Electric generator disposed on a rotating turboprop part

• US 8,890,343 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2010
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Bulin, Guillaume, Perret, Severine, Rogero, Jean-Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Tulsidas C
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUGGER, SEAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/318,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20120156039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,660 Days
• Field of Search: 290/1.R, 290/4.R, 290/52, 318/117
• US Class Current: 290/2
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 11/48 Units of two or more coaxial propellers
• 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: 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: F28D 15/02 in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes heat pipes used in solar heat collectors F24S10/95; in radiators F28D1/0226; in nuclear reactors G21C15/257
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

An electrical energy generating device for a propfan-type aircraft propulsion unit rotor. The propulsion unit includes a turbomachine that drives in rotation at least one rotor including a plurality of blades arranged around an annular crown moving with the blades, which forms with its outer wall part of an outer envelope of the propulsion unit, the outer envelope being subjected to atmospheric conditions outside the propulsion unit. The turbomachine generates a flow of hot gases that exit via an annular hot vein, which is concentric with the moving annular crown, and defined for part of its surface by an inner wall of the moving annular crown, and includes, within the moving annular part, a mechanism to transform thermal energy into electrical energy, preferably by thermal diodes. Such a device, as an example, can find application to a device for controlling a pitch of rotors of a propfan-type propulsion unit.

Claims

1. An electric power generating device for a rotor of a propfan-type of aircraft propulsion unit, the propulsion unit including a turbomachine rotating at least one rotor including a plurality of blades, an outer skin of the propulsion unit being subjected to atmospheric conditions outside the propulsion unit, the turbomachine generating a flow of hot gases that are released through a hot annular channel, the device for generating electrical power comprising:

an annular crown that moves with the blades, an outer wall of the annular crown forming part of the outer skin of the propulsion unit and inner wall of the annular crown defining a portion of the hot annular channel; and

means for transforming thermal energy into electrical energy, positioned between the inner wall and the outer wall of the annular crown, the means for transforming thermal energy extending in an annular fashion around all of the inner wall of the annular crown and over a predetermined width.

2. An electric power generating device according to claim 1, wherein the means for transforming thermal energy into electrical energy comprises a set of thermal diodes using Seebeck effect, the inner wall and outer wall of the annular crown, acting respectively as hot and cold sources for the thermal diodes;

the thermal diodes are arranged in groupings serially and in parallel so as to obtain on output from the electrical generator a voltage and amperage compatible with electrical requirements of the rotor.

3. An electrical power generating device according to claim 2, wherein the thermal diodes are of Pb_0.5 Sn_0.5 Te type.

4. An electrical power generating device according to claim 2, wherein caloducts are installed between one of the walls of the annular crown and on a surface of the thermal diodes.

5. An electrical power generating device according to claim 2, further comprising means for channeling either hot air from the hot annular channel or outside air towards a wall on which the thermal diodes are installed.

6. An electrical power generating device according to claim 2, wherein the electrical generator extends in annular fashion over a whole of an inner perimeter of the annular crown.

7. An electrical energy generating device according to claim 2, further comprising means for controlling a temperature difference between the hot and cold sources of the thermal diodes, controlled according to instructions of an electronic control unit for current generated by the thermal diodes.

8. An electrical energy generating device according to claim 2, further comprising an electronic control unit to which all the thermal diodes supply the generated current;

the electronic control unit configured to measure available electrical power and to distribute the power among users of energy and to select a cyclical supply mode that cycles the power among the users of energy in case an amount of power generated is below a predefined threshold.

10. An aircraft propeller, comprising at least one device according to claim 1.

11. An aircraft, comprising at least one device according to claim 1.

12. An electrical power generating device according to claim 2, further comprising:

an electric motor in the annular crown that changes a pitch of one of the plurality of blades, the electric motor directly powered by the means for transforming thermal energy into electrical energy.

13. An electrical power generating device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a plurality of electric motors in the annular crown, each electric motor changing a pitch of one of the plurality of blades, and each electric motor directly being powered by a grouping of the thermal diodes.

9. A device for orienting blades of a rotor of a propfan-type aircraft propulsion unit, wherein the propulsion unit includes a turbomachine that drives in rotation at least one rotor including a plurality of blades arranged around an annular crown moving with the blades, an outer wall of the annular crown forming part of an outer envelope of the propulsion unit, the outer envelope being subjected to atmospheric conditions outside the engine, the turbomachine generating a flow of hot gases that exit via an annular hot vein, which is concentric with the moving annular crown, and defined for part of a surface thereof by an inner wall of the moving annular crown, the device comprising:

means for transforming thermal energy into electrical energy, positioned between the inner wall and the outer wall of the annular crown, the means for transforming thermal energy extending in an annular fashion around all of the inner wall of the annular crown and over a predetermined width;

means for transferring the electrical energy to electric motors that adjust a pitch of the rotor'"'"'s blades; and

means for controlling the electric motors.