Hybrid gas turbine engine starter-generator

• US 20060038405A1
• Filed: 08/17/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Pearson, Wayne T., Xu, Mingzhou, Stout, David E., Scherzinger, William M., Duddeck, Michael W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,078,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 290/31
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 19/16 Synchronous generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 19/36 Structural association of synchronous generators with auxiliary electric devices influencing the characteristic of the generator or controlling the generator, e.g. with impedances or switches
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 19/38 Structural association of synchronous generators with exciting machines
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 23/52 Motors acting also as generators, e.g. starting motors used as generators for ignition or lighting
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 2101/30 for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 25/12 with shiftable brushes
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/302 Brushless excitation

Abstract

A rotating electrical machine, such as an aircraft starter-generator, that may be operated in either a DC motor mode or an AC generator mode. The machine includes a conventionally wound main stator that is selectively configurable as a multi-pole AC stator and a multi-pole DC stator. The machine also includes rotor windings that are configured to be selectively coupled to either an exciter or a plurality of commutator segments, and DC brushes that are selectively moveable into, and out of, electrical contact with the commutator segments, to thereby electrically couple and decouple a DC power source to and from, respectively, the rotor windings.

Claims

1. A gas turbine engine starter-generator, comprising:

a housing;

a main rotor rotationally mounted within the housing; and

a main stator mounted within the housing and at least partially surrounding at least a portion of the main rotor, the main stator selectively configurable as an M-pole AC stator or an N-pole DC stator, M and N each integers greater than one,

wherein;

when the main stator is configured as the M-pole, multi-phase AC stator, each phase consists of two or more stator winding circuits electrically coupled in parallel with one another, and

when the main stator is configured as the N-pole DC stator, the stator winding circuits associated with each phase are directly connected in series with one another.

2. The starter-generator of claim 1, further comprising:

a control circuit electrically coupled to at least the main stator and operable to selectively configure the main stator as the M-pole AC stator or the N-pole DC stator.

3. The starter-generator of claim 2, further comprising:

a plurality of windings wound on at least a portion of the main stator; and

a plurality of stator switches electrically coupled between selected ones of the main stator windings, each of the stator switches having at least a first position and a second position,

wherein the main stator is configured as the M-pole AC stator with the plurality of switches in the first position, and is configured as the N-pole DC stator with plurality of switches in the second position.

4. The starter-generator of claim 3, wherein the control circuit comprises:

switch control circuitry operable to move the plurality of switches between at least the first position and the second position.

5. The starter-generator of claim 1, further comprising:

an exciter rotor rotationally mounted in the housing, the exciter rotor having a plurality of windings wound thereon;

an exciter stator having a plurality of windings wound thereon, the exciter stator mounted within the housing and located at least partially around at least a portion of the exciter rotor; and

one or more rectifier assemblies electrically coupled in series between the exciter rotor windings and the main rotor windings.

6. The starter-generator of claim 5, further comprising:

a plurality of main rotor windings wound on at least a portion of the main rotor, each of the main rotor windings adapted to selectively receive DC current from either the rectifier assemblies or a DC power source.

7. The starter-generator of claim 6, further comprising:

at least two brushes adapted to electrically couple to the DC power source and selectively moveable into, and out of, electrical contact with at least a portion of the main rotor, whereby the brushes are electrically coupled to, and decoupled from, respectively, the main rotor windings.

8. The starter generator of claim 1, further comprising:

a DC power source electrically coupled in series with the main stator when the main stator is configured as an N-pole DC stator.

9. The starter-generator of claim 1, wherein M is unequal to N.

10. The starter-generator of claim 9, wherein N=(M/2).

11. A gas turbine engine starter-generator, comprising:

a housing;

a main rotor rotationally mounted within the housing;

a main stator mounted within the housing and at least partially surrounding at least a portion of the main rotor, the main stator selectively configurable as an M-pole AC stator and an N-pole DC stator, M and N each integers greater than one;

two or more brushes adapted to electrically couple to a DC power source and selectively movable into, and out of, electrical contact with at least a portion of the main rotor; and

one or more stator switches configured to selectively electrically couple the main stator to the DC power source and to at least two of the brushes.

12. The starter-generator of claim 11, further comprising:

one or more rotor switches configured to selectively electrically couple the main rotor to the DC power source.

