Sundstrand Corporation

Solar Turbines Inc.

Sunstrand Corporation

Robert C White

Rainer Kurz

A gas turbine engine includes a compressor, a combustor, a turbine, a power turbine shaft, and a gas producer shaft. The compressor includes a compressor rotor assembly including a plurality of compressor disk assemblies. The turbine includes a turbine rotor assembly including a power turbine section and a gas producer section. The power turbine shaft is coupled to the power turbine section and is configured to couple to a first driven apparatus. The gas producer shaft is coupled to the gas producer section and the compressor rotor assembly, and is configured to couple to a second driven apparatus.

Gas turbine engine with multiple load outputs

A fluid compression system is disclosed. The fluid compression system may include a first compressor disposed in a first fluid conduit, a first valve disposed in the first fluid conduit upstream of the first compressor, a second valve disposed in the first fluid conduit downstream of the first compressor, a second compressor in fluid communication with the first compressor and configured to selectively pump fluid from the first compressor.

Fluid compression system

A method of operating a compressor of a compressor system uses three models. Each model of the three models describes a surge line of the compressor as a function of any two of three operating parameters of the compressor. The three operating parameters include head (H), flow (Q), and speed (N). The method includes measuring operating characteristics of the compressor system using sensors, and determining a current value of the three operating parameters based on at least some of the measured operating characteristics. The method also includes locating operating points of the compressor on each of the three models based on the current value of the operating parameters, and identifying a sensor fault that affects the determination of at least one of the operating parameters. The method further includes avoiding surge of the compressor using one model of the three models. The one model being a model that is a function of two operating parameters unaffected by the sensor fault.

Continuing compressor operation through redundant algorithms

A starting system (10) for a gas turbine (24) in accordance with the invention includes an electric motor (14); and a clutch (20) having an input (18) for receiving torque from the electric motor when the electric motor is activated during starting of the turbine and an output (22) for rotating the gas turbine during starting of the turbine, the clutch having a torque transfer characteristic between the input and the output with no torque being transferred when a rotational speed of the input is below a set speed which is a fraction of a speed at which the gas turbine is self-sustaining in producing output torque and transferring torque above the set speed between the input and output with the set speed being chosen with respect to a power output characteristic of the electric motor as a function of speed of the motor which produces acceleration of the motor to self-sustaining speed while minimizing energy required for starting.

Starting system for a gas turbine and method of starting a gas turbine

A control (100) for a turbine engine (104) contained in a power unit in accordance with the invention includes a housing (103) mounted on a surface (11) containing the turbine; a power takeoff (106) providing rotary power from the turbine into the housing; an electrical power generator (108) contained within the housing which is driven by the power takeoff for providing electrical power within the housing; at least one sensor (16, 18, 20 and 22) for sensing an operational parameter of the turbine engine; and a controller (119) contained within the housing, for controlling operation of the turbine engine in response to signals coupled to the control from at least one sensor.

Control and protection system for turbine engines contained within a

A gas turbine ignition system (40) in accordance with the invention includes a power takeoff (42) coupled to the turbine for providing rotary power upon rotation of a rotor of the turbine; a clutch (48) having an input (46) coupled to the power takeoff and an output (50) which outputs torque applied to the input when the rotor is rotating at a velocity less than a velocity at which the turbine is self-sustaining and which does not output torque when the rotor is rotating at a velocity at least as great as the self-sustaining speed without control from an external source; a permanent magnet generator (52) coupled to the output for generating electrical power in response to the rotation of the rotor; and an ignition system (16) powered by the electrical power generated by the permanent magnet generator for producing ignition pulses coupled to a combustor within the turbine until the output of the clutch is disengaged from the input.

Gas turbine ignition system

A printed circuit board guide apparatus for guiding a printed circuit board to a mounted position in an area of limited access including a plurality of first tabs extending from a first edge of the printed circuit board and a plurality of second tabs extending from a second edge of the printed circuit board. The second edge of the printed circuit board is directly opposite to the first edge of the printed circuit board. The present invention also includes first and second guide units disposed in a spaced apart parallel relationship to each other and each guide unit including a plurality of guide tabs extending from a top surface and a ledge extending from a bottom surface parallel to the guide tabs. The guide tabs and the ledge form a channel which extends from a first end of the guide unit to a second end of the guide unit. The first and second tabs of the printed circuit board and the guide tabs of the first and second guide units are arranged for permitting the printed circuit board to be dropped into the first and second guide units and pushed along the channels riding on the ledges to the mounted position within the area of limited access.

