Turbine engine comprising an electrically activated fuel supply pump, and turbine engine fuel supply method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9546599-B2
Application number	US-201214354343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2012
Priority date	Nov 29, 2011
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

A turbine engine for an aircraft including a turbine engine shaft and a pumping module, including: a pump shaft, connected to the turbine engine shaft; a pump for supplying fuel to the turbine engine, mounted on the pump shaft, configured to deliver a flow of fuel as a function of a speed of rotation of the turbine engine shaft; and an electrical device mounted on the pump shaft and configured, according to a first mode of operation, to drive the pump shaft in rotation to actuate the supply pump and, according to a second mode of operation, to be driven in rotation by the pump shaft to supply electrical power to equipment of the turbine engine.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A turbine engine for an aircraft including a shaft of a turbine engine and a pumping module, comprising:
a structural housing including a suction flange, to draw off fuel from a tank, and a delivery flange;
a pump shaft connected to the shaft of the turbine engine;
a supply pump for supplying the fuel to the turbine engine, mounted on the pump shaft and mounted inside the structural housing, configured to deliver a flow of the fuel as a function of a speed of rotation of the shaft of the turbine engine, the supply pump including a first fixed central part, joined to the structural housing, including a hollow delivery shaft connected to the delivery flange and a movable part mounted outside the fixed central part thereof;
an electrical device mounted on the pump shaft and configured, according to a first mode of operation, to drive the pump shaft in rotation to actuate the supply pump and, according to a second mode of operation, to be driven in rotation by the pump shaft to supply electrical power to an equipment of the turbine engine, the electrical device including rotor elements mounted on an external periphery of the movable part of the supply pump and stator elements mounted on an internal periphery of a fixed external crown of the structural housing; and
coupling/decoupling means to decouple the shaft of the turbine engine and the pump shaft during the first mode of operation and to couple the shaft of the turbine engine and the pump shaft during the second mode of operation.

2. A turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling/decoupling means is configured to couple the shaft of the turbine engine and the pump shaft when the speed of rotation of the shaft of the turbine engine is greater than or equal to a speed of rotation of the pump shaft.

3. A turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling/decoupling means is passive.

4. A turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling/decoupling means is in a form of a free wheel.

5. A turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the turbine engine includes a digital regulator configured to control the mode of operation of the electrical device.

6. A turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the equipment of the turbine engine includes electrical equipment connected to the electrical device to be supplied by the electrical device when the shaft of the turbine engine and the pump shaft are coupled.

7. A turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the pumping module includes a power take-off element connected to the movable part of the supply pump.

8. A turbine engine according to claim 7 , wherein the turbine engine includes an accessories box with an accessory shaft, and the accessory shaft of the accessories box is connected to the power take-off element.

9. A turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the supply pump is configured to draw off fuel from the suction flange towards the delivery flange.

10. A turbine engine for a helicopter according to claim 1 .

11. A method of supplying fuel to a turbine engine, the turbine engine including a shaft and a pumping module, comprising:
a structural housing including a suction flange, to draw off fuel from a tank, and a delivery flange;
a pump shaft connected to the shaft of the turbine engine;
a supply pump for supplying the fuel to the turbine engine, mounted on the pump shaft and mounted inside the structural housing, configured to deliver a flow of the fuel as a function of a speed of rotation of the shaft of the turbine engine, the supply pump including a first fixed central part, joined to the structural housing, including a hollow delivery shaft connected to the delivery flange and a movable part mounted outside the fixed central part thereof;
an electrical device mounted on the pump shaft and configured, according to a first mode of operation, to drive the pump shaft in rotation to actuate the supply pump and, according to a second mode of operation, to be driven in rotation by the pump shaft to supply electrical power to an equipment of the turbine engine, the electrical device including rotor elements mounted on an external periphery of the movable part of the supply pump and stator elements mounted on an internal periphery of a fixed external crown of the structural housing; and
coupling/decoupling means to decouple the shaft of the turbine engine and the pump shaft during the first mode of operation and to couple the shaft of the turbine engine and the pump shaft during the second mode of operation,
the method comprising:
previously or simultaneously with a starting phase of the turbine engine, the electrical device drives the pump shaft in rotation to actuate the supply pump during a priming phase;
after starting of the turbine engine, the electrical device is driven in rotation by the pump shaft to supply electrical power to equipment of the turbine engine.

12. A method according to claim 11 , wherein the shaft of the turbine engine and the pump shaft are decoupled during starting of the turbine engine and coupled after starting of the turbine engine.

13. A method according to claim 12 , wherein the shaft of the turbine engine and the pump shaft are coupled when the shaft of the turbine engine reaches the speed of rotation greater than a speed of rotation of the pump shaft.

14. A method according to claim 13 , wherein the turbine engine is used in an aircraft and the aircraft can fly from a threshold speed of the shaft of the turbine engine, and the shaft of the turbine engine and the pump shaft are coupled at a coupling speed less than the threshold speed.

15. A method according to claim 11 , wherein the priming phase and the starting phase are separated by a time delay.

Assignees

• Turbomeca

Inventors

• Lindeman Jean
• Benezech Philippe Jean René Marie
• Frealle Jean-Luc Charles Gilbert
• Moine Bertrand

Classifications

• F02C7/22 Primary

  Fuel supply systems · CPC title

• F01D15/10

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

• F02C7/32

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

• F01D15/08

  Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, pumps · CPC title

• Y02T50/671

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic