Gas-turbine electrical start system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12334859-B2
Application number	US-202217819527-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2022
Priority date	Aug 12, 2022
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

An example system includes a power electronics system; a starter electrically connected to the power electronics system and configured to start a gas-turbine engine of an aircraft; and an energy storage system electrically connected to the power electronics system and configured to provide direct current (DC) electrical energy to the power electronics system, wherein the power electronics system is configured to deliver alternating current (AC) electrical energy to the starter to start the gas-turbine engine using the DC electrical energy from the energy storage system and AC electrical energy sourced from an AC electrical bus of the aircraft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a power electronics system;
a starter electrically connected to the power electronics system and configured to start a gas-turbine engine of an aircraft;
an alternating current (AC) electrical bus connected to the power electronics system, the AC electrical bus being supplied power by one or more power sources of the aircraft; and
an energy storage system electrically connected to the power electronics system and configured to provide direct current (DC) electrical energy to the power electronics system,
wherein the power electronics system is configured to deliver AC electrical energy to the starter to start the gas-turbine engine using the DC electrical energy from the energy storage system and AC electrical energy sourced from the AC electrical bus of the aircraft.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a DC electrical energy source that is different than the energy storage system; and
an inverter configured to energize the AC electrical bus using electrical energy sourced from the DC electrical energy source.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the DC electrical energy source comprises one or more of:
a main ship's battery of the aircraft; and
an external power connection.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power electronics system is configured to source more than half of the AC electrical energy delivered to the starter from the energy storage system.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the starter is a first starter configured to start a first gas-turbine engine of a plurality of gas-turbine engines of the aircraft, the system further comprising:
a second starter electrically connected to the power electronics system and configured to start a second gas-turbine engine of the plurality of gas-turbine engines of the aircraft,
wherein the power electronics system is configured to deliver AC electrical energy to the second starter to start the second gas-turbine engine using the DC electrical energy from the energy storage system and the AC electrical bus of the aircraft.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the power electronics system is configured to deliver, during flight of the aircraft and when the plurality of gas-turbine engines are shut down, AC electrical energy to the second starter to start the second gas-turbine engine using the DC electrical energy from the energy storage system.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a self-contained thermal management system configured to absorb heat generated by one or more of the energy storage system and the power electronics system.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the self-contained thermal management system comprises at least one of paraffin or phase-change wax configured to absorb heat generated by the energy storage system.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the DC electrical energy received from the energy storage system has a voltage between 225 volts and 378 volts, and wherein the AC electrical energy received from the AC electrical bus has a voltage between 60 volts and 180 volts.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gas-turbine engine comprises a turbo-prop engine configured to propel the aircraft.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the gas-turbine engine comprises a single high-pressure spool.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising:
an electrical machine electrically configured to generate electrical energy used by one or more components of the gas-turbine engine,
wherein the power electronics system is configured to, responsive to shut down of the gas-turbine engine, to cause the electrical machine to rotate a rotor of the gas-turbine engine using the energy received from the energy storage system.

13. A method comprising:
receiving, by a power electronics system of an aircraft; direct current (DC) electrical energy from an energy storage system of the aircraft;
receiving, by the power electronics system, alternating current (AC) electrical energy from an AC electrical bus of the aircraft, the AC electrical bus being supplied power by one or more power sources of the aircraft;
generating, by the power electronics system and from the DC electrical energy received from the energy storage system and the AC electrical energy received from the AC electrical bus, combined AC electrical energy;
outputting, by the power electronics system and to a starter of a gas-turbine engine of the aircraft, the combined AC electrical energy; and
starting, by the starter and using the combined AC electrical energy, the gas-turbine engine.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the starter is a first starter configured to start a first gas-turbine engine of a plurality of gas-turbine engines of the aircraft, the method further comprising:
outputting, by the power electronics system and to a second starter of a second gas-turbine engine of the aircraft, the combined AC electrical energy; and
starting, by the second starter and using the combined AC electrical energy, the second gas-turbine engine.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
generating, by the power electronics system and during flight of the aircraft when the plurality of gas-turbine engines are shut down, mid-air restart AC electrical energy from the DC electrical energy received from the energy storage system;
outputting, by the power electronics system and to the starter of the first gas-turbine engine of, the mid-air restart AC electrical energy; and
mid-air restarting, by the first starter and using the mid-air restart AC electrical energy, the first gas-turbine engine.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the mid-air restart AC electrical energy includes a lesser amount of power than the combined AC electrical energy.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the gas-turbine engine comprises a turbo-prop engine configured to propel the aircraft, and wherein the gas-turbine engine comprises a single high-pressure spool.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the gas-turbine engine comprises a turbo-prop engine configured to propel the aircraft, and wherein the gas-turbine engine comprises a single high-pressure spool.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the DC electrical energy includes a first amount of power, wherein the AC electrical energy includes a second amount of power, wherein the combined AC electrical energy includes a combined amount of power that is substantially a sum of the first amount of power and the second amount of power, and wherein the first amount of power is greater than the second amount of power.

20. A system comprising:
a power electronics system;
a first starter electrically connected to the power electronics system and configured to start a first gas-turbine engine of an aircraft;
a second starter electrically connected to the power electronics system and configured to start a second gas-turbine engine of the plurality of gas-turbine engines of the aircraft;
an alternating current (AC) bus of the aircraft connected to the power electronics system and configured to provide AC electrical energy to the power electronics system, the AC bus being supplied power by one or more power sources of the aircraft; and
an energy storage system electrically connected to the power electronics system and configured to provide direct current (DC) electrical energy to the power electronics system,
wherein the power electronics system is configured to:
deliver AC electrical energy to the first starter to start the first gas-turbine engine using the DC electrical energy from the ene

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Nam Tech Inc
• Rolls Royce Corp

Inventors

• Schenk Peter
• Munevar Erik A
• Rodriguez Rigoberto J

Classifications

• H02J2105/32

  for aircrafts · CPC title

• H02J4/25

  for transfer of electric power between AC and DC networks, e.g. for supplying the DC section within a load from an AC mains system · CPC title

• F02C7/268 Primary

  Starting drives for the rotor {, acting directly on the rotor of the gas turbine to be started} · CPC title

• H02P2101/25

  for combustion engines · CPC title

• H02P2101/30

  for aircraft · CPC title