Electrical energy generating system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11015476-B2
Application number	US-201916410837-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 13, 2019
Priority date	May 13, 2019
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

In examples, a propulsion and electrical generation system including a gas turbine engine including a compressor and a bleed air outlet from the compressor, wherein the compressor is configured to compress a fluid, wherein a portion of the compressed fluid is directed out of the bleed air outlet to define bleed air from the compressor; and a turbo-generator including a combustor, wherein the combustor includes a fuel inlet and a bleed air inlet, wherein the bleed air inlet is in fluid communication with the bleed air outlet from the compressor, wherein the combustor is configured to receive the bleed air via the bleed air inlet from the bleed air outlet of the gas turbine engine and receive fuel via the fuel inlet, wherein the combustor is configured to combust the received fuel with the received bleed air, wherein the turbo-generator is configured to generate electrical energy via the combustion of the fuel by the combustor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A propulsion and electrical generation system comprising:
a gas turbine engine including a first turbine, a first combustor, a compressor and a bleed air outlet from the compressor, wherein the compressor is configured to compress a fluid, wherein a portion of the compressed fluid is directed out of the bleed air outlet to define a bleed air from the compressor and another portion of the compressed fluid is directed to the first combustor, wherein the first combustor is configured to drive the first turbine; and
a turbo-generator including a second combustor and a second turbine separate from the first turbine, wherein the second combustor includes a fuel inlet and a bleed air inlet, wherein the bleed air inlet is in fluid communication with the bleed air outlet from the compressor, wherein the second combustor is configured to receive the bleed air via the bleed air inlet from the bleed air outlet of the gas turbine engine and receive fuel via the fuel inlet, wherein the second combustor is configured to combust the received fuel with the received bleed air to drive the second turbine, wherein the turbo-generator is configured to generate electrical energy via the second turbine driven by the combustion of the fuel by the second combustor, and wherein the second combustor of the turbo-generator does not receive a compressed fluid from another compressor separate from the compressor of the gas turbine engine.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gas turbine engine includes a first exhaust outlet for the first turbine and the first combustor and the turbo-generator includes a second exhaust outlet for the second turbine and the second combustor, wherein the first exhaust outlet and second exhaust outlet are fluidically coupled such that the first exhaust outlet and second exhaust outlet are combined into a single exhaust outlet.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein a controller is configured to adjust the amount of bleed air received by the second combustor of the turbo-generator via the bleed air control valve based on a desired amount of power to be generated by the turbo-generator.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first fuel supply source configured to supply fuel to the first combustor of the gas turbine engine, and
a second fuel supply source that is separate from the first fuel supply source configured to supply fuel to the second combustor of the turbo-generator, wherein the first fuel supply source is configured to supply the fuel to the first combustor of the gas turbine engine independent from the second fuel supplied to the second combustor of the turbo-generator by the second fuel supply source.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bleed air is received by the second combustor of the turbo-generator from the compressor of the gas turbine engine without being compressed by another compressor after exiting the bleed air outlet of the compressor of the gas turbine engine.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the compressor of the gas turbine engine supplies pressure from a high pressure stage of the compressor section.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein a total power of the gas turbine engine increases as a result of the bleed air received by the second combustor of the turbo-generator.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the turbo-generator is mounted on the gas turbine engine.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a vehicle, wherein the gas turbine engine is configured to provide propulsion to the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the vehicle comprises an aircraft.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to control a flow of the fuel and the bleed air to the second combustor of the turbo-generator.

12. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a bleed air control valve between the bleed air outlet and the bleed air inlet; and
a controller including a control circuitry, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the bleed air control valve to adjust an amount of the bleed air received by the combustor of the turbo-generator.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first turbine is driven by combustion of the first combustor and not by the combustion of the second combustor.

14. A method comprising:
compressing a fluid via a compressor of a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine including a first turbine, a first combustor, and the compressor, wherein a portion of the compressed fluid is directed out of a bleed air outlet of the compressor to define a bleed air from the compressor and another portion of the compressed fluid is directed to the first combustor, wherein the first combustor is configured to drive the first turbine;
receiving the bleed air via a bleed air inlet of a second combustor of a turbo-generator, the turbo-generator including the second combustor and a second turbine, wherein the second turbine is separate from the first turbine, wherein the bleed air inlet of the second combustor is in fluid communication with the bleed air outlet of the gas turbine engine;
receiving a fuel via a fuel inlet of the second combustor of the turbo-generator with the received bleed air; and
combusting the received fuel with the received bleed air with the second combustor of the turbo-generator, wherein the turbo-generator is configured to generate electrical energy via the second turbine driven by the combustion of the fuel by the second combustor, wherein the second combustor of the turbo-generator does not receive a compressed fluid from another compressor separate from the compressor of the gas turbine engine.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the gas turbine engine includes a first exhaust outlet for the first turbine and the first combustor and the turbo-generator includes a second exhaust outlet for the second turbine and the second combustor, wherein the first exhaust outlet and second exhaust outlet are fluidically coupled such that the first exhaust outlet and second exhaust outlet are combined into a single exhaust outlet.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising adjusting, via a controller including a control circuitry, a bleed air control valve between the bleed air outlet and the bleed air inlet to adjust an amount of the bleed air received by the second combustor of the turbo-generator.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
supplying fuel to the first combustor of the gas turbine engine from a first fuel supply source, and
supplying fuel to the combustor of the turbo-generator from a second fuel supply source that is separate from the first fuel supply source.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising generating propulsion to a vehicle via the gas turbine engine.

19. The method of claim 14 , further comprising at least one of receiving or switching to a lower stage compression including an inlet when ram compression is viable.

20. A propulsion and electrical generation system comprising:
a gas turbine engine including a first turbine, a first combustor, a compressor and a bleed air outlet from the compressor, wherein the compressor is configured to compress a fluid, wherein a portion of the compressed fluid is directed out of the bleed air outlet to define a bleed air from the compressor and another portion of the compressed fluid is directed to the first combustor, wherein the first combustor is configured to drive the first turbine; and
a turbo-generator including a second combustor and a second turbine separate from the first turbine, wherein the second combustor inc

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Corp

Inventors

• Klemen Donald
• White Russell E
• Wilson Eric E

Classifications

• B64D27/31

  within, or attached to, wings · CPC title

• B64D35/023

  of series-parallel type · CPC title

• B64D31/18

  for hybrid-electric power plants · CPC title

• B64D27/33

  Hybrid electric aircraft · CPC title

• F01D15/10 Primary

  Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, electric generators · CPC title