Raytheon Technologies Corporation

Rtx Corporation

Zubair Ahmed Baig

Daniel Bernard Kupratis

Coy Bruce Wood

Neil J Terwilliger

Gary Collopy

Martin Richard Amari

Sorin Bengea

Christopher J Hanlon

Michael Winter

Frederick M Schwarz

Joseph Brent Staubach

Haralambos Cordatos

Jonathan Gilson

Charles E Lents

Malcolm P MacDonald

Gary L Miles

Ramesh Rajagopalan

Tyler W Hayes

Matt Dushek

A turbine engine includes integrated electric machines in the compressor section and the turbine section to supplement power produced from fuel with electric power. The example compressor section includes a compressor electric motor that is coupled to a compressor generator. The example turbine section includes a turbine electric motor that is coupled to the geared architecture to supplement power driving the fan section. A turbine generator provides electric power to the turbine electric motor.

Integrated electro-aero-thermal turbine engine

Methods and systems for monitoring operation of hybrid electric engines of aircraft. The methods include monitoring a motor condition of an electrical power system associated with an engine condition using a motor sensor, wherein the electrical power system comprises an electric machine operably coupled to at least one shaft of an engine core, wherein the electric machine is configured to at least one of add power to the at least one shaft and extract power from the at least one shaft, receiving motor data from the motor sensor at a motor controller, wherein the motor controller is configured to control operation of, at least, the electric machine, analyzing the motor data to determine the presence of a fault in the engine core, and, when a fault is detected, performing a fault response action.

Electric machines for aircraft engine fault detection

A distributed hybrid propulsion system is provided and includes an engine assembly that includes an engine, which is non-propulsive, an energy storage element, a motor-generator and a common bus to which the engine assembly, the energy storage element, the motor-generator and the controller are connected. The common bus includes bi-directional power flow control elements, which are controllable to manage bi-directional power flow between the engine assembly, the energy storage element and the motor-generator.

Power and energy management for distributed hybrid propulsion

A system of a hybrid aircraft includes a first gas turbine engine, a second gas turbine engine, a power source, and a controller. The first gas turbine engine includes a first electric machine. The second gas turbine engine includes a second electric machine. The controller is operable to determine an operating condition of the first gas turbine engine and the second gas turbine engine and to detect a change in a thrust command for the hybrid aircraft. The controller is further operable to determine an adjustment to the second electric machine to compensate for the change in the thrust command while the first gas turbine engine is operating in a fuel-driven mode and the second gas turbine engine is operating in an electrically-driven mode. At least a portion of electric power to perform the adjustment to the second electric machine is extracted from the power source.

Hybrid electric single engine descent energy management

A method for active bi-directional control of an outer structure of a gas turbine engine comprises sending, by a controller, a first control signal to a power electronics for varying an electric current supplied to a heating element to cause the outer structure to move in a first radial direction, and sending, by the controller, a second control signal to a valve assembly for varying a cooling air flow supplied to the outer structure to cause the outer structure to move in a second radial direction. The first radial direction is opposite the second radial direction.

Electric heating for turbomachinery clearance control powered by hybrid energy storage system

A hybrid-electric aircraft system is provided and includes first and second hybrid-electric engines, each of which includes an electric motor to drive operations thereof, and a supplemental power unit (SPU). The SPU is configured as a thermal engine paired with a generator and is configured to generate electrical power. The first and second hybrid-electric engines are operable normally and off, respectively, with electrical power generated by the SPU being diverted to the electric motor of the second hybrid-electric engine.

Hybrid-electric single engine descent failure management

A powertrain system of an aircraft includes one or more electrical components to provide electrical power to one or more electrical loads of the aircraft. The system further includes a rechargeable cryogenic heat sink containing a volume of cryogenic cooling material. The cryogenic heat sink is configured to cool the one or more electrical components. A method of operating a powertrain system of an aircraft includes generating thermal energy at one or more electrical components of the powertrain system, fluidly connecting a cryogenic heat sink to the one or more electrical components, and cooling the one or more electrical components via a volume of cryogenic cooling material of the cryogenic heat sink.

Powertrain system of an aircraft including cyrogenic cooling loop for superconducting electronics and method of operating the same

An engine system of an aircraft includes an energy storage system, a gas turbine engine, and a controller. The gas turbine engine includes a low spool, a high spool, a low-spool generator operably coupled to the low spool, and a high-spool electric motor operably coupled to the high spool. The controller is configured to detect a braking condition of the aircraft, transfer power from the low-spool generator to the energy storage system based on the storage capacity state of the energy storage system, and transfer power to the high spool through the high-spool electric motor to support combustion in the gas turbine engine while a rotational speed of the low spool is reduced responsive to the low-spool generator extracting energy from the low spool.

Hybrid electric idle and braking for an aircraft

A power system of an aircraft includes a hybrid energy storage system with at least two energy storage subsystems each having a different power-energy density. The power system also includes one or more electric motors operably coupled to the hybrid energy storage system and to an aircraft engine. The power system further includes a means for controlling one or more electric power flows of the hybrid energy storage system to/from the one or more electric motors based on a modeled electric power demand associated with an engine load of one or more spools of the aircraft engine.

Hybrid energy storage system control for an aircraft engine

A clearance control system for a gas turbine engine may include a rotor blade, an outer structure disposed radially outward from the rotor blade, a heating element, a hybrid electric power source, and a controller. The heating element is configured to cause the outer structure to be heated in response to electric current being supplied to the heating element. A gap between the rotor blade and the outer structure is at least one of increased, decreased, and maintained in response to the outer structure being heated. The hybrid electric power source is configured to supply the electric current to the heating element. The controller is configured to regulate the electric current being supplied to the heating element.

A power system of an aircraft includes a hybrid energy storage system with at least two energy storage subsystems each having a different power-energy density, power draw characteristics and/or dissimilar configuration. A primary power unit includes an aircraft engine coupled to an electric motor and a first generator. A secondary power unit is coupled to a second generator. A bidirectional power converter is coupled to the hybrid energy storage system and one or more controllers of the electric motor, the first generator, and the second generator. A power management controller is configured to interface with the hybrid energy storage system and the one or more controllers of the electric motor, the first generator, and the second generator and perform a model predictive control to dynamically adjust one or more electric power flows through the bidirectional power converter based on an engine propulsion power demand of the aircraft engine.

Hybrid electric power distribution and control for an aircraft

A turbine engine includes integrated electric machines in the compressor section and the turbine section to supplement power produced from fuel with electric power. The compressor section includes a compressor electric motor that is electrically coupled to a compressor generator. The example turbine section includes a turbine electric motor that is coupled to a geared architecture to supplement power driving the fan section. A turbine generator driven by a portion of the turbine section provides electric power to the turbine electric motor.

Dual drive electro-aero-thermal turbine engine

A gas turbine engine includes a generator that is configured to be driven by a turbine section, an electric motor that is configured to receive at least a portion of electric power from the generator, a gearbox that is mechanically coupled to both the electric motor and the generator, and a control system that has an operational amplifier that is configured to synchronize operation of the electric motor and the generator. The operational amplifier electrically couples the electric motor to the generator and is configured to define an electrical gain that matches a mechanical gain that is defined by the gearbox.

Growing community of inventors

South Windsor, CT, United States of America

Zubair Ahmed Baig