Gas turbine engine including a rectifierless electronic control unit and method for supplying power to same
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorJeff M. Kelly
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas turbine engine comprises an electronic control unit adapted to control functions of the gas turbine engine and having a DC power input unit coupled to receive DC supply power and an ignition igniter coupled thereto. The ignition exciter includes an AC power input unit adapted to receive AC power from an AC power source within the gas turbine engine, a power rectification unit coupled to receive the AC power from the AC power source and configured, upon receipt thereof, to rectify the AC power into DC power, and a DC power output unit coupled to receive the DC power from the power rectification unit and configured to supply the DC power to the DC power input unit of the electronic control unit as DC supply power and/or the ignition igniter.
Claims10
A gas turbine engine including at least a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section, the gas turbine engine comprising:
- an electronic control unit adapted to control functions of each of the compressor section, the combustion section, and the turbine section of the gas turbine engine and having a DC power input unit coupled to receive DC supply power, the electronic control unit is devoid of any AC/DC power rectification;
- an ignition exciter, the ignition exciter comprising:
- an AC power input unit adapted to receive AC power from an AC power source within the gas turbine engine;
- a power rectification unit coupled to receive