Device and a method for starting a turbine engine fitted to a helicopter, making use of an electrical energy source that includes discharge booster members

• US 8,752,392 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2010
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Helicopters
• Original Assignee: Airbus Helicopters
• Inventors: Lancelevee, Pierre Bertrand, Gazzino, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Wongwian, Phutthiwat
• Assistant Examiner(s): BREAZEAL, WILLIAM LEE
• Application Number:
  US12/816,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20100319357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• Field of Search: 607/78, 607/86, 60/391.3, 244/53.A, 123/179.3, 320/104, 320/134, 320/778, 320/786, 320/39.13
• US Class Current: 60/787
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/26 Starting; Ignition
• 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 2220/329 in helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/85 Starting
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

The invention provides a device and a method for starting at least one turbine engine (1) fitted to a helicopter. A starter (6) is fed with electrical energy from an electricity network (8) including at least one battery (9) and/or an electrical energy generator member. Discharge members (10) suitable for providing the starter (6) with a short-term boost of electrical energy in the form of a high-power pulse are incorporated in the network (8). The current pulse is delivered at a determined instant T starting from when the starter (6) is itself started, and/or from a determined threshold S for the speed and/or the variation in the speed with which the compressor (2) of the turbine engine (1) is driven, and/or from detecting D the ignition stage of the turbine engine (1), and/or from a manual control.

Claims

1. A device for starting a turbine engine fitted to a helicopter, the turbine engine having a compressor and a turbine, wherein the turbine engine becomes started when the compressor is driven to have a sufficient speed and the turbine generates an opposing torque which varies as a function of the speed of the compressor against the compressor being driven, the device comprising:

a starter; and

an electricity network including at least one source of electrical energy including at least one battery and/or an electrical energy generator member configured to power the starter with electrical energy in order for the starter to drive the compressor of the turbine engine during starting of the turbine engine;

the source of electrical energy further including capacitors configured to provide the starter with an electrical energy boost in the form of a pulse to boost the electrical energy powering the starter from the battery and/or the generator member during the starting of the turbine engine;

wherein a plurality of the capacitors are grouped together in at least one module;

wherein, after the compressor has been initially driven by the starter with electrical energy from the battery and/or the generator member such that the speed of the compressor is increased toward the sufficient speed to a value corresponding to the opposing torque reaching a torque threshold, a controller for the starter is configured so the capacitors provide the starter with the electrical energy boost while the opposing torque is greater than the torque threshold such that the capacitors and the battery and/or the generator member and provide the starter with electrical energy while the opposing torque is greater than the torque threshold and the battery and/or the generator member provide the starter with electrical energy while the opposing torque is less than the torque threshold.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the capacitors are mounted in the network either in series or in parallel relative to the battery and/or the electrical energy generator member.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein activation of the capacitors for delivering said electrical energy boost is made to depend on a monitor that may equally well be of the time-measuring type and/or of the dynamic type for detecting the drive speed of the compressor of the turbine engine being indicative of the opposing torque being greater than the torque threshold and/or of the electrical type for detecting the ignition stage of the turbine engine which is indicative of the opposing torque being at a maximum value greater than the torque threshold.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the activation of the capacitors for delivering said electrical energy boost is made to further depend on a manual control member.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein the capacitors are mounted in the network, being suitable for being recharged with energy from the battery and/or from the electrical energy generator member and/or from equipment external to the network for delivering electrical energy.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the network includes a DC/DC converter for regulating the current delivered by the capacitors and/or the current used for recharging them.

10. A device according to claim 1, wherein the capacitors are supercapacitors.

11. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a monitor configured to detect when the turbine engine transitions to an ignition stage which corresponds to when the opposing torque is at a maximum value greater than the torque threshold, wherein the capacitors are activated to provide the starter with the electrical energy boost when the monitor detects the turbine engine transitioning to the ignition stage.

12. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a monitor configured to detect drive speed of the compressor of the turbine engine, wherein the capacitors are activated to provide the starter with the electrical energy boost when the monitor detects the drive speed as stagnating which occurs when the opposing torque is greater than the torque threshold and greater than energy driving the compressor.

