Electrical architecture for an aircraft with thermal/electrical hybrid propulsion, comprising, for each turbine engine: an aeroplane AC electrical network, at least one first electrical machine mechanically coupled to a high-pressure shaft of the turbine engine; at least one second electrical machine mechanically coupled to a low-pressure shaft of the turbine engine; a reversible AC/AC electrical energy conversion module; switch elements; and an electronic system for controlling the conversion module and the switch elements, configured to put the architecture; in at least one so-called power distribution hybridisation operating mode corresponding to a first configuration of the switch elements in which the at least one second machine is coupled to the aeroplane network and at least one first machine is coupled to the aeroplane network via the electrical energy conversion module.

Hybrid electric propulsion systems are described. The systems include a gas turbine engine having low and high speed spools, each spool having a respective compressor and turbine. A mechanical power transmission is configured to at least one of extract power from and supply power to at least one of the low speed spool and the high speed spool, an electric machine is configured to augment rotational power of at least one of the spools, and a controller is operable to determine a rotational speed of the low speed spool, determine a rotational speed of the high speed spool, determine if a predetermined operational zone of operation based on the determined rotational speeds is present, and when a predetermined operational zone is determined, control a power augmentation of at least one spool to limit dwell operation of the gas turbine engine within the predetermined operational zone.

A gas turbine engine for an aircraft includes, in axial flow sequence, a compressor module, a combustor module, and a turbine module, with a first electric machine being rotationally connected to the turbine module. The first electrical machine is configured to generate a total electrical power P.sub.EM1 (W), and the gas turbine engine is configured to generate a total shaft power P.sub.SHAFT (W); and a ratio R of: $R=\frac{\left(\mathrm{Total}\mathrm{Shaft}\mathrm{Power}=P_{\mathrm{SHAFT}}\right)}{\left(\mathrm{Total}\mathrm{Electrical}\mathrm{Power}\mathrm{Generated}=P_{\mathrm{EM}1}\right)}$
is in a range of between 0.005 and 0.020.

A computer-implemented method for optimally operating a hybrid-electric propulsion system by control of equipment dynamics. Prior to start of a mission, an original energy management plan is generated which is calculated to minimize estimated life-cycle operating costs for the vehicle during the mission. During an initial portion of the mission, operations of first and second power sources, a power distribution system, and a propulsion system are controlled such that a power mixture is supplied to the propulsion system from the first and second power sources in accordance with the original energy management plan. During the initial portion of the mission, a modified energy management plan is generated which is calculated to minimize estimated life-cycle operating costs for the vehicle. During a subsequent portion of the mission, operations of the first and second power sources, power distribution system, and propulsion system are controlled such that a power mixture is supplied to the propulsion system from the first and second power sources in accordance with the modified energy management plan.

A turbo-generator system for generating propulsive electrical power for an aircraft includes an electric machine comprising: a rotor configured to be rotated by a gas-turbine of the turbo-generator system; a stator comprising: a first active section comprising first windings surrounding a first portion of the rotor, and a second active section comprising second windings surrounding a second portion of the rotor.

An aircraft includes a gas turbine engine, an electric motor, and a propulsion device. The gas turbine engine and the electric motor are configured to provide a target cumulative output to the propulsion device. An electronic control unit is configured to set the gas turbine engine to a first engine mode to provide a first engine output to the propulsion device, set the electric motor to a first motor mode to provide a first motor output to the propulsion device, a sum of the first engine output and the first motor output being within a predetermined range of the target cumulative output, and in response to a speed of the aircraft reaching a target speed and the first engine output increasing to a second engine output, set the electric motor to a second motor mode.

A hybrid electric propulsion (HEP) system included in an aircraft includes a generator configured to output a first power, an energy storage system configured to output a second power, a propulsion system configured to generate thrust based on at least one of the first power and the second power, and an HEP controller in signal communication with the generator, the battery, and the HEP system. The HEP controller is configured to detect loss of the first power output from the generator, to determine an altitude of the aircraft and to actively control delivery of the second power to the propulsion system based on the altitude during the loss of the first power.

An aircraft hybrid electrical propulsion (HEP) system includes an electrical system configured to deliver power to a plurality of electrical loads, a propulsion system configured to generate thrust in response to an input power, and an HEP controller in signal communication with the electrical system and the propulsion system. The HEP controller is configured to monitor a load demand of at least one electrical load among the plurality of electrical loads and to actively control the input power to actively control the thrust in response to changes in the load demand.

A hybrid gas turbine engine for use on an aircraft includes a motor/generator and gas turbine engine placed in parallel power communication with a rotating bladed component, such as an aircraft propeller, through a combining gear box. Power can be modulated with the propeller using the motor/generator. An aircraft having the aircraft propeller can also include several aircraft systems such as an air data computer, automatic flight control system (AFCS), a guidance and navigation system, a full authority digital engine controller/flight control computer (FADEC/FCC), and a fault detection and mitigation controller (FDMC). Data from each of these respective systems can be communicated over an aircraft data bus. In one form data from the AFCS and guidance and navigation system can be provided over the aircraft bus to the FDMC to modulate power to the propeller and in some forms act as a backup to the FADEC/FCC.

A hybrid aircraft that flies by using a plurality of rotors (takeoff and landing rotors and cruise rotors) includes a generator, a battery charged with power generated by the generator, a plurality of electric motors that rotate the respective rotors by the power generated by the generator and power supplied from the battery, and a controller that sets a target remaining capacity of the battery according to a flight state of the aircraft and controls charging and discharging of the battery so that the remaining capacity of the battery approaches the target remaining capacity.