating conditions; and sending the behavior modification hint to the one or more clients. A client receives the behavior modification hint and, based on the behavior modification hint, alters a timeout value related to the server or alters its preferred server.

Growing community of inventors

Nottingham, United Kingdom

Christopher A Murray