Turbine starter-generator

• US 20080042507A1
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Borealis Technical Limited (Borealis Exploration Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Borealis Technical Limited (Borealis Exploration Ltd.)
• Inventors: Edelson, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US11/974,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20080042507A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/164
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/268 Starting drives for the rotor , acting directly on the rotor of the gas turbine to be started
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 17/02 Asynchronous induction motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 17/42 Asynchronous induction generators H02K17/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 3/28 Layout of windings or of connections between windings windings for pole-changing H02K17/06, H02K17/14, H02K19/12, H02K19/32
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1823 structurally associated with turbines or similar engines
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/00 Conversion of ac power input into dc power output; Conversion of dc power input into ac power output
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/50 Reduction of harmonics
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/44 Control of frequency and voltage in predetermined relation, e.g. constant ratio

Abstract

The invention consists of a ring motor, in which a first ring forms a toroidally wound stator and a second ring forms the rotor. A turbine is fixed to the rotor ring. The invention is specifically targeted towards the environment inside a gas turbine, in which hot gases may permeate the space between rotor and stator.

Claims

1. A turbine motor/generator system, comprising:

(a) a stator, said stator concentric with a central shaft supporting a turbine, said stator attached to a turbine housing;

(b) a rotor, said rotor internal to said stator;

wherein one or more tips of said turbine are fixed to said rotor.

2. The system of claim 1 additionally comprising an inverter electrically connected to said stator.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said inverter provides current of a variety of harmonic orders lower than a phase count.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein harmonics are used to vary the machine impedence.

5. The system of claim 2 further comprising at least one control technique selected from the list consisting of:

V/Hz control, field oriented control, vector control, and sensorless vector control.

6. The system of claim 2 wherein said stator is toroidally wound, comprising windings wrapped around the outside and inside of said stator, and wherein each stator winding phase in each pole is independently driven by a dedicated inverter leg of said inverter.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising means for detecting the position of said rotor with respect to said stator and means for aligning said rotor with said stator.

8. The motor of claim 6 wherein said means for aligning said rotor with said stator comprise means for varying the drive voltage to one or more of the phases.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein said stator comprises slots and teeth, and wherein said slots are substantially wider than said teeth.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein said stator is wound with flat rectangular wire.

11. The system of claim 6 wherein said stator has a substantially shorter length than diameter.

12. The system of claim 6 wherein said stator comprises more than three different phases per pole.

13. The system of claim 2 wherein said stator windings are connected to said inverter in a star connection.

14. The system of claim 2 wherein said stator windings are connected to said inverter in a mesh connection.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein said stator is designed as a conventional radial flux stator.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein said machine is axial flux, and wherein said outer and inner rings comprise substantially the same diameter.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein said generator is used for providing power.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein said motor is used for electric start of gas turbines.

19. The system of claim 1 having a gap between said stator and said rotor, wherein said gap is in the range of 4-10 mm.

20. The system of claim 1 additionally comprising a second rotor external to and concentric with said stator, wherein said rotors are joined together to rotate in synchrony.