METHOD AND DEVICE FOR REDUCING THE SPEED IN THE EVENT OF BREAKAGE OF A GAS TURBINE ENGINE TURBINE SHAFT

• US 20080178603A1
• Filed: 10/19/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safran Aircraft Engine Company
• Original Assignee: Snecma (Safran SA)
• Inventors: MONS, Claude Marcel
• Granted Patent: US 7,934,367 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/779
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/003 Arrangements for testing or measuring for measuring vibrations G01H
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/04 responsive to undesired position of rotor relative to stator or to breaking-off of a part of the rotor, e.g. indicating such position
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/06 Shutting-down
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/12 responsive to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/303 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/3032 excessive temperatures, e.g. caused by overheating
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for reducing the rotational speed, in a gas turbine engine, of a turbine comprising a rotor (6) driving a shaft (8) and able to rotate inside a stator (7) in the event of breakage of said shaft. This method is one which consists in measuring (11) the temperature at a point on a surface of the stator (10A) which surface lies downstream of the rotor (6), in transmitting the measurement signal to a control means (100) that controls the slowing of the rotor, said control means being designed to control the slowing of the rotor when the temperature reaches a threshold.

The invention also relates to the device.

Claims

1. A method for reducing the rotational speed, in a gas turbine engine, of a turbine comprising a rotor driving a shaft and able to rotate inside a stator in the event of breakage of said shaft, which method consists in measuring the temperature at a point on a surface of the stator which surface lies downstream of the rotor, in transmitting the measurement signal to a control means that controls the slowing of the rotor, said control means being designed to control the slowing of the rotor when the temperature reaches a threshold.

2. The method as claimed in the preceding claim, in which the control means is the control for the fuel supplied to the engine combustion chamber.

3. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims whereby the temperature is measured using at least one thermocouple sensor.

4. The method as claimed in the preceding claim, whereby the temperature is measured at a plurality of points distributed around the axis of the turbine using a plurality of thermocouple sensors.

5. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, whereby the temperature threshold is above the maximum temperature liable to be reached while the engine is running.

6. A device for reducing the rotational speed, in a gas turbine engine, of a turbine comprising a rotor with a turbine disk provided with a rim, driving a shaft and able to rotate with respect to a stator, if said turbine shaft breaks, which device comprises a temperature sensor sensing the temperature on the stator and positioned near the rotor and connected to an engine fuel control member, said member being designed to shut off the supply of fuel when the signal emitted by the sensor is above a determined threshold, the thermocouple probes being positioned on the stator immediately downstream of the rim.

7. The device as claimed in the preceding claim, in which the sensor is of the thermocouple type.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, comprising a plurality of thermocouple probes.

9. The device as claimed in claim 6, in which the thermocouple probes are fixed to the stator by means of a ceramic coating.