Rolls-royce North American Technologies Inc.

Rolls-royce Corporation

Michael Karam

Daniel Kent Vetters

Douglas David Dierksmeier

Robert T Duge

Kenneth M Pesyna

Bryan H Lerg

Kaare Erickson

Andrew J Eifert

Eric Sean Donovan

Michael Stephen Krautheim

Craig E Heathco

Jonathan Sands

Donald G Chouinard

Kyle Klein

A turbine wheel for a gas turbine engine including a compressor impeller and a radial inflow turbine integral to or attached to the compressor impeller is provided. A compressor turbine wheel including features to increase surface area of a surface of the compressor impeller and/or the radial inflow turbine and/or a passage to flow air between the compressor impeller and the radial inflow turbine is further provided. Methods for cooling radial inflow turbines integral to compressor impellers are further provided.

Compressor turbine wheel

A gas turbine engine includes a centrifugal compressor, a combustor, a radial turbine, and a cooling air metering system. The centrifugal compressor is configured to rotate about an axis to produce compressed air. The combustor is fluidly connected downstream of the centrifugal compressor to receive the compressed air from the centrifugal compressor. The radial turbine is fluidly connected with the combustor and is axially spaced apart from the centrifugal compressor. The cooling air metering system is configured to selectively block or allow a portion of the compressed air flowing radially between the centrifugal compressor and the radial turbine, bypassing the combustor, and through a heat exchanger for cooling the radial turbine and other components.

Gas turbine engine with radial turbine having modulated fuel cooled cooling air

Vehicles, such as aircraft, may include turbine-based combined cycle power plants (TBCC) for power to achieve high-mach speeds. An anti-unstart configuration provides control for transitioning between the amount of air directed to either engine during operation of gas turbine engine and scramjet engines, to avoid unstart during operation above sonic speeds.

Anti-unstart for combined cycle high mach vehicles

A gas turbine engine includes a fan and an engine core that includes a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. The fan and the compressor include variable pitch geometry. The gas turbine engine further includes a control system configured to adjust the variable pitch geometry of the fan and the compressor to optimize a performance characteristic of the gas turbine engine.

Gas turbine engine with variable pitch fan and variable pitch compressor geometry

System and methods are provided that use a recharge device to resupply a reservoir and tank with fluids used to power a turbine, which in turn powers a generator, wherein one of the resupplied fluids is used to cool a load that is powered by the generator.

Closed compressed gas power and thermal management system

Systems and methods are provided that use compressed gas to power a turbine, which in turn powers a generator, where an expansion of the compressed gas provides cooling for an electrical load that is powered by the generator.

Compressed gas integrated power and thermal management system

A container may be supplied with an incompressible fluid. For example, the container may be partially or completely prefilled with the incompressible fluid. The container may be supplied with a flow of compressible gas via a first valve. The first valve may regulate the flow of the compressible gas supplied to the container based on a pressure setting of the first valve. A second valve may release the incompressible fluid from the container as the container is filled with the compressible gas and in response to a pressure of the container being greater than a pressure setting of the second valve. The pressure setting of the first valve may be greater than the pressure setting of the second valve.

Rapid fill container system

A system for providing auxiliary power in an aircraft. A propulsion core comprises a compressor, a combustor, a turbine, and a shaft. An accessory unit comprises an accessory combustor, an accessory turbine, and an accessory shaft. A tank is configured to hold high pressure air and operably connected to the accessory unit. An electric generator comprises an electrical output and a mechanical input, with the mechanical input operably connected to the accessory shaft and the electrical output operably connected to an electric motor operably connected to the shaft. The electrical output is operably connected to an auxiliary power consuming device in the aircraft.

System and method for reducing specific fuel consumption (SFC) in a turbine powered aircraft

A gas turbine engine includes a lubrication system, fuel system and thermoelectric heat exchanger adapted for selective operation in response to operational states of the gas turbine engine.

Gas turbine engine with thermoelectric system

Systems and methods of augmenting the thrust of the prime power engine(s) of an aircraft from a tank of compressed gas are described herein.

Altitude augmentation system

A gas turbine engine includes a cooling air system, a coolant system, and a thermoelectric heat exchanger adapted for selective operation in response to operational states of the gas turbine engine.

Gas turbine engine with thermoelectric cooling air heat exchanger

A gas turbine engine includes a compressor, a cooling source, and a thermoelectric intercooler adapted for selective operation in response to operational states of the gas turbine engine.

Gas turbine engine with thermoelectric intercooler

A gas turbine engine system is disclosed which includes a core passage and a bypass passage which can be configured as a fan bypass duct or a third stream bypass duct. The core passage and bypass passage are routed to flow through a nozzle before exiting overboard an aircraft. The nozzle includes moveable members capable of changing a configuration of the nozzle. In one form the moveable members are capable of changing throat area for portions of the nozzle that receive working fluid from the core passage and the bypass passage. The bypass passage can include a branch. In one form the branch can include a heat exchanger. The bypass passage can also provide cooling to one or more portions of the nozzle, such as cooling to a deck of the nozzle.

Aircraft powerplant with moveable nozzle member

A gas turbine engine is disclosed which includes a bypass passage that in some embodiments are capable of being configured to act as a resonance space. The resonance space can be used to attenuate/accentuate/etc a noise produced elsewhere. The bypass passage can be configured in a number of ways to form the resonance space. For example, the space can have any variety of geometries, configurations, etc. In one non-limiting form the resonance space can attenuate a noise forward of the bypass duct. In another non-limiting form the resonance space can attenuate a noise aft of the bypass duct. Any number of variations is possible.

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Plainfield, IN, United States of America

Michael Karam