This disclosure relates generally to an aircraft and, more particularly, to a power coupling for an aircraft powerplant.
A powerplant for an aircraft may include a gas turbine engine and an electric generator. The electric generator may be coupled to the gas turbine engine through an accessory gearbox. Various types and configurations of accessory gearboxes as well as techniques for coupling an accessory gearbox to a gas turbine engine are known in the art. While these known gearboxes and coupling techniques have various benefits, there is still room in the art for improvement.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an aircraft system is provided that includes an open propulsor rotor, a gas turbine engine, an electric machine and a drivetrain. The gas turbine engine includes a first rotating assembly, a compressor section, a combustor section, a turbine section and a flowpath extending through the compressor section, the combustor section and the turbine section. The first rotating assembly is coupled to and is configured to drive rotation of the open propulsor rotor. The first rotating assembly includes a first turbine rotor in the turbine section. The electric machine is outside of the gas turbine engine. The electric machine includes an electric machine rotor. The drivetrain couples the electric machine rotor to the first rotating assembly.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, another aircraft system is provided that includes an open propulsor rotor, a gas turbine engine, an apparatus and a drivetrain. The gas turbine engine includes a first rotating assembly, a compressor section, a combustor section, a turbine section and a flowpath extending through the compressor section, the combustor section and the turbine section. The first rotating assembly is coupled to and is configured to drive rotation of the open propulsor rotor. The first rotating assembly includes a first turbine rotor in the turbine section. The apparatus is outside of the gas turbine engine. The apparatus includes an apparatus rotor. The drivetrain couples the apparatus rotor to the first rotating assembly. The drivetrain is configured as or otherwise includes a tower shaft.
According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, another aircraft system is provided that includes a propulsor rotor, a gas turbine engine, an apparatus and a drivetrain. The gas turbine engine includes a first rotating assembly, a compressor section, a combustor section, a turbine section and a flowpath extending through the compressor section, the combustor section and the turbine section. The first rotating assembly is coupled to and is configured to drive rotation of the propulsor rotor. The first rotating assembly includes a first turbine rotor in the turbine section. The apparatus is outside of the gas turbine engine. The apparatus includes an apparatus rotor. The drivetrain couples the apparatus rotor to the first rotating assembly. The drivetrain is coupled to the first rotating assembly at a location. The first turbine rotor is between the location and the open propulsor rotor.
The apparatus may be configured as or otherwise include an electric machine.
The apparatus may be configured as or otherwise include a hydraulic pump.
The apparatus may be configured as or otherwise include a pneumatic pump.
The electric machine may be configured as or otherwise include an electric generator. The first rotating assembly may be configured to drive rotation of the electric machine rotor through the drivetrain.
The electric machine may be configured as or otherwise include an electric motor.
The electric machine rotor may be configured to drive rotation of the first rotating assembly through the drivetrain.
The drivetrain may be configured as or otherwise include a tower shaft.
The drivetrain may also include a ring gear and a pinion. The ring gear may be connected to the rotating assembly. The pinion may be connected to the tower shaft and meshed with the ring gear.
The drivetrain may also include a gearbox coupling the tower shaft to the electric machine rotor.
The first rotating assembly may include a geartrain rotatably coupled between the first turbine rotor and the open propulsor rotor. The drivetrain may be configured as or otherwise include gearing coupled to the geartrain.
The first rotating assembly may include a geartrain rotatably coupled between the first turbine rotor and the open propulsor rotor. The drivetrain may include a ring gear, a pinion gear and an idler gear meshed with and between the ring gear and the pinion gear. The ring gear may be coupled to the geartrain. The pinion gear may be coupled to the electric machine rotor.
The drivetrain may be coupled to the first rotating assembly at an intermediate location axially between the first turbine rotor and the open propulsor rotor.
The first rotating assembly may include a geartrain rotatably coupled between the first turbine rotor and the open propulsor rotor. The intermediate location may be axially between the first turbine rotor and the geartrain.
The drivetrain may be coupled to the first rotating assembly at a location. The first turbine rotor may be axially between the location and the open propulsor rotor.
The first rotating assembly may be configured without a compressor rotor.
The gas turbine engine may also include a second rotating assembly. The second rotating assembly may include a compressor rotor in the compressor section, and a second turbine rotor in the turbine section.
The second turbine rotor may be axially between the compressor rotor and the first rotating assembly.
A compressor rotor may be in the compressor section. A second turbine rotor may be in the turbine section.
The open propulsor rotor may be configured as or otherwise include a propeller rotor.
The present disclosure may include any one or more of the individual features disclosed above and/or below alone or in any combination thereof.
The foregoing features and the operation of the invention will become more apparent in light of the following description and the accompanying drawings.
