Rolls-royce Deutschland Ltd & Co. Kg

Rolls-royce Corporation

Jorge Calderon

David Brown

A gas turbine engine control system and a method for limiting turbine overspeed in case of a shaft failure. An overspeed protection system detects a shaft failure of the engine. A variable stator vane mechanism adjusts stator vanes of a compressor of the engine in their rotational position, and is activated to move at least one row of the stator vanes into a closed position which blocks air flow through the compressor in case a shaft failure is detected. Bleed valves in the compressor have closed and open positions and divert in the opened position airflow through the compressor to a bypass channel. A detection system detects directly or indirectly the position of the stator vanes, and the control system sets the bleed valves to the open position when the detection system detects that the stator vanes have moved into the closed position.

Gas turbine engine control system and method for limiting turbine overspeed in case of a shaft failure

A method for in-flight monitoring of the health of an aero gas turbine engine including in flow series a compressor system, a core gas generator including a combustor, and a turbine, and further including a shaft system connecting the turbine to the compressor system and forming a torque path there between. The method includes: measuring a first rotational speed of a forward portion of the shaft system; measuring a second rotational speed of a rear portion of the shaft system; measuring other operational parameters of the engine; calculating from the measured rotational speeds the power delivered by the torque path from the turbine to the compressor system; calculating from the other measured operational parameters the power delivered to the turbine by the core gas generator; correlating the power delivered by the torque path at a given time with the power delivered to the turbine at that time.

In-flight monitoring of aero engine health

A gas turbine engine, and an aircraft including the gas turbine engine. The gas turbine engine comprising: an engine core comprising a turbine, a compressor, and a shaft system connecting the turbine to the compressor. The shaft system is axially located by a thrust bearing located forward of the turbine, and the engine is configured such that, in the event of a shaft break which divides the shaft system into a front portion located by the thrust bearing and a rear portion unlocated by the thrust bearing, the rear portion is free to move axially rearwardly under a gas load; and the engine further comprises an axial movement sensor configured to register a shaft break when it detects the axial movement of the rear portion of the shaft system.

Gas turbine engine

A gas turbine engine, includes: an engine core including a turbine, compressor, and shaft system connecting the turbine to the compressor, and forming a torque path therebetween. The shaft system is axially located by a thrust bearing located forward of the turbine, and the engine is configured, in the event of a shaft break which divides the shaft system into a front portion located by the thrust bearing and a rear portion unlocated by the thrust bearing, the rear portion is free to move axially rearwardly under a gas load. The engine further includes a shaft break detector having a forward speed sensor configured to measure a rotational speed of the front portion of the shaft system, and a rear microwave sensor configured to measure a rotational speed of the rear portion of the shaft system, wherein a shaft break can be detected based on differences in the measured speeds.

The invention regards a gas turbine engine control system and a method for limiting turbine overspeed in case of a shaft failure. The control system includes: an overspeed protection system that activates an activation member in case a shaft failure is detected; a fuel limiting mechanism coupled with the activation member, wherein the fuel limiting mechanism is configured to limit the fuel supply to the gas turbine engine combustor if the activation member is activated; a variable stator vane mechanism which is configured to adjust variable stator vanes of a compressor of the gas turbine engine in their rotational position, the variable stator vanes having a closed position which blocks air flow through the compressor. A connecting fuel line connecting the fuel limiting mechanism and the variable stator vane mechanism is provided, wherein upon activation of the activation member the fuel limiting mechanism pressurizes the connecting fuel line, thereby activating the variable stator vane mechanism to move at least one row of the variable stator vanes into the closed position.

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Berlin, Germany

Jorge Calderon