Rolls-royce Corporation

Stephen Mark Husband

Alexander Charles Smith

David Reginald Trainer

Graham P Bruce

Paul Robert Miller

David F Brookes

Gareth Edward Moore

David Peter Scothern

Huw Llewelyn Edwards

Paul R Davies

Ahmed M Y Razak

Luke George

Timothy M S Myers

Jeffrey Hobday

David James Powell

John James Anthony Cullen

Kenneth S Gilmour

Paul Fletcher

Stephen Andrew Long

Chloe J Palmer

Arwyn S Thomas

Christopher Graham Bright

Geraint Wun Jewell

Stephen M Harrison

Zi-Qiang Zhu

Gian Incerpi

Ahmed My Razak

Stuart David Calverley

Peter Malkin

Brian E Simmers

Geoffrey A Wilkin

Philip M Sargent

Bradley S Payne

Geraint Wyn Jewell

Charalampos Manolopoulos

Roger Shuttleworth

Lixin Ren

Douglas M M Herbert

Stephen Williamson

Archie M Campbell

Tim A Coombs

Harsh Agarwal

Yongxin Pang

Simon Hodgson

Paul Tuohy

Huw Llewellyn Edwards

Nigel Schofield

Alexander C Smith

Andrew Oliver

Matteo Iacchetti

Xiaoze Pei

Douglas Herbert

John Cullen

Michael Philip Sargent

Tim Arthur Coombs

Archie Macrobert Campbell

Stephen Mark Harrison

An electrical system having a first dual-wound rotary electric machine mechanically coupled with a first gas turbine spool and having a first three-phase sub-machine and a second three-phase submachine; a second dual-wound rotary electric machine mechanically coupled with a second gas turbine spool and having a third three-phase sub-machine and a fourth three-phase submachine; and a set of N=4 bidirectional converter circuits for conversion of alternating current (ac) to and from direct current (dc), each of which has an associated index n=(1, . . . , N), and for all n, the ac side of the nth bidirectional converter circuit is connected with the nth three-phase sub-machine. The dc side of the first converter circuit is connected with the dc side of the third converter circuit, and the dc side of the second converter circuit is connected with the dc side of the fourth converter circuit.

Electrical systems with dual-wound rotary electric machines

A gas turbine engine for an aircraft comprises, in axial flow sequence, a compressor module, a combustor module, and a turbine module, with a first electric machine being rotationally connected to the turbine module. The first electrical machine is configured to generate a maximum electrical power P(W), and the gas turbine engine is configured to generate a maximum dry thrust T (N); and a ratio S of: is in a range of between 2.0 and 10.0.

Gas turbine engine

Multi-engine aircraft power and propulsion systems and methods of restarting an engine of a multi-engine aircraft during fight are provided. One such method comprises: determining a condition to the effect that a flame in the combustion equipment of the second gas turbine engine has been extinguished; responsive to the determination, supplying electrical power from the electrical energy storage system to one or more of the electric machines of the second gas turbine engine and operating said one or more electric machines as motors to limit a reduction in a speed of the one or more spools of the second gas turbine engine following extinguishment of the flame in its combustion equipment; and restarting the second gas turbine engine by relighting the combustion equipment of the second gas turbine engine.

Restarting a gas turbine engine

An aircraft gas turbine engine includes a heat exchanger module, and a core engine. The core engine includes an intermediate-pressure compressor, high-pressure compressor, and high and low-pressure turbines. The high-pressure compressor rotationally connects to the high-pressure turbine by a first shaft, and the intermediate-pressure compressor rotationally connects to the low-pressure turbine by a second shaft. The heat exchanger module fluidly communicates with the core engine by an inlet duct. The heat exchanger module includes a central hub and multiple heat transfer elements extending radially from the hub and spaced in a circumferential array, for heat energy transfer from a first fluid within the elements to an inlet airflow passing over a surface of the elements prior to airflow entry into an inlet to the core engine. The gas turbine engine further includes a first electric machine rotationally connected to the first shaft, and positioned downstream of the heat exchanger module.

Electrical systems for connecting rotary electric machines with gas turbine spools are provided. One such electrical system includes: a first rotary electric machine; a second rotary electric machine; a first set of bidirectional converter circuits; a second set of bidirectional converter circuits; and DC outputs for connection with an R-channel network. Each electrical machine is mechanically coupled with a respective gas turbine spool and has an identical even number N&#x2265;4 of phases, each phase having a respective index and including an identical number P&#x2265;1 of coils wound in a P-plex configuration in which adjacent phases are radially separated by 2&#x3c0;/NP mechanical radians. Each of the first and second converter circuits converts AC to and from DC, has a respective index n, and is connected with the P coils in the nth phase of the first and second rotary electric machines, respectively.

Electrical systems

Fault-tolerant electric drive systems including a machine having a rotor and a stator having coils arranged in pairs. Each coil in each pair separated by 180 degrees, a first phase (&#x3d5;A) having one of the coil pairs and a phase drive circuit connected therewith, a second phase (&#x3d5;B) having a second one of the coil pairs and a second phase drive circuit connected therewith, a third phase (&#x3d5;C) having a third one of the coil pairs and a third phase drive circuit connected therewith, and a fourth phase having a fourth one of the coil pairs and a fourth phase drive circuit connected therewith. Further included is a controller connected with the first, second, third and fourth phase drive circuits to control operation thereof.