13. The starter-generator of claim 12, further comprising:

an exciter rotor rotationally mounted in the housing and having a plurality of windings wound thereon;

an exciter stator having a plurality of windings wound thereon, the exciter stator mounted within the housing and located at least partially around at least a portion of the exciter rotor; and

one or more rectifier assemblies electrically coupled in series between the exciter rotor windings and the main rotor windings,

wherein one or more of the rotor switches are configured to selectively electrically couple the main rotor to either the DC power source or the rectifier assemblies.

14. The starter-generator of claim 11, further comprising:

a plurality of windings wound on at least a portion of the main stator,

wherein;

each of the stator switches has at least a first position and a second position, and

the main stator is configured as the M-pole AC stator with the plurality of switches in the first position, and is configured as the N-pole DC stator with plurality of switches in the second position

15. The starter-generator of claim 14, further comprising:

switch control circuitry operable to move the plurality of stator switches between at least the first position and the second position.

16. The starter-generator of claim 11, wherein M is unequal to N.

17. The starter-generator of claim 16, wherein N=(M/2).

18. A gas turbine engine starter-generator, comprising:

a housing;

a main rotor rotationally mounted within the housing;

a main stator mounted within the housing and at least partially surrounding at least a portion of the main rotor, the main stator selectively configurable as an M-pole AC stator and an N-pole DC stator, M and N each integers greater than one;

two or more brushes adapted to electrically couple to a DC power source and selectively movable into, and out of, electrical contact with at least a portion of the main rotor;

one or more stator switches configured to selectively electrically couple the main stator to the DC power source and to at least two of the brushes; and

one or more rotor switches configured to selectively electrically couple the main rotor to the DC power source.

19. The starter-generator of claim 18, further comprising:

an exciter rotor rotationally mounted in the housing and having a plurality of windings wound thereon;

an exciter stator having a plurality of windings wound thereon, the exciter stator mounted within the housing and located at least partially around at least a portion of the exciter rotor; and

one or more rectifier assemblies electrically coupled in series between the exciter rotor windings and the main rotor windings,

wherein one or more of the rotor switches are configured to selectively electrically couple the main rotor to either the DC power source or the rectifier assemblies.

20. The starter-generator of claim 18, further comprising:

a plurality of windings wound on at least a portion of the main stator,

wherein;

each of the stator switches has at least a first position and a second position, and

the main stator is configured as the M-pole AC stator with the plurality of switches in the first position, and is configured as the N-pole DC stator with plurality of switches in the second position

21. The starter-generator of claim 18, further comprising:

switch control circuitry operable to move the plurality of stator switches and rotor switches.

22. The starter-generator of claim 18, wherein M is unequal to N.

23. The starter-generator of claim 22, wherein N=(M/2).

24. A stator, comprising:

a main stator body;

a plurality of stator coils wound around at least a portion of the main body in a configuration that allows the stator to be selectively configured as an M-pole AC stator or an N-pole DC stator, M and N each integers greater than one,

wherein;

when the stator is configured as the M-pole AC stator, each phase consists of two or more stator winding circuits electrically coupled in parallel with one another, and

when the stator is configured as the N-pole DC stator, the stator winding circuits associated with each phase are directly connected in series with one another.

25. The stator of claim 24, further comprising:

a plurality of stator switches electrically coupled between selected ones of the stator coils, each of the stator switches having at least a first position and a second position.

26. The stator of claim 25, wherein the stator is configured as the M-pole AC stator with the stator switches in the first position, and is configured as the N-pole DC stator with the stator switches in the second position.

27. The stator of claim 24, wherein M is unequal to N.

28. The stator of claim 27, wherein N=(M/2).

29. A rotor, comprising:

a shaft;

a plurality of poles extending radially from the shaft; and

a plurality of rotor windings wound around the plurality of poles in a configuration that allows the rotor windings to be electrically coupled to one of two DC power sources.

30. The rotor of claim 29, further comprising:

a commutator having a plurality of commutator segments, each commutator segment electrically coupled to at least one of the rotor windings.

31. The rotor of claim 30, further comprising:

a plurality of rotor switches electrically coupled between selected ones of the rotor windings, each of the rotor switches having at least a first position and a second position,

wherein the rotor windings are each electrically coupled in series between two or more commutator segments when the rotor switches are in the first position.