CONTROL APPARATUS FOR ANGLING GUIDE VANES OF A TORQUE CONVERTER

• US 20130061601A1
• Filed: 09/13/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Fuller, Jason Dean, Allen, Justin Aaron, Minto, Karl Dean
• Granted Patent: US 9,297,313 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/787
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/04 having a turbine driving a compressor power transmission arrangements F02C7/36; control of working fluid flow F02C9/16
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/262 Restarting after flame-out
• 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: F02C 7/27 Fluid drives turbine starters F02C7/277
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/275 Mechanical drives
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/28 Regulating systems responsive to plant or ambient parameters, e.g. temperature, pressure, rotor speed F02C9/30 - F02C9/38, F02C9/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/32 in gas turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/35 Combustors or associated equipment
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/60 Shafts
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/402 through friction drives
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/85 Starting

Abstract

A control apparatus for angling guide vanes of a torque converter is provided and includes a modeling unit configured to receive current condition data, to determine a current input power supplied by a starting motor from the current condition data and to output a result of the determination as a control signal and a controller, which is coupled to the modeling unit and thereby receptive of the control signal. The controller is configured to execute a comparison of the current input power with a rating of the starting motor and to angle the guide vanes of the torque converter at an angle in accordance with a result of the comparison.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for angling guide vanes of a torque converter, the control apparatus comprising:

a modeling unit configured to receive current condition data, to determine a current input power supplied by a starting motor from the current condition data and to output a result of the determination as a control signal; and

a controller, which is coupled to the modeling unit and thereby receptive of the control signal,

the controller being configured to execute a comparison of the current input power with a rating of the starting motor and to angle the guide vanes of the torque converter at an angle in accordance with a result of the comparison.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the current condition data comprise at least one of:

a current rotational speed of an input shaft to which the starting motor and the torque converter are coupled;

a current guide vane angle of the guide vanes of the torque converter; and

a current rotational speed of an output shaft to which the torque converter and a compressor of a gas turbine engine are coupled.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the modeling unit is further configured to determine current output torque and power supplied by the torque converter and to determine an efficiency of the torque converter.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rating of the starting motor relates to an allowable starting motor power.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rating of the starting motor relates to an allowable starting motor speed.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rating of the starting motor relates to an allowable starting motor acceleration.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to execute a comparison of current torque converter output torque with a torque rating of the torque converter and to angle the guide vanes of the torque converter at an angle in accordance with a result of the comparison.

8. A system comprising:

a gas turbine engine to generate power from combustion, the gas turbine engine including a compressor to compress inlet gas for use in the combustion and/or a motor;

a starting motor and torque converter pair to apply torque to an output shaft to which the compressor and/or the motor is coupled; and

a control apparatus to control an operation of the starting motor and torque converter pair in accordance with a condition of the output shaft.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the torque converter comprises guide vanes and the control apparatus controls an angling of the guide vanes of the torque converter in accordance with a current rotational speed of the output shaft.

10. The system according to claim 8, further comprising an additional starting motor and torque converter pair to apply additional torque to the output shaft, wherein the control apparatus controls respective operations of the starting motor and torque converter pair and the additional starting motor and torque converter pair.

11. A system comprising:

a torque converter to convert input torque into output torque and having guide vanes configured to be angled at various angles;

a starting motor to transmit the input torque to the torque converter in accordance with an angle of the guide vanes via an input shaft to which the starting motor and the torque converter are coupled;

a gas turbine engine to generate power from combustion, the gas turbine engine including a compressor to compress inlet gas for use in the combustion;

an output shaft to which the torque converter and the compressor are coupled and by which the output torque is transmitted from the torque converter to the compressor; and

a control apparatus to control an angling of the guide vanes in accordance with a rotational speed of the output shaft.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the control apparatus comprises:

a modeling unit configured to receive current condition data, to determine a current input power supplied by the starting motor from the current condition data and to output a result of the determination as a control signal; and

a controller, which is coupled to the modeling unit and thereby receptive of the control signal,

the controller being configured to execute a comparison of the current input power with a rating of the starting motor and to angle the guide vanes at an angle in accordance with a result of the comparison.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the current condition data comprise at least one of:

a current rotational speed of the input shaft;

a current guide vane angle of the guide vanes; and

a current rotational speed of the output shaft.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the modeling unit is further configured to determine current output torque and power supplied by the torque converter and to determine an efficiency of the torque converter.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the rating of the starting motor relates to an allowable starting motor power.

16. The system according to claim 12, wherein the rating of the starting motor relates to an allowable starting motor speed.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein the rating of the starting motor relates to an allowable starting motor acceleration.

18. The system according to claim 12, further comprising an additional starting motor and an additional torque converter coupled to the input shaft, wherein the starting motor has a substantially higher rating than the additional starting motor.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the control apparatus controls respective operations of the additional starting motor and the starting motor in accordance with a current rotational speed of the output shaft.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the control apparatus controls the angling of the guide vanes of the torque converter and controls an angling of guide vanes of the additional torque converter in accordance with a current rotational speed of the output shaft.