AIRCRAFT PROPULSION SYSTEM WITH CLOCKED ELECTRIC MACHINE AND ACCESSORY GEARBOX
20260002451 ยท 2026-01-01
Inventors
Cpc classification
F02C7/36
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F05D2260/4031
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F02C7/32
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
International classification
F01D15/10
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F02C7/32
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
Abstract
A propulsion system is provided for an aircraft. This propulsion system includes a geartrain, a propulsor rotor, a turbine engine core, an electric machine and an accessory gearbox system. The propulsor rotor is disposed to a first side of the geartrain. The turbine engine core is disposed to a second side of the geartrain. The turbine engine core is operatively coupled to the propulsor rotor through the geartrain. The electric machine is disposed to the second side of the geartrain. The electric machine is operatively coupled to the propulsor rotor and/or the turbine engine core through the geartrain. The accessory gearbox system is operatively coupled to the turbine engine core. The accessory gearbox system is circumferentially offset from the electric machine about a centerline axis of the turbine engine core. The accessory gearbox system axially overlaps the electric machine along the centerline axis of the turbine engine core.
Claims
1. A propulsion system for an aircraft, comprising: a geartrain; a propulsor rotor disposed to a first side of the geartrain; a turbine engine core disposed to a second side of the geartrain, the turbine engine core operatively coupled to the propulsor rotor through the geartrain; an electric machine disposed to the second side of the geartrain, the electric machine operatively coupled to at least one of the propulsor rotor or the turbine engine core through the geartrain; and an accessory gearbox system operatively coupled to the turbine engine core, the accessory gearbox system circumferentially offset from the electric machine about a centerline axis of the turbine engine core, and the accessory gearbox system axially overlapping the electric machine along the centerline axis of the turbine engine core; wherein the accessory gearbox system comprises an accessory gearbox and an engine accessory mounted to an axially forward side of the accessory gearbox; and wherein an entirety of the electric machine is disposed axially between the geartrain and an aft end of the accessory gearbox system.
2. The propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the electric machine and the accessory gearbox system are disposed to opposing sides of the turbine engine core.
3. The propulsion system of claim 1, wherein a center of the accessory gearbox system is spaced circumferentially from a center of the electric machine between thirty degrees and one-hundred and eighty degrees about the centerline axis of the turbine engine core.
4. The propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the electric machine is disposed vertically above the turbine engine core.
5. The propulsion system of claim 4, wherein the accessory gearbox system is disposed vertically below the turbine engine core.
6. The propulsion system of claim 4, wherein the accessory gearbox system is disposed to a horizontal side of the turbine engine core.
7. The propulsion system of claim 1, wherein a portion of the electric machine is disposed axially between the geartrain and the accessory gearbox system.
8. (canceled)
9. The propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the accessory gearbox system is circumferentially aligned with an airflow inlet into the propulsion system.
10. The propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the electric machine is configurable at least as an electric motor.
11. The propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the electric machine is configurable at least as an electric generator.
12. The propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the accessory gearbox operatively couples the engine accessory to the turbine engine core.
13. The propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the turbine engine core comprises a first rotating structure; the first rotating structure includes a first structure compressor rotor and a first structure turbine rotor; and the accessory gearbox system is coupled to the first rotating structure through a tower shaft.
14. The propulsion system of claim 13, wherein the turbine engine core further comprises a second rotating structure; the second rotating structure includes a second structure turbine rotor; and the second rotating structure is operatively coupled to the propulsor rotor through the geartrain.
15. The propulsion system of claim 14, wherein the second rotating structure further includes a second structure compressor rotor; and the tower shaft is disposed axially between the first structure compressor rotor and the second structure compressor rotor.
16. The propulsion system of claim 14, wherein the turbine engine core further comprises a third rotating structure; and the third rotating structure includes a third structure compressor rotor and a third structure turbine rotor.
17. The propulsion system of claim 1, wherein a rotational axis of the propulsor rotor is offset from the centerline axis of the turbine engine core.
