JET ENGINE ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR GENERATING ELECTRICITY

• US 20160130970A1
• Filed: 06/06/2013
• Published: 05/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: BLAZER, Rock O'Brien, RHYNARD, Joshua Martin
• Granted Patent: US 10,830,085 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 15/10 Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/32 Arrangement, mounting, or driving, of auxiliaries
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 3/00 Plants including a gas turbine driving a compressor or a ducted fan
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/7642 of the synchronous type
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/768 equipped with permanent magnets
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/061 in particular the electrical frequency of driven generator
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 19/38 Structural association of synchronous generators with exciting machines
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 2213/06 Machines characterised by the presence of fail safe, back up, redundant or other similar emergency arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1823 structurally associated with turbines or similar engines
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 25/03 with brushless excitation
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/007 Control circuits for doubly fed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/42 to obtain desired frequency without varying speed of the generator
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

A jet engine assembly includes a jet engine having at least one spool and a generator. The generator comprising a rotor and a stator, with the rotor being operably coupled to the at least one spool, and an electronic commutator controlling the rotation of a magnetic field of the rotor such that the electric motor generates electricity. Also, a method of generating electricity from a generator having a stator and a rotor, the method comprising controlling a rotation of a magnetic field to generate electricity.

Claims

1. A jet engine assembly comprising:

a jet engine having at least one spool;

a generator comprising;

a synchronous electric motor comprising a rotor and a stator, with the rotor being operably coupled to the at least one spool such that the speed of the rotor varies with the speed of the spool; and

an electronic commutator controlling the rotation of a magnetic field of the rotor relative to the rotation of the rotor such that the synchronous electric motor generates electricity at a predetermined frequency.

2. The jet engine assembly of claim 1 wherein the predetermined frequency comprises a constant frequency.

3. The jet engine assembly of claim 2 wherein the generated electricity comprises at least one of alternating current, multi-phase, constant voltage, and three-phase 115 VAC at 400 Hz.

4. The jet engine assembly of claim 1 further comprising at least one of an accessory gearbox directly coupling the rotor to the at least one spool, and the rotor operably coupled to the at least one spool without a constant speed device.

5. The jet engine assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one spool comprises at least one of a low pressure spool and a high pressure spool.

6. The jet engine assembly of claim 1 further comprising a first speed sensor providing a rotor speed signal indicative of the rotational speed of the rotor, with the rotor speed signal being provided as input to the electronic commutator.

7. The jet engine assembly of claim 6 wherein the generator further comprises a permanent magnet generator (PMG) having a PMG stator and a PMG rotor, which rotates with the rotor of the synchronous motor, and the PMG rotor comprises the first speed sensor.

8. The jet engine assembly of claim 7 wherein the generator further comprises an exciter having an exciter stator and an exciter rotor, which rotates with the rotor of the synchronous motor.

9. The jet engine assembly of claim 1 wherein controlling the rotation of the magnetic field comprises controlling at least one of a rotational direction and a rotational speed such that the difference in the rotation of the magnetic field and the rotation of the rotor is constant.

10. A method of generating electricity having a predetermined frequency from a generator having a stator and a rotor, which is rotated by a variable speed engine, the method comprising controlling a rotation of a magnetic field of the rotor relative to the rotation of the rotor to generate electricity at a predetermined frequency.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the predetermined frequency comprises a constant frequency.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein controlling the rotation of the magnetic field comprises controlling at least one of the rotational speed and rotational direction of the magnetic field.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein controlling the rotation of the magnetic field comprises at least one of controlling the rotational speed of the magnetic field to maintain a constant difference in the relative speed between the rotational speeds of the magnetic field and the rotor, and controlling the rotational speed of the magnetic field relative to the rotational speed of the rotor to maintain a predetermined difference.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the predetermined difference is constant.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the generated electricity comprises at least one of alternating current, multi-phase, constant voltage, and three-phase 115 VAC at 400 Hz.