Rolls-Royce Corporation

Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.

Other

Rolls-Royce Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Rolls-Royce Pic

Peter Michael Schenk

Mathew Hill

Rigoberto Jorge Rodriguez

Erik Alexander Munevar

Jacob W Harral

David Locascio

David Loder

Govindaraj Kalyanasamy

Michael Joseph Kabbes

William Eugene Clem

Stephen Andrew Long

Chandana Jayampathi Gajanayake

David Russell Trawick

Martin Albini

Michael P Dougherty

Krishnamoorthi Sivalingam

Michael Adam Zagrodnik

Stephen John Mountain

Cory R Williamson

Erik G Green

Darius Eghbal

Mathivanan Anand Prabhu

Teh Yee Siang

David Kopeschka

Jeffrey Lawrence

Brian Joseph Huber

Douglas Keith Schetzel, Ii

Melvin Yang Yueng Yap

Mark Angelo Tanner

Jeffrey Coffee

Stephen P Long

Jacob Ward Harral

A starting apparatus for a first gas turbine engine of a plurality of gas turbine engines of an aircraft. The apparatus includes an air turbine starter, an electric machine, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive an emergency restart command for the first gas turbine engine while the aircraft is in-flight, determine whether the first gas turbine engine is in operation, determine whether at least a second gas turbine engine of the plurality of gas turbine engines is in operation, and, responsive to receiving the emergency restart command and determining that at least the second gas turbine engine of the plurality of gas turbine engines is in operation and that the first gas turbine engine is not in operation, perform an emergency restart of the first gas turbine engine.

Emergency start of a gas turbine engine

A rotor assembly for an electric machine includes a rotor segment configured to rotate about an axis and having a rotor body, a side wall and an outer band that cooperate to form a cavity, a plurality of magnets located in the cavity, and an end plate configured to block the plurality of magnets within the cavity.

Rotor with magnet retention band for use with electric machines

An example system includes a thermal energy system configured to transport thermal energy harvested from a first portion of a gas turbine engine to a second portion of the gas turbine engine after the gas turbine engine was in operation, wherein the transported thermal energy minimizes or prevents undesired contact or seizing of a rotor with another component of the gas turbine engine due to warping of the rotor due to uneven cooling of the gas turbine engine after the operation. The thermal energy system includes a cavity configured to flow a fluid, wherein the fluid is configured to transport thermal energy from the first portion to the second portion.

Thermal energy system to minimize or eliminate rotor bow

A system includes a gas turbine engine configured to provide propulsion to an aircraft and a starter system configured to start the gas turbine engine. The starter system comprises a motor controller and a closed-loop cooling system configured to cool the motor controller during an emergency in-flight restart operation of the gas turbine engine. The closed-loop cooling system includes a cooling fluid reservoir containing cooling fluid. The cooling fluid is configured to receive thermal energy from the motor controller during the emergency in-flight restart operation of the gas turbine engine.

Motor and motor controller thermal management features

An example system includes a power electronics system; a starter electrically connected to the power electronics system and configured to start a gas-turbine engine of an aircraft; and an energy storage system electrically connected to the power electronics system and configured to provide direct current (DC) electrical energy to the power electronics system, wherein the power electronics system is configured to deliver alternating current (AC) electrical energy to the starter to start the gas-turbine engine using the DC electrical energy from the energy storage system and AC electrical energy sourced from an AC electrical bus of the aircraft.

Gas-turbine electrical start system

An example system includes an electrical machine electrically configured to generate electrical energy used by one or more components of a gas-turbine engine; an energy storage system; and a controller electrically connected to the energy storage system and configured to receive electrical energy from the energy storage system, wherein, in response to the gas-turbine engine being shut off, the controller is configured to cause the electrical machine to rotate a rotor of the gas-turbine engine using the energy received from the energy storage system.

Electrical energy system for barring rotor

In examples, a clutch assembly includes a first clutch member disposed near a first end of a first shaft. The first clutch member defines a first surface. The first shaft includes a starter motor coupled to a second end of the first shaft. The clutch assembly includes a second clutch member disposed near a first end of a second shaft. The second clutch member defines a second surface opposing the first surface, and the second shaft includes an accessory gearbox of a gas turbine engine coupled to a second end of the second shaft. The surfaces of the first and second clutch member engage such that rotational motion is transferred between the first clutch member and the second clutch member. The first clutch member and the second clutch member are configured to passively disengage from each other and actively reengage with each other.

Offset clutch mechanism for electric starting and barring motor of a gas-turbine engine

An example system includes one or more heaters configured and positioned to add thermal energy to one or more portions of a gas turbine engine after the gas turbine engine was in operation, wherein the thermal energy minimizes or prevents undesired contact or seizing of a rotor of the gas turbine engine with another component of the gas turbine engine due to warping of the rotor due to uneven cooling of the gas turbine engine after the operation. The system further includes a controller configured to control operation of the one or more heaters.

A battery pack core may include a cold plate comprising a plurality of apertures defined between a first major surface and a second major surface of the cold plate; a plurality of battery cells, a single battery cell positioned in each aperture of the plurality of apertures such that a first end of the battery cell projects beyond the first major surface and a second end of the battery cell projects beyond the second major surface; and a plurality of silicone bushings, a silicone bushing surrounding each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells and contacting a wall of the aperture in which the battery cell is positioned.

Battery pack core for fire and explosion protection for battery module

An example system includes a common electric starter controller configured to control electric starters of a plurality of gas-turbine engines that are configured to propel an aircraft, wherein the common electric starter comprises: a driver configured to generate, using electrical energy sourced from a battery of the aircraft, power signals that control the electric starters; and a plurality of bus bars configured to directly connect the common electric starter controller to the battery and transport the electrical energy from the battery to the common electric starter controller.

Bus bar interconnect for low voltage battery start of gas-turbine engine

A rotor assembly includes a rotor core having an axial length and configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis and at least one permanent magnet disposed about a radially outer surface of the rotor core. The rotor assembly further includes an electrical insulator disposed between the radially outer surface of the rotor core and the at least one permanent magnet and configured to disrupt an electrical conduction path along the axial length of the rotor core.

Composite rotor

A propulsion system for an aircraft includes a propeller assembly, a controller, and a pump system. The propeller assembly includes a propeller and a power system, the power system including an electric motor and a motor converter. The controller is connected to the power system and configured to switch the power system into a power-off arrangement in response to a temperature of the motor converter being greater than a threshold temperature. The pump system includes a pump and a coolant circuit that cools the motor converter. The pump is coupled to the propeller and to the motor such that rotation of either drives the pump.

Propeller driven backup cooling pump system for electric motor converter

A voltage controlled aircraft electric propulsion system includes an electric propulsion system. The voltage controlled aircraft electric propulsion system may include electric propulsors providing thrust for the aircraft. In hybrid systems, a gas turbine engine may also be included. The electric propulsion system may include at least one electric generator power source, at least one propulsor motor load, and at least one stored energy power source, such as a battery. The propulsor motor load may be supplied power from a power supply bus. The voltage of the power supply bus may be adjusted according to an altitude of the aircraft while maintaining a substantially constant current flow to the propulsor motor load. Due to the adjustment to lower voltages at increased altitude, insulations levels may be lower.

Voltage controlled aircraft electric propulsion system

The present disclosure is directed to an aircraft with an accessory system configured to be powered independent of the primary propulsion system by a ram air turbine power system. The ram air turbine power system illustratively includes an accessory generator integrated with a turbine rotor as well as other components so as to manage space claim and offer unique functionality.

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Greenwood, IN, United States of America

Peter Michael Schenk