18. The propulsion system of claim 1, wherein the propulsor rotor is an open propulsor rotor.
19. A propulsion system for an aircraft, comprising: a geartrain; a propulsor rotor disposed to a first side of the geartrain; a turbine engine core disposed to a second side of the geartrain, the turbine engine core operatively coupled to the propulsor rotor through the geartrain; an electric machine disposed to the second side of the geartrain, the electric machine operatively coupled to at least one of the propulsor rotor or the turbine engine core through the geartrain; and an accessory gearbox operatively coupled to the turbine engine core, the accessory gearbox circumferentially offset from the electric machine about a centerline axis of the turbine engine core, and the centerline axis of the turbine engine core laterally offset from a rotational axis of the propulsor rotor.
20. A propulsion system for an aircraft, comprising: a geartrain; a propulsor rotor disposed to a first side of the geartrain; a turbine engine core disposed to a second side of the geartrain, the turbine engine core including a first rotating structure, a second rotating structure, a combustor and a flowpath, the first rotating structure including a first structure compressor rotor and a first structure turbine rotor, the second rotating structure operatively coupled to the propulsor rotor through the geartrain, the second rotating structure including a second structure compressor rotor and a second structure turbine rotor, and the flowpath extending sequentially across the second structure compressor rotor, the first structure compressor rotor, the combustor, the first structure turbine rotor and the second structure turbine rotor between an inlet into the flowpath and an exhaust from the flowpath; an electric machine disposed to the second side of the geartrain, the electric machine operatively coupled to at least one of the propulsor rotor or the second rotating structure through the geartrain; and an accessory gearbox operatively coupled to the first rotating structure, the accessory gearbox circumferentially offset from the electric machine about a centerline axis of the turbine engine core, the accessory gearbox coupled to the first rotating structure through a tower shaft, and the tower shaft disposed axially between the second structure compressor rotor and the first structure compressor rotor.
21. The propulsion system of claim 9, wherein the accessory gearbox system is coupled to the first rotating structure through a tower shaft, the tower shaft is circumferentially aligned with a lateral midpoint of the airflow inlet at a vane arrangement having a plurality of vanes, and a first vane of the plurality of vanes aligned with the lateral midpoint is sized larger than remaining vanes of the plurality of vanes to accommodate the tower shaft.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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[0027]
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[0029]
[0030]
[0031]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032]
[0033] The propulsor rotor 22 is an air mover disposed outside of the engine core 24. The propulsor rotor 22 may be an open propulsor rotor (e.g., an un-ducted propulsor rotor) or a ducted propulsor rotor. Examples of the open propulsor rotor include: a propeller rotor 32 where the turbine engine 26 is a turboprop engine; a propfan rotor where the turbine engine 26 is a propfan engine; and a pusher fan rotor where the turbine engine 26 is a pusher fan engine. An example of the ducted propulsor rotor is a fan rotor where the turbine engine 26 is a turbofan engine, and the fan rotor is disposed in a fan section of the turbine engine 26. The present disclosure, of course, is not limited to the foregoing exemplary propulsor rotor configurations nor to the foregoing exemplary turbine engine configurations. However, for case of description, the turbine engine 26 is generally described below as the turboprop engine (here, a hybrid turboprop engine), and the propulsor rotor 22 is generally described below as the propeller rotor 32 of the turboprop engine.