The aircraft system 20 of
The propulsor rotor 28 of
The gas turbine engine 32 includes a core flowpath 40, a compressor section 42, a combustor section 43 and a turbine section 44. The turbine section 44 of
The core flowpath 40 extends sequentially through the compressor section 42, the combustor section 43, the HPT section 44A and the LPT section 44B from an airflow inlet 46 into the core flowpath 40 to a combustion products exhaust 48 from the core flowpath 40. The core inlet 46 may be an airflow inlet into the gas turbine engine 32 from an external environment 50, which external environment 50 may be an environment outside of the gas turbine engine 32 and, more generally, the aircraft system 20. The core inlet 46 may be disposed at or about a downstream, aft end of the gas turbine engine 32. The core inlet 46 of
The engine sections 42-44B are arranged within an engine housing 52. Each of the engine sections 42, 44A and 44B includes a respective bladed rotor 54-56. Each of these bladed rotors 54-56 includes a plurality of rotor blades arranged circumferentially around and connected to one or more respective rotor disks or hubs. The rotor blades, for example, may be formed integral with or mechanically fastened, welded, brazed, adhered and/or otherwise attached to the respective rotor disk(s)/hub(s).
The turbine section 44 of
The compressor rotor 54 is connected to the HPT rotor 55 through a high speed shaft 58. At least (or only) the compressor rotor 54, the high speed shaft 58 and the HPT rotor 55 may collectively form a high speed (HS) rotating assembly 60 of the gas turbine engine 32. The LPT rotor 56 is connected to a (e.g., epicyclic) geartrain 62 through a low speed shaft 64. The geartrain 62 is connected to the propulsor rotor 28 through a propulsor shaft 66. This geartrain 62 may provide a speed change mechanism between the low speed shaft 64 and the propulsor shaft 66 such that the propulsor rotor 28 may rotate at a different (e.g., slower) rotational speed than the LPT rotor 56. At least (or only) the LPT rotor 56, the low speed shaft 64, the geartrain 62 and the propulsor shaft 66 may collectively form a low speed (LS) rotating assembly 68 of the gas turbine engine 32. In other embodiments, however, the LS rotating assembly 68 may have a direct drive configuration where, for example, the geartrain 62 is omitted and the propulsor shaft 66 is directly connected to (or configured integral with) the low speed shaft 64.
The rotating assemblies 60 and 68 and their shafts 58, 64 and 66 are supported by a plurality of bearings. Each of these bearings is connected to the engine housing 52 by one or more support structures; e.g., struts, frames, etc. Each of the rotating assemblies 60 and 68 may thereby be rotatable about the axis 22, or another respective rotational axis.
During gas turbine engine operation, air enters the core flowpath 40 through the core inlet 46 and is directed into the compressor section 42. The air within the core flowpath 40 may be referred to as “core air”. This core air is compressed by the compressor rotor 54 and is directed into a combustion chamber 70 (e.g., an annular chamber) of a combustor 72 within the combustor section 43. The fuel is injected into the combustion chamber 70 by one or more fuel injectors and mixed with the compressed air to provide a fuel-air mixture. This fuel-air mixture is ignited and combustion products thereof flow through and sequentially cause the HPT rotor 55 and the LPT rotor 56 to rotate before being exhausted from the gas turbine engine 32 through the core exhaust 48. The rotation of the HPT rotor 55 drives rotation of the compressor rotor 54 and, thus, compression of the air received from the core inlet 46. The rotation of the LPT rotor 56 and, more generally, the LS rotating assembly 68 provides mechanical power for driving (e.g., rotating) the propulsor rotor 28. The rotation of the propulsor rotor 28 propels additional air (e.g., air in the external environment 50, or air within the duct 38) in an aft direction (e.g., away from the system forward end 24 and towards the system aft end 26) to provide the aircraft with forward thrust. The present disclosure, however, is not limited to such an exemplary gas turbine engine. The LS rotating assembly 68, for example, may also include a compressor rotor. In another example, the gas turbine engine 32 may include more than two rotating assemblies.
The electric machine 34 may be disposed outside of the gas turbine engine 32. The electric machine 34 of
Referring to
The electric machine 34 of
The power source 74 is electrically coupled with the electric machine 34 through one or more electrical leads 84; e.g., high voltage lines. The power source 74 is configured to store electricity. The power source 74 is also configured to provide the stored electricity to the electric machine 34 and/or receive electricity from the electric machine 34; e.g., during power source recharging. The power source 74, for example, may be configured as or otherwise include one or more batteries 86 and/or one or more other electric storage devices.
Referring to
The tower shaft 88 is rotatable about a rotational axis 94 of the tower shaft 88. This rotational axis 94 is angularly offset from each axis 22, 80 by a respective angle 96, 98. Each angle 96, 98 of
The inner coupling 90 is configured to rotationally couple the tower shaft 88 to the LS rotating assembly 68 and, for example, its low speed shaft 64. The inner coupling 90 of
The inner coupling 90 of
Referring again to
Referring to
While the drivetrain 36 is described above as including the tower shaft 88, the present disclosure is not limited to such an exemplary configuration. For example, referring to
Furthermore, while the drivetrain 36 is described above as coupling the LS rotating assembly 68 to the electric machine 34, the present disclosure is not limited to such an exemplary configuration. The drivetrain 36, for example, may also or alternatively rotationally couple the LS rotating assembly 68 to a (e.g., driven) rotor of another apparatus; e.g., a rotationally driven accessory. Examples of the apparatus (which may be paired with or replace the electric machine 34 in
While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the disclosure. For example, the present disclosure as described herein includes several aspects and embodiments that include particular features. Although these features may be described individually, it is within the scope of the present disclosure that some or all of these features may be combined with any one of the aspects and remain within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.