7. A method of starting a turbine engine fitted to a helicopter, the turbine engine having a compressor and a turbine, wherein the turbine engine becomes started when the compressor is driven to have a sufficient speed and the turbine generates an opposing torque which varies as a function of the speed of the compressor against the compressor being driven, the method comprising:

powering a starter, associated with the turbine engine, with electrical energy from at least one battery and/or an electrical energy generator member of an electricity network in order for the starter to drive the compressor of the turbine engine during starting of the turbine engine; and

feeding to the starter an electrical energy boost in the form of a pulse from capacitors of the electricity network to boost the electrical energy powering the starter from the battery and/or the generator member during the starting of the turbine engine, wherein a plurality of the capacitors are grouped together in at least one module,

wherein after initially driving the compressor by the starter with electrical energy from the battery and/or the generator member such that the speed of the compressor is increased toward the sufficient speed to a value corresponding to the opposing torque reaching a torque threshold, providing from the capacitors to the starter the electrical energy boost while the opposing torque generated by the turbine is greater than the torque threshold such that the capacitors and either the battery and/or the generator member provide the starter with electrical energy while the opposing torque is greater than the torque threshold and the battery and/or the generator member provide the starter with electrical energy while the opposing torque is less than the torque threshold.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the energy boost is delivered at an instant T determined from when the starter was itself started while the opposing torque is greater than the torque threshold, and/or from a determined threshold S for the speed being indicative of the opposing torque being greater than the torque threshold and/or the speed stagnating with which the compressor of the turbine engine is driven which occurs when the opposing torque is greater than the torque threshold and greater than energy driving the compressor, and/or from detecting D the ignition stage of the turbine engine which is indicative of the opposing torque being at a maximum value greater than the torque threshold.

9. A method according to claim 7, further comprising extemporaneously recharging the capacitors from an energy source on board the helicopter and/or from a source that is external to the network.

13. A method according to claim 7, wherein the capacitors are supercapacitors.

14. A method according to claim 7, wherein feeding to the starter the electrical energy boost from the capacitors occurs upon the turbine engine transitioning to an ignition stage which corresponds to when the opposing torque is at a maximum value greater than the torque threshold.

15. A method according to claim 7, wherein feeding to the starter the electrical energy boost from the capacitors occurs upon drive speed of the compressor of the turbine engine stagnating which occurs when the opposing torque is greater than the torque threshold and greater than energy driving the compressor.

16. A device for starting a turbine engine fitted to a helicopter, the turbine engine having a compressor and a turbine, wherein the turbine engine becomes started when the compressor is driven to have a speed reaching a rotary drive threshold and the turbine generates an opposing torque which varies as a function of the speed of the compressor against the compressor being driven until the turbine engine is started, wherein the opposing torque is at a maximum when the speed of the compressor is at a compression threshold between zero speed and the rotary drive threshold, the device comprising:

a starter; and

an electricity network including a source of electrical energy including a battery and/or a generator configured to power the starter with electrical energy in order for the starter to drive the compressor during starting of the turbine engine;

the source of electrical energy further including capacitors configured to provide the starter with an electrical energy boost in the form of a pulse to boost the electrical energy powering the starter from the battery and/or the generator during the starting of the turbine engine;

wherein a plurality of the capacitors are grouped together in at least one module;

wherein, after the compressor has been initially driven by the starter with electrical energy from the battery and/or the generator member such that the speed of the compressor is increased from the zero speed toward the compression threshold, a controller for the starter is configured so the capacitors provide the starter with the electrical energy boost while the speed of the compressor is within a speed range of the compression threshold corresponding to the opposing torque being within a torque range of the maximum opposing torque such that the capacitors and either the battery and/or the generator provide the starter with electrical energy while the speed of the compressor is within the speed range of the compression threshold, and the battery and/or the generator provide the starter with electrical energy while the speed of the compressor is outside of the speed range of the compression threshold, and none of the battery and/or the generator and the capacitors provide the starter with any electrical energy when the speed of the compressor reaches the rotary drive threshold.