Electromagnetic anti-windmilling system
AssigneeRaytheon Technologies Corporation
InventorGary D. Roberge
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas turbine engine including a compressor has a first compressor section and a second compressor section, a combustor fluidly connected to the compressor, and a turbine fluidly connected to the combustor. The turbine includes a first turbine section and a second turbine section. A first shaft connects the first compressor section and the first turbine section. A second shaft connects the second compressor section and the second turbine section. A fan is connected to the first shaft via a geared architecture. The first shaft includes at least one magnetic section. An electromagnet is disposed radially outward of the first shaft at an axial location of the at least one magnetic section, relative to an axis defined by the gas turbine engine.
Claims19
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- a compressor having a first compressor section and a second compressor section;
- a combustor fluidly connected to the compressor;
- a turbine fluidly connected to the combustor, the turbine having a first turbine section and a second turbine section;
- a first shaft connecting the first compressor section and the first turbine section;
- a second shaft connecting the second compressor section and the second turbine section;
- a fan connected to said first shaft via a geared architecture;
- said first shaft including at least one magnetic section, and a single electromagnet structure disposed radially outward of said first shaft at an axial location of the at least one magnetic section, relative to an axis defined by the gas turbine engine.
A method for preventing rotation of a shaft in a gas turbine engine comprising:
- activating an electromagnet within a gas turbine engine in response to a rotation speed of the shaft falling below a speed threshold;
- preventing a shaft from rotating using a magnetic field generated by the electromagnet, thereby preventing a fan mechanically coupled to said shaft from rotating.
An anti-windmilling system for a gas turbine engine comprising:
- a single electromagnet structure mounted to an engine static structure at a first axial position, relative to an axis of the gas turbine engine;
- and
- a shaft radially inward of the single electromagnet structure, the shaft including at least one magnetic section at the first axial position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.