Gas turbine, particularly an aircraft engine

• US 7,495,354 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2004
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MTU Aero Engines GmbH (MTU)
• Original Assignee: MTU Aero Engines GmbH (MTU)
• Inventors: Herrmann, Hubert
• Primary Examiner(s): Ponomarenko; Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US10/582,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20070152534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,557 Days
• Field of Search: 290/52, 290/40.C, 602/261, 60/395.11
• US Class Current: 290/52
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 15/10 Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/113 with variable power transmission between rotors
• 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: F05D 2220/50 for auxiliary power units (APU's)

Abstract

A gas turbine, particularly an aircraft engine includes at least one compressor. The gas turbine comprises at least one stator, at least one rotor and at least one generator (19) for generating electrical energy. An engine rotor has a rotor shaft (11) and rotor disks (12, 13, 14), which are driven by the rotor shaft (11) and which have rotating rotor blades (15). A stator has a housing (17) and fixed guide vanes (18). A generator (19) has at least one stator (21) and at least one rotor (20). The electrical energy generated by the generator (19) preferably serves to operate at least one attachment or one auxiliary unit of the gas turbine. According to the invention, the generator (19) is integrated in the interior of the gas turbine in such a manner that each rotor (20) of the generator is allocated to the compressor rotor and the stator (21) of the generator is allocated to the compressor stator, whereby kinetic energy of the rotor is convertible into electrical energy by the generator (19).

Claims

1. A gas turbine engine comprising at least one compressor comprising a compressor stator including a compressor stator housing and stationary compressor guide vanes mounted in said compressor stator housing, said gas turbine compressor further comprising a compressor rotor including a rotor shaft, compressor rotor discs secured to said rotor shaft, compressor rotor blades secured to said compressor rotor discs, said gas turbine compressor further comprising at least one electrical generator including a generator stator allocated to said compressor stator and a generator rotor allocated to said compressor rotor, said generator rotor comprising generator rotor blades integrated into said compressor rotor blades (15) so that said generator rotor blades and said compressor rotor blades are a unitary rotor structure, said unitary rotor structure comprising pole pieces movable with said unitary rotor structure for cooperation with said generator stator when said unitary rotor structure rotates.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein said pole pieces of said unitary rotor structure are said generator rotor blades which also function as compressor rotor blades.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein said pole pieces are mounted to radially outward ends of said generator rotor blades which also function as compressor rotor blades.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein said generator stator is mounted to said compressor stator housing.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein said generator stator is mounted to said stationary compressor guide vanes mounted in said compressor stator housing.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, comprising means for cooling said generator stator windings by engine fuel.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 6, wherein said generator stator windings are hollow for said engine fuel to flow through said hollow windings.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, further comprising control means (50) operatively connected to said at least one electrical generator for operating said at least one electrical generator as a motor for starting said gas turbine engine and for operating said at least one electrical generator for producing electrical energy when said gas turbine engine has started.

9. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, comprising two electrical generators and two compressors, wherein one electrical generator of said two electrical generators is allocated to each of said two compressors, a coupling (51) electrically interconnecting said two electrical generators with one another, said gas turbine engine further comprising control means (50) operatively connected to said two electrical generators for operating one of said two electrical generators as a motor with electrical energy provided by the other electrical generator and vice versa.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 9, wherein said two compressors comprise a high pressure compressor and a low pressure compressor, and wherein each compressor has integrated therein one electrical generator of said two electrical generators.

11. The gas turbine of claim 10, wherein said control means (50) are operatively connected to said electrical generator of said low pressure compressor and to said electrical generator of said high pressure compressor, wherein said coupling (51) electrically interconnecting said two electrical generators of said low pressure compressor and of said high pressure compressor, also couples said low pressure compressor and said high pressure compressor to one another through said generators so that, in response to said control means (50), said two electrical generators can equalize the power output of said low pressure compressor to the power output of said high pressure compressor and vice versa.

12. The gas turbine engine of claim 10, wherein electrical energy produced by said electrical generator of said high pressure compressor is used to operate said electrical generator of said low pressure compressor and vice versa.

13. A gas turbine engine comprising at least one compressor comprising a compressor stator including a compressor stator housing and stationary compressor guide vanes mounted in said compressor stator housing, said gas turbine compressor further comprising a compressor rotor including a rotor shaft, compressor rotor discs secured to said rotor shaft, compressor rotor blades secured to said compressor rotor discs, said gas turbine compressor further comprising at least one electrical generator including a generator stator allocated to said compressor stator and a generator rotor allocated to said compressor rotor, wherein said generator stator (21) comprises two generator stator sections (23, 24), each generator stator section comprising at least one stator winding, said generator stator sections being axially spaced from one another to form a radially extending generator rotor gap between said generator stator sections, said generator rotor comprising pole pieces positioned for cooperation with said at least one stator winding, said generator rotor being secured to said rotor shaft in a position for rotating in said radially extending generator rotor gap between said generator stator sections.

14. The gas turbine engine of claim 13, further comprising means for cooling said generator stator windings by engine fuel.

15. The gas turbine engine of claim 14, wherein said generator stator windings are hollow for said engine fuel to flow through said hollow windings.