[0034] The engine core 24 extends axially along a core axis 34 from a first (e.g., forward, upstream) end of the engine core 24 to a second (e.g., aft, downstream) end of the engine core 24. This core axis 34 may be a centerline axis of the engine core 24 and/or one or more of its members. The core axis 34 may also or alternatively be a rotational axis of one or more rotating members of the engine core 24. The engine core 24 includes a compressor section, a combustor section 36 and a turbine section. The compressor section of
[0035] The engine sections 37A, 37B, 36, 38A and 38B may be arranged sequentially axially along the core axis 34. These engine sections 37A, 37B, 36, 38A and 38B are disposed within an engine housing 40. The engine housing 40 of
[0036] The LPC section 37A includes a low pressure compressor (LPC) rotor 46. The HPC section 37B includes a high pressure compressor (HPC) rotor 47. The HPT section 38A includes a high pressure turbine (HPT) rotor 48. The LPT section 38B includes a low pressure turbine (LPT) rotor 49. Each of these engine rotors 46-49 and the propeller rotor 32 includes a plurality of rotor blades arranged circumferentially around and connected to one or more respective rotor disks. The rotor blades, for example, may be formed integral with or mechanically fastened, welded, brazed and/or otherwise attached to the respective rotor disk(s). Each of the engine rotors 46-49 is rotatable about the core axis 34. The propeller rotor 32, by contrast, may be rotatable about a rotational propeller axis 52 which is laterally offset from the core axis 34. The propeller axis 52 of
[0037] The HPC rotor 47 is coupled to and rotatable with the HPT rotor 48. The HPC rotor 47 of
[0038] The LPC rotor 46 is coupled to and rotatable with the LPT rotor 49. The LPC rotor 46 of
[0039] During operation of the turbine engine 26 of
[0040] The core flowpath 66 extends sequentially through the LPC section 37A, the HPC section 37B, the combustor section 36, the HPT section 38A and the LPT section 38B from an airflow inlet 68 into the core flowpath 66 to a combustion products exhaust 70 from the core flowpath 66. More particularly, the core flowpath 66 extends sequentially across the LPC rotor 46, the HPC rotor 47, a combustor 72 (e.g., an annular combustor) in the combustor section 36, the HPT rotor 48 and the LPT rotor 49 between the core inlet 68 and the core exhaust 70. Here, the core inlet 68 is the same as the airflow inlet 64, and the core exhaust 70 is the same as a combustion products exhaust 74 from the aircraft propulsion system 20. It is contemplated, however, the core inlet 68 may alternatively be downstream of the airflow inlet 64 and/or the core exhaust 70 may be upstream of the combustion products exhaust 74 for other turbine engine types/configurations; e.g., where the turbine engine 26 further includes a bypass flowpath or the like.
[0041] The core air is compressed by the LPC rotor 46 and the HPC rotor 47 and directed into a combustion chamber 76 (e.g., an annular combustion chamber) of the combustor 72 in the combustor section 36. Fuel is injected into the combustion chamber 76 by one or more fuel injectors and mixed with the compressed core air to provide a fuel-air mixture. This fuel-air mixture is ignited and combustion products thereof flow through and sequentially drive rotation of the HPT rotor 48 and the LPT rotor 49 about the core axis 34. The rotation of the HPT rotor 48 and the LPT rotor 49 respectively drive rotation of the HPC rotor 47 and the LPC rotor 46 about the core axis 34 and, thus, compression of the air received from the core inlet 68. The rotation of the LPT rotor 49 also drives rotation of the propeller rotor 32 (the propulsor rotor 22) about the propeller axis 52 through the geartrain 62. The rotation of the propeller rotor 32 of
[0042] Referring to
[0043] Referring to
[0044] The electric machine 28 of
[0045] The power source 94 is electrically coupled with the electric machine 28 through electrical circuitry; e.g., a power bus. This electrical circuitry may include one or more electrical leads 96 (e.g., high voltage lines) and one or more electrical devices 98 for conditioning, metering, regulating and/or otherwise controlling electrical power transfer between the electric machine 28 and the power source 94. Examples of the electrical devices 98 include, but are not limited to, switches, current regulators, converters and buffers. The power source 94 is configured to store electricity. The power source 94 is also configured to provide the stored electricity to the electric machine 28 and/or receive electricity from the electric machine 28; e.g., during recharging. The power source 94, for example, may be configured as or otherwise include one or more electricity storage devices 100; e.g., batteries, battery banks, super capacitors, etc.
[0046] Referring to
[0047] Referring to
[0048] The accessory gearbox system 30 and its accessory gearbox 104 are arranged within the interior chamber 86 of the engine housing 40 radially between the engine case 42 and the nacelle 44. Here, the geartrain 62 is disposed axially between the propeller rotor 32 and the accessory gearbox system 30. While the accessory gearbox system 30 may be axially spaced from the geartrain 62, the electric machine 28 of
[0049] In some embodiments, referring to
[0050] In some embodiments, referring to
[0051] In some embodiments, referring to
[0052] While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the disclosure. For example, the present disclosure as described herein includes several aspects and embodiments that include particular features. Although these features may be described individually, it is within the scope of the present disclosure that some or all of these features may be combined with any one of the aspects and remain within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.