Gas turbine flywheel hybrid propulsion system

• US 4,157,011 A
• Filed: 08/22/1977
• Issued: 06/05/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Liddle, Sidney G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Casaregola, Louis J.
• Application Number:
  US05/826,641
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 60/39.14, 60/39.16 S, 60/39.27, 60/39.29, 180/66 A
• US Class Current: 60/39.27
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/105 the accumulator being a flywheel
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/14 Gas-turbine plants having means for storing energy, e.g. for meeting peak loads
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/20 Adaptations of gas-turbine plants for driving vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/275 Mechanical drives
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/20 by throttling; by adjusting vanes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

A vehicle drive system includes a gas turbine engine having a compressor inlet control to reduce total engine air flow to between two and three percent of normal air flow during periods where fuel flow to the gas turbine engine combustor is terminated. An auxiliary flywheel is mounted between a power turbine output shaft and engine reduction gear for power transfer to the rear differential of a road vehicle. The auxiliary flywheel is driven at high speed of rotation of the power shaft to store energy which is used to start the engine following off modes of operation wherein air flow to the compressor is severely restricted and fuel flow to the combustor is terminated.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicular propulsion system comprising a gas turbine engine, said engine including a compressor having an air inlet and outlet, an impeller having blades thereon located within said compressor, means including a fuel controller and a turbine for driving said impeller during an on mode wherein fuel is supplied to the gas turbine engine and an off mode of operation wherein fuel supply is terminated to the gas turbine engine, a power shaft connected to said turbine, an auxiliary flywheel directly connected to said power shaft for driving said turbine and said gas turbine engine during an off mode of operation, inlet air control means to minimize compressor impeller blade pump loss during the off mode of operation, said inlet air control means including a plurality of flow control elements in said inlet of said compressor to reduce flow of air through the impeller to two to three percent of normal air flow therethrough during the off mode and sufficient to carry off heat generated by windage loss of said impeller, means coupling said auxiliary flywheel to be driven by the turbine at no speed reduction to minimize the mass of said auxiliary flywheel, and means coupled to said flywheel including a continuously variable transmission for driving the vehicle, said inlet air control means being operative to close said flow control elements during engine start to eliminate pumping losses from the compressor impeller, means for concurrently positioning said inlet air control means and said fuel controller when the engine is up to idle speed to open the flow control vanes and introduce fuel for driving the gas turbine engine during the on mode of operation, said control means and fuel controller further being continuously operative at off and on cycles when said engine reaches a predetermined design speed irrespective of load changes thereon, the off cycle operative to close said flow control elements and terminate fuel flow whereby the vehicle is driven by built-in energy of rotation of the combination of said auxiliary flywheel, turbine and said compressor impeller with the built-in energy of rotation supplying power during a transient fall in engine speed to 80% to 85% of said predetermined engine design speed, the on cycle reopening said inlet air control means and fuel controller thereafter when the engine speed drops to 80% to 85% of said predetermined engine design speed to reopen air flow to said compressor and reintroduce fuel to reinstitute the on mode of gas turbine engine operation until the predetermined engine design speed is reestablished.