Integrated brushless starter/generator system

• US 8,450,888 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2009
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Shafer, Douglas George, Toot, Peter David
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, John K
• Application Number:
  US12/426,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20100264759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• Field of Search: 310/54, 310/60.A, 310/75.D
• US Class Current: 310/54
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/20 with channels or ducts for flow of cooling medium
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/32 with channels or ducts for flow of cooling medium
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/203 specially adapted for liquids, e.g. cooling jackets
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/197 in which the rotor or stator space is fluid-tight, e.g. to provide for different cooling media for rotor and stator

Abstract

A brushless starter/generator includes a rotor rotatably mounted within a stator mounted within a housing and an oil cooling system using cooling oil from an engine accessory gearbox for cooling the rotor and the stator. The rotor is fixedly mounted on a rotor shaft having a rotor heat exchanger disposed therein. A stator heat exchanger for cooling the stator includes an oil jacket around the housing. The stator heat exchanger includes a grooved tube around the housing and axially extending axial passages connected to annular inlet and outlet manifolds in the grooved tube. The rotor shaft is operably connected to a power take-off shaft within the gearbox and rotatably supported by a shaft bearing in a gearbox casing of the accessory gearbox. The oil cooling system is a dry cavity oil cooling system which prevents cooling oil from entering an air gap between the rotor and the stator.

Claims

1. An aircraft gas turbine engine brushless starter/generator comprising:

the aircraft gas turbine engine brushless starter/generator operable to provide both starting and electrical power generation for an aircraft gas turbine engine,

a rotor rotatably mounted within a stator mounted within a housing of the aircraft gas turbine engine brushless starter/generator,

an oil cooling system for using cooling oil from an aircraft gas turbine engine accessory gearbox for cooling the rotor and the stator,

the rotor fixedly mounted on a rotor shaft, and

the oil cooling system including a rotor heat exchanger disposed within the rotor.

2. The starter/generator as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the oil cooling system including a stator heat exchanger for cooling the stator and the stator heat exchanger including an oil jacket around the housing.

3. The starter/generator as claimed in claim 2, further comprising the stator heat exchanger including a grooved tube around the housing and axially extending axial passages connected to annular inlet and outlet manifolds in the grooved tube.

4. The starter/generator as claimed in claim 3, further comprising the axially extending axial passages being axially extending grooves extending into the grooved tube from an inside surface of the grooved tube.

5. A starter/generator as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the rotor heat exchanger including annular inner and outer tubes disposed in the rotor shaft and the outer tube surrounding and connected to the inner tube.

6. The starter/generator as claimed in claim 5, further comprising the oil cooling system including a stator heat exchanger for cooling the stator and the stator heat exchanger including an oil jacket around the housing.

7. The starter/generator as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the stator heat exchanger including a grooved tube around the housing and axially extending axial passages connected to annular inlet and outlet manifolds in the grooved tube.

8. The starter/generator as claimed in claim 7, further comprising the axially extending axial passages being axially extending grooves extending into the grooved tube from an inside surface of the grooved tube.

9. The starter/generator as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the oil cooling system being a dry cavity oil cooling system including means for preventing cooling oil from entering an air gap between the rotor and the stator.

10. An aircraft gas turbine engine integrated brushless starter/generator system comprising:

an aircraft gas turbine brushless starter/generator operable to provide both starting and electrical power generation for an aircraft gas turbine engine,

the engine brushless starter/generator including a rotor rotatably mounted within a stator mounted within a housing of the aircraft gas turbine engine brushless starter/generator,

the brushless starter/generator mounted to an aircraft gas turbine engine accessory gearbox,

the rotor fixedly mounted on a rotor shaft extending into the gearbox and operably connected to an aircraft gas turbine power take-off shaft within the gearbox or to a gear train operably connected to the power take-off shaft within the gearbox,

an oil cooling system for using cooling oil from the engine accessory gearbox for cooling the rotor and the stator, and

the oil cooling system including a rotor heat exchanger disposed within the rotor.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the rotor shaft being rotatably supported by a shaft bearing in the accessory gearbox.

12. The system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the rotor shaft being rotatably supported by a shaft bearing in a gearbox casing of the accessory gearbox.

13. The system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the oil cooling system including a stator heat exchanger for cooling the stator and the stator heat exchanger including an oil jacket around the housing.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising the stator heat exchanger including a grooved tube around the housing and axially extending axial passages connected to annular inlet and outlet manifolds in the grooved tube.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the axially extending axial passages being axially extending grooves extending into the grooved tube from an inside surface of the grooved tube.

16. A system as claimed in claim 12, further comprising the rotor heat exchanger including annular inner and outer tubes disposed in the rotor shaft and the outer tube surrounding and connected to the inner tube.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, further comprising the oil cooling system including a stator heat exchanger for cooling the stator and the stator heat exchanger including an oil jacket around the housing.

18. A system as claimed in claim 17, further comprising the stator heat exchanger including a grooved tube around the housing and axially extending axial passages connected to annular inlet and outlet manifolds in the grooved tube.

19. The system as claimed in claim 18, further comprising the axially extending axial passages being axially extending grooves extending into the grooved tube from an inside surface of the grooved tube.

20. The system as claimed in claim 12, further comprising the oil cooling system being a dry cavity oil cooling system including means for preventing cooling oil from entering an air gap between the rotor and the stator.