Aircraft power architecture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11988097-B2
Application number	US-201917056292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2019
Priority date	May 18, 2018
Publication date	May 21, 2024
Grant date	May 21, 2024

Abstract

The invention relates to an aircraft power architecture comprising a power transmission gearbox (12), located in a first compartment (30), a gas turbine (14), located in a second compartment (32) comprising a gas generator (18) and a free turbine (22) connected to the power transmission gearbox (12) by a power shaft (26) of the gas turbine (14), and an accessory gearbox (16), the gas turbine (14) being set into the main transmission gearbox (12), characterized in that the gas turbine (14) comprises a first electric machine (38), and in that the accessory gearbox (16) is placed in the first compartment (30) and comprises a second electric machine (42) configured to supply energy to the accessory equipment and to receive electrical energy transmitted via the first electric machine (38).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft power architecture, comprising:
a power transmission gearbox, located in a first compartment, and configured to transmit mechanical energy to a rotor,
a gas turbine located in a second compartment separated from the first compartment by a partition, comprising a gas generator and a free turbine connected to the power transmission gearbox by a power shaft of the gas turbin,
an accessory gearbox, configured to supply at least mechanical energy to accessory equipment by taking part of the energy produced by the gas generator, the gas turbine being attached in the aircraft via the power shaft being set in the power transmission gearbox and via a holding system connecting the gas turbine to the power transmission gearbox,
wherein:
the gas turbine comprises a first electrical machine configured to take the part of the energy produced by the gas generator and convert it into electrical energy when the gas turbine is running,
the accessory gearbox is located in the first compartment and comprises a second electrical machine configured to supply power to the accessory equipment and to receive the electrical energy transmitted by the first electrical machine when the gas turbine is running
wherein the second electric machine receives the electrical energy from the first electric machine via an electric connection and converts the electrical energy to mechanical energy to power the accessory equipment and wherein the accessory gearbox is mechanically decoupled from the gas turbine such that the part of the energy taken from the gas generator by the accessory gear box is transmitted electrically via the first electric machine to the second electrical machine.

2. The power architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the rotor supports a rotary wing or a propeller.

3. The power architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrical machine is also configured to start the gas generator when the gas turbine is switched off or on standby mode.

4. The power architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrical machine and the second electrical machine are brushless electrical machines and configured to operate at a rated speed of more than 50,000 rpm.

5. The power architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the accessory equipment comprises a fuel pump and an oil pump of the gas turbine, said pumps being located in the second compartment.

6. The power architecture according to claim 5 , wherein the fuel pump and the oil pump of the gas turbine are electric and are powered by an electric energy supplied by the accessory gearbox.

7. The power architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrical machine and the second electrical machine are configured to receive or supply the electrical energy to an on-board electrical network of the aircraft.

8. The power architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the gas generator comprises a high-pressure turbine directly connected to the free turbine.

9. The power architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the power transmission gearbox comprises transmission elements comprising bevel gears.

10. An aircraft, comprising the rotor connected to a rotary wing or a propeller, wherein the rotor is driven in rotation by the power architecture according to claim 1 .

11. The aircraft according to claim 10 , wherein the gas turbine is oriented at any angle with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotary wing or the propeller.

Assignees

• Safran Helicopter Engines

Inventors

• Lafargue Olivier
• Klonowski Thomas

Classifications

• Y02T50/60

  Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft · CPC title

• B64D27/33

  Hybrid electric aircraft · CPC title

• F01D15/10 Primary

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

• B64C27/12

  Rotor drives · CPC title

• F02C7/32

  Arrangement, mounting, or driving, of auxiliaries · CPC title