Printed circuit board guide apparatus for a limited access area

A two-speed centrifugally shifted automatic transmission provides an overdrive output shaft rotational speed that may be three times the rotational speed of the input shaft (12). A shift point at a partial speed may provide a direct drive through an overrunning clutch (33). A spline mounted shift engagement ring (46) is adapted to slide axially within housing (10) to restrain planet carrier ring (36) from rotating at start-up. After reaching a predetermined input shaft rotational speed, the shift engagement ring (46) moves to its extreme left position (FIG. 1), thereby allowing the planet carrier ring (36) to rotate and the rotational speed of the output shaft (14) to be driven by the overrunning clutch (33).

Two-speed automatic transmission

An improved DC to DC conveter is disclosed which is highly stable and has a highly regulated ouptut voltage. A pulse width modulator drives a switch for interrupting the flow of current through an inductor. A combination of feed forward and feedback control of the pulse width modulator is provided with the majority of control being provided by the feed forward component. The pulse width of the pulses from the width modulator is directly proportional to the feed forward and feedback components of the pulse duration control signal. Preferably, approximately 75%-90% of the pulse duration control signal is provided by the feed forward component.

Advanced feed forward switch mode power suppply control

A constant spark rate ignition exciter is disclosed which functions to store a predetermined constant amount of energy in an energy storage element of an ignition system independent of power supply variations. A first embodiment of the invention is a capacitive discharge ignition system. A second embodiment of the invention is an inductive discharge ignition system. Each embodiment produces the constant frequency ignition pulses by the counting of a predetermined count in a counter. The interval during which energy is stored in energy storage elements of the embodiments of the invention is determined by sensing the power supply potential and controlling the time interval for coupling the power supply to the energy storage element in a manner which is inversely proportional to the sensed voltage.

Constant spark rate ignition exciter

A constant energy ignition system is disclosed. A first programmable one shot multivibrator controls the dwell of an energy storage device and the firing time to produce an ignition pulse from the stored energy. A second programmable one shot multivibrator, having a duty cycle inversely proportional to the power supply voltage provides the time base for the dwell. A control signal, proportional to the difference of the integrals of the outputs of the first and second one shot multivibrators controls the duty cycle of the first programmable one shot multivibrator.

Constant spark energy, inductive discharge ignition system

An improved electrically driven fuel control system for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The system utilizes a combination of variation in power applied to an electrically powered drive of a positive displacement fuel pump and braking to achieve an optimized response characteristic approaching that of mechanically driven fuel systems directly driven from the gas turbine engine. In the preferred embodiment, for a decrease in fuel delivery exceeding a predetermined limit control of the electric drive for the fuel pump is achieved by braking. For decreases in fuel delivery having a magnitude less than the predetermined limit and for fuel increases, control is achieved by varying the power applied to the electric drive for the fuel pump.

Electrically driven fuel pump for gas turbine engines

An improved direct drive motorized actuator control for a bleed valve in a gas turbine engine is disclosed. Position information of the bleed valve is produced by processing of a velocity signal derived from sensing motion of the bleed valve into a synthetic position signal having a magnitude proportional to the number of pulses contained in the velocity signal and a sign which is a function of the direction of rotation. The movement of the bleed valve is controlled by a control signal which is a function of the difference between a valve positioning command and the synthetic position signal. The sign of the synthetic position signal is controlled as a function of the control signal. The synthetic position signal has a time constant which causes it to decay with time to prevent the accumulation of error in the system. The invention achieves precise control of the bleed valve without utilization of expensive absolute position feedback circuitry.

Direct drive motorized acutator control for bleed valves

A switch mode power supply is disclosed having a pair of switch mode power supply sections which are maintained precisely 180.degree. out of phase and precisely matched in duty cycle. The phase locking of the switch mode power supply sections produces an output voltage which is substantially free of harmonics which requires greatly reduced filtering. A phase lock loop is provided for controlling the phase and duty cycle between the first and second sections of the switch mode power supply.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Robert C White