Electric drive systems

Electrical systems for connecting rotary electric machines with gas turbine spools are provided. One such electrical system comprises: a first rotary electric machine mechanically coupled with a first gas turbine spool and a second rotary electric machine mechanically coupled with a second gas turbine spool, each said electric machine having an identical even number N&#x2265;4 of phases, each phase having a respective index n=(1, . . . , N), and each phase comprising an identical number P&#x2265;1 of coils wound in a P-plex configuration in which adjacent phases are radially separated by 2&#x3c0;/NP mechanical radians; a first set of N bidirectional converter circuits for conversion of alternating current (ac) to and from direct current (dc), each converter circuit having a respective index n and being connected with the P coils in the nth phase of the first rotary electric machine; and a second set of N bidirectional converter circuits for conversion of ac to and from dc, each converter circuit having a respective index n and being connected with the P coils in the nth phase of the second rotary electric machine. For all n, a dc side of the nth converter circuit in said first set is connected with a dc side of the nth converter circuit in said second set to facilitate dc power transfer between the first gas turbine spool and the second gas turbine spool.

Electrical system having two rotary electric machines coupled to two gas turbine spools

A superconducting fault current limiter () is shown. It comprises a cryostatic cooling system () for containing a cooling medium (), a superconducting wire () immersed in the cooling medium () and configured to carry a current, the superconducting wire () becoming non-superconducting above a critical current density, and a plurality of heat dissipation elements spaced along and projecting from the superconducting wire (), wherein the heat dissipation elements have an electrically insulating coating, and whereby the heat dissipation elements transfer heat from the superconducting wire () into the cooling medium ().

Superconducting fault current limiter

Gas turbine engines and methods of starting gas turbine engines, the gas turbine engine including: an electronic engine controller; one or more spools designated a starting spool for starting the engine, and has a required starting torque &#x3c4;s; a permanent magnet alternator mechanically coupled with the starting spool, the alternator, in a motor mode, provides a peak torque of &#x3c4;a, and, in a generator mode, generates electrical power for the electronic engine controller; and an electrical starter-generator mechanically coupled with the starting spool. The starter-generator in a motor mode, provides a peak torque of &#x3c4;sg, and, in a generator mode, generates electrical power for an external load. &#x3c4;sg+&#x3c4;a&#x2265;&#x3c4;s and &#x3c4;sg, &#x3c4;a&#x3c;&#x3c4;s, and the electronic engine controller, during a start procedure, operates both the permanent magnet alternator and the starter-generator in a motor mode to drive the starting spool.

A method of controlling at least part of a start-up or re-light process of a gas turbine engine, the method comprising: determining when a flame in a combustion chamber of a gas turbine engine is extinguished, during a start-up process or re-light process or during operation; purging the combustion chamber by controlling rotation of a low pressure compressor using a first electrical machine, and controlling rotation of a high pressure compressor using a second electrical machine, the combustion chamber downstream of the low pressure compressor and high pressure compressor; and controlling rotation of the low pressure compressor using the first electrical machine, and controlling rotation of the high pressure compressor using the second electrical machine to restart the start-up process or perform the re-light process.

Methods and apparatus for controlling at least part of a start-up or re-light process of a gas turbine engine

Fault-tolerant four-phase electric drive systems are provided. One such system comprises: a rotary electric machine having a permanent magnet rotor and an alternate-wound stator having eight evenly-spaced coils arranged in pairs, each coil in each pair being separated by 180 degrees; a first phase (&#x3a6;A) comprising a first one of the coil pairs and a first phase drive circuit connected therewith; a second phase (&#x3a6;B) separated by +45 degrees from the first phase and comprising a second one of the coil pairs and a second phase drive circuit connected therewith; a third phase (&#x3a6;C) separated by +90 degrees from the first phase and comprising a third one of the coil pairs and a third phase drive circuit connected therewith; a fourth phase (&#x3a6;D) separated by +135 degrees from the first phase and comprising a fourth one of the coil pairs and a fourth phase drive circuit connected therewith; and a controller connected with the first, second, third and fourth phase drive circuits to control operation thereof.

A heat exchanger for a ducted fan gas turbine engine has a low temperature side and plural high temperature sides. The heat exchanger is configured such that heat is extracted from respective engine fluids flowing through the high temperature sides and is received by a portion of a bypass airflow of the engine which, on passing through the fan duct, is diverted through the low temperature side of the heat exchanger thereby cooling the engine fluids.

Heat exchanger

An electric machine including a stator having a fully non-magnetic core and stator windings formed of a non-superconducting transposed conductor to reduce eddy current losses. It further includes a rotor having a fully non-magnetic core and superconducting windings or superconducting magnets which produce a magnetic field for interaction with the stator windings. A cryogenic cooling system is arranged to cool the stator windings to reduce conduction losses in the stator windings.

Electric machine

A method of controlling at least part of a start-up or re-light process of a gas turbine engine, the method comprising: increasing an angular velocity of a low pressure compressor; determining if an exit pressure of the low pressure compressor is equal to or greater than a first threshold pressure; in response to determining that the exit pressure of the low pressure compressor is equal to or greater than the first threshold pressure, controlling rotation of the low pressure compressor using a first electrical machine and controlling rotation of a high pressure compressor using a second electrical machine, to increase angular velocity of the high pressure compressor; determining if an exit pressure of the high pressure compressor is equal to or greater than a second threshold pressure.

A method of controlling at least part of a start-up or re-light process of a gas turbine engine, the method comprising: controlling ignition within a combustion chamber of the gas turbine engine; controlling rotation of a low pressure compressor using a first electrical machine, and controlling rotation of a high pressure compressor using a second electrical machine, the combustion chamber downstream of the low pressure compressor and high pressure compressor; determining if an exit pressure of the high pressure compressor is equal to or greater than a self-sustaining threshold pressure; and in response to determining that the exit pressure of the high pressure compressor is equal to or greater than the self-sustaining threshold pressure, ceasing controlling rotation of the low pressure compressor using the first electrical machine, and/or the high pressure compressor using a second electrical machine.

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Derby, United Kingdom

Stephen Mark Husband