Gas turbine engine and active balancing system

• US 9,638,056 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2013
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc. (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc. (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Dierksmeier, Douglas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiehe, Nathaniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peters, Brian O
• Application Number:
  US14/096,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20140260323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/04 Antivibration arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/027 Arrangements for balancing for balancing rotating bodies in general F16F15/32; for compensating unbalance G01M1/36
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/10 Anti- vibration means specially adapted for radial flow machines or engines F01D5/04
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/51 Magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/96 Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/44 active, predictive, or anticipative
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 32/044 Active magnetic bearings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

The present disclosure provides, in one embodiment, a unique gas turbine engine. Other embodiments include unique gas turbine engines, and unique active balancing systems; as well as apparatuses, systems, devices, hardware, methods, and combinations for gas turbine engines and active balancing systems. Further embodiments, forms, features, aspects, benefits, and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.

Claims

1. A gas turbine engine, comprising:

a compressor;

a combustor in fluid communication with the compressor;

a turbine in fluid communication with the combustor; and

an active balancing system configured to balance at least a portion of the gas turbine engine during operation of the gas turbine engine, including;

a rotor component positioned in the turbine and coupled to a shaft of the gas turbine engine for rotation about an axis, the rotor component having a disk and an arm extending axially from the disk, a first magnetic element coupled to the arm and spaced apart from the shaft;

a static engine component having a second magnetic element positioned radially inward of the first magnetic element and spaced apart from the shaft, wherein the second magnetic element and the first magnetic element are disposed to be positioned opposite each other at one point during a rotation of the rotor component;

a vibration sensor configured to sense a vibration in the gas turbine engine; and

a controller configured to execute program instructions to activate one or both of the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element to selectively attract one to the other or to selectively repel one from the other based on an output of the vibration sensor to reduce the vibration.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to execute program instructions to activate one or both of the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element to selectively attract one to the other and to selectively repel one from the other.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein one or both of the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element is an electromagnet.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the first magnetic element or the second magnetic element is a permanent magnet.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of first magnetic elements and a plurality of second magnetic elements.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element are coupled to a power supply and configured to supply electrical power to the power supply upon rotation of the rotor component.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element are configured to form a permanent magnet alternator coupled to a power supply and configured to supply electrical power to the power supply upon rotation of the rotor component.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the vibration sensor is an accelerometer.

9. An active balancing system for a gas turbine engine, comprising:

a rotor positioned in a turbine section of the gas turbine engine and having a rotor component coupled to a shaft for rotation about an axis, the rotor component including a disk and an arm extending axially from the disk, a first magnetic element coupled to the arm and spaced apart from the shaft;

a static engine component including a second magnetic element positioned radially inward of the first magnetic element and spaced apart from the shaft, wherein the second magnetic element and the first magnetic element are disposed to be positioned opposite each other at one point during rotation of the rotor component;

a vibration sensor configured to sense a vibration associated with the rotor; and

a controller configured to execute program instructions to activate one or both of the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element to selectively attract one to the other or selectively repel one from the other based on an output of the vibration sensor to reduce the vibration.

10. The active balancing system of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to execute program instructions to activate one or both of the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element to selectively attract one to the other and to selectively repel one from the other.

11. The active balancing system of claim 9, wherein one or both of the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element is an electromagnet.

12. The active balancing system of claim 9, wherein the first magnetic element or the second magnetic element is a permanent magnet.

13. The active balancing system of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of first magnetic elements and a plurality of second magnetic elements.

14. The active balancing system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element are coupled to a power supply and configured to supply electrical power to the power supply upon rotation of the rotor component.

15. The active balancing system of claim 9, wherein the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element are configured to form a permanent magnet alternator coupled to a power supply and configured to supply electrical power to the power supply upon rotation of the rotor component.

16. The active balancing system of claim 9, wherein the vibration sensor is an accelerometer.

17. A gas turbine engine, comprising:

a compressor;

a combustor in fluid communication with the compressor;

a turbine in fluid communication with the combustor; and

an active balancing system including;

a vibration sensor,

a first magnetic element coupled to a rotating engine component, the rotating engine component positioned in the turbine and including a disk and an arm extending axially from the disk, the first magnetic element coupled to the arm and spaced apart from a shaft of the gas turbine engine supporting the rotating engine component,

a second magnetic element coupled to a static engine component radially inward of the first magnetic element and spaced apart from the shaft, and

a controller configured to execute program instructions to activate at least one of the first and second magnetic elements based on an output of the vibration sensor as the second magnetic element passes over the first magnetic element during operation of the gas turbine engine.

18. The gas turbine engine of claim 17, wherein the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element are configured to form a permanent magnet alternator.

19. The gas turbine engine of claim 17, wherein one or both of the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element is an electromagnet.

20. The gas turbine engine of claim 17, wherein the first magnetic element or the second magnetic element is a permanent magnet.