Hybrid propulsive engine including at least one independently rotatable compressor rotor

• US 20100083632A1
• Filed: 10/08/2008
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Wood, Victoria Y. H., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. JR., Jung, Edward K. Y., Hyde, Roderick A., Weaver, Thomas Allan, Kare, Jordin T., Foster, Glenn B.
• Application Number:
  US12/287,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20100083632A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/39.181
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2027/026 comprising different types of power plants, e.g. combination of an electric motor and a gas-turbines
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/026 comprising different types of power plants, e.g. combination of a piston engine and a gas-turbine Hybrid electric aircraft B64D27/33
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/16 of jet type
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/24 using steam or spring force jet aircraft B64D27/16
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 31/04 actuated personally
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 31/06 actuated automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 33/00 Arrangements in aircraft of power plant parts or auxiliaries not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 15/10 Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/03 Annular blade-carrying members having blades on the inner periphery of the annulus and extending inwardly radially, i.e. inverted rotors
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 23/10 with exhaust fluid of one cycle heating the fluid in another cycle F01K17/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/14 Gas-turbine plants having means for storing energy, e.g. for meeting peak loads
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/18 using the waste heat of gas-turbine plants outside the plants themselves, e.g. gas-turbine power heat plants using waste heat as source of energy for refrigeration plants F25B27/02; using the waste heat of a gasturbine for steam generation or in a steam cycle see F01K23/10
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/36 Power transmission arrangements between the different shafts of the gas turbine plant, or between the gas-turbine plant and the power user F02C3/107 - F02C3/13 and F02C7/32 take precedence; couplings for transmitting rotation F16D; gearing in general F16H
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 3/077 the plant being of the multiple flow type, i.e. having three or more flows
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/324 to drive unshrouded, low solidity propeller
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/325 to drive unshrouded, high solidity propeller
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/326 to drive shrouded, low solidity propeller
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/327 to drive shrouded, high solidity propeller
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/76 an electrical generator
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/85 Starting
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 : Weight reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 : Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

One aspect relates to a hybrid propulsive technique, comprising providing at least some first thrust associated with a flow of a working fluid through at least a portion of an at least one jet engine. The hybrid propulsive technique includes extracting energy at least partially in the form of electrical power from the working fluid, and converting at least a portion of the electrical power to torque. The hybrid propulsive technique further includes rotating an at least one substantially axial-flow independently rotatable compressor rotor at least partially responsive to the converting the at least a portion of the electrical power to torque.

Claims

1. A hybrid propulsive engine, comprising:

at least one axial-flow jet engine including at least one substantially axial-flow independently rotatable compressor rotor, wherein the at least one axial-flow jet engine is configured to provide at least one thrust associated with a working fluid passing through at least a portion of the at least one axial-flow jet engine;

at least one energy extraction mechanism configured to extract energy from the working fluid, and configured to at least partially convert that energy to electrical power;

at least one torque conversion mechanism configured to convert at least a portion of the electrical power to torque; and

the at least one substantially axial-flow independently rotatable compressor rotor configured to be rotatably driven at least partially responsively from the torque provided by the at least one torque conversion mechanism.

2. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein the at least one energy extraction mechanism comprises at least one electric generator.

3. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein the at least one energy extraction mechanism comprises at least one turbine rotational element configured to extract energy from motion of the working fluid within the at least one axial-flow jet engine.

4. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, further comprising a second torque conversion mechanism configured to generate a second torque, wherein the at least one substantially axial-flow independently rotatable compressor rotor is configured to be powered for rotation at least partially responsive to the second torque conversion mechanism configured to generate the second torque in addition to the at least one torque conversion mechanism configured to convert the at least a portion of the electrical power to torque.

5. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 4, further comprising at least one turbine rotational element configured to rotate at least partially responsive to the working fluid within the at least one axial-flow jet engine, and wherein the second torque conversion mechanism is configured to generate the second torque responsive to a rotation of the at least one turbine rotational element.

6. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 4, further comprising a clutch mechanism configured to adjust a ratio of the torque and the second torque that powers the at least one substantially axial-flow independently rotatable compressor rotor for rotation.

7. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein the at least one torque conversion mechanism comprises at least one electric motor.

8. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein the at least one energy extraction mechanism includes at least one electrical energy extraction mechanism configured to extract energy from rotation of at least one substantially axial-flow turbine rotational element.

9. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein the at least one substantially axial-flow independently rotatable compressor rotor is configured for independently controllable rotation relative to at least one substantially axial-flow turbine rotational element.

10. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein the at least one energy extraction mechanism includes at least one heat engine configured to extract at least some heat from the working fluid and to at least partially apply the extracted heat to at least one heat receptive fluid.

11. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 10, wherein the at least one heat receptive fluid is configured to undergo a phase change responsive to the applied extracted heat.

12. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 10, wherein the at least one heat receptive fluid is configured to undergo a temperature rise change responsive to the applied extracted heat.

13. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 10, wherein the at least one heat receptive fluid at least partially flows around a closed loop responsive to the applied heat.

14. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 10, wherein the at least one heat receptive fluid at least partially flows around an open loop responsive to the applied heat.

15. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 10, wherein the at least one energy extraction mechanism includes at least one thermoelectric heat engine configured to extract heat energy from the at least one heat receptive fluid.

16. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1O, wherein the at least one energy extraction mechanism includes at least one substantially axial-flow turbine rotational element configured to extract electric power from the at least one heat receptive fluid.

17. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1O, wherein the at least one energy extraction mechanism includes at least one magnetohydrodynamic device that is configured to extract electric power from the at least one heat receptive fluid.

18. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein the at least one energy extraction mechanism includes at least one thermoelectric heat engine configured to extract heat energy from the working fluid.

19. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein the at least one energy extraction mechanism includes at least one magnetohydrodynamic device configured to extract kinetic energy from a flow of the working fluid.

20. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein the at least one axial-flow jet engine includes at least one turbojet.

21. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein the at least one axial-flow jet engine includes at least one ramjet jet engine.

22. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein the at least one axial-flow jet engine includes at least one externally heated jet engine.

23. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein the at least one axial-flow jet engine includes at least one combustion driven jet engine.

24. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1,

wherein the at least one energy extraction mechanism comprises at least one heat engine configured to extract at least some heat from the working fluid that is at least partially applied to a heat receptive fluid

wherein the at least one energy extraction mechanism comprises a Rankine Cycle energy extraction mechanism configured to extract the electric power in the form of heat from the working fluid.

25. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, further comprising at least one secondary source of electrical energy configured to supply energy to the at least one torque conversion mechanism.

26. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 25, wherein the at least one secondary source of electrical energy is arranged to obtain at least some electricity from at least one primary energy source.

27. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 25, wherein the at least one secondary source of electrical energy includes at least one rechargeable energy storage device.

28. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 27, wherein the at least one rechargeable energy storage device is coupled to charge at least partially from the at least one energy extraction mechanism.

29. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 27, wherein the at least one rechargeable energy storage device is coupled to charge at least partially from the at least one torque conversion mechanism configured to convert at least a portion of the electric power to torque.

30. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 27, wherein the at least one rechargeable energy storage device is coupled to at least partially charge from an at least one external power source.

31. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, further comprising a hybrid propulsive engine starter configured to rotate at least a portion of the at least one axial-flow jet engine at a sufficient rotational velocity to enhance starting the hybrid propulsive engine.

32. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, further comprising a hybrid propulsive engine starter configured to rotate at least a portion of an at least one substantially axial-flow independently rotatable compressor rotor at a sufficient rotational velocity to enhance starting the hybrid propulsive engine.

33. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein at least some of the working fluid passes through the at least one substantially axial-flow independently rotatable compressor rotor.

34. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein the at least one substantially axial-flow independently rotatable compressor rotor is configured to compress at least some of the working fluid.

35. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein the at least one substantially axial-flow independently rotatable compressor rotor is configured to be powered for a controllable rotation in a first direction or alternately in a second direction that is reversed from the first direction.

36. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, wherein the at least one substantially axial-flow independently rotatable compressor rotor is configured to be variably powered for a variable speed rotation.

41. The hybrid propulsive engine of claim 1, further comprising a control circuit to allow a user to control a suitable rotational velocity of the at least one substantially axial-flow independently rotatable compressor rotor based at least partially on a user input indicating a desired flight condition.

37-40. -40. (canceled)

42-73. -73. (canceled)