Torsional damping for gas turbine engines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9938853-B2
Application number	US-201615018966-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2016
Priority date	Oct 23, 2015
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a gas turbine engine assembly having a compressor configured to increase pressure of incoming air, a combustion chamber, at least one turbine coupled to a generator, a torsional damper, and a controller. The combustion chamber is configured to receive a pressurized air stream from the compressor. Further, fuel is injected into the pressurized air in the combustion chamber and ignited so as to raise a temperature and energy level of the pressurized air. The turbine is operatively coupled to the combustion chamber so as to receive combustion products that flow from the combustion chamber. The generator is coupled to the turbine via a shaft. Thus, the torsional damper is configured to dampen torsional oscillations of the generator. Moreover, the controller is configured to provide additional damping control to the generator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of damping torsional oscillations of a shaft system of a gas turbine engine assembly, comprising:
providing pressurized air to a combustion chamber;
injecting fuel into the pressurized air within the combustion chamber and igniting the fuel so as to raise a temperature and energy level of the pressurized air;
providing combustion products from the combustion chamber to a turbine coupled via a shaft system to a generator; and
generating, via the generator, AC voltage;
converting, via a power converter, the AC voltage into DC voltage;
converting, via the power converter, the DC voltage to another AC voltage;
damping torsional oscillations of the shaft system via an electrical damper that includes at least one resistor, wherein the electrical damper is configured to operate on the DC voltage and is integral to the converter; and
controlling, via a controller, the at least one resistor so to prohibit the generator from having a constant power load.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising pressurizing the air via a compressor of the gas turbine engine assembly.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrical damper is further configured to provide damping for forced excitations introduced to the turbine engine assembly.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising controlling a power factor of the generator so as to provide additional torsional damping of the generator.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein controlling the power factor of the generator so as to provide additional torsional damping of the generator further comprises decreasing the power factor and creating losses internal to windings of the generator and connecting cables.

6. A method of damping torsional oscillations of a shaft system of a gas turbine engine assembly, comprising:
generating, via a generator connected via the shaft system, a first AC voltage;
converting, via a power converter, the first AC voltage into DC voltage;
converting, via the power converter, the DC voltage into a second AC voltage;
damping torsional oscillations of the shaft system via an electrical damper that includes at least one resistor, wherein the electrical damper is configured to operate on the DC voltage and is integral to the converter;
controlling, via a controller, the at least one resistor so to prohibit the generator from having a constant power load; and
controlling, via the controller, a power factor of the generator so as to provide additional torsional damping of the generator by creating losses internal to the generator.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the shaft system operably couples a gas turbine engine and the generator.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising integrating the electrical damper into one or more electrical circuits of the power converter.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Gemin Paul Robert
• Becker Thomas Lee
• Steen Tod Robert

Classifications

• F02C7/04

  Air intakes for gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants · CPC title

• H02K5/24

  specially adapted for suppression or reduction of noise or vibrations · CPC title

• F05D2260/96

  Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise · CPC title

• F16F15/14

  using masses freely rotating with the system, {i.e. uninvolved in transmitting driveline torque, e.g. rotative dynamic dampers (compensation of inertia forces F16F15/22; weights for balancing rotating bodies F16F15/32)} · CPC title

• H02P21/05

  specially adapted for damping motor oscillations, e.g. for reducing hunting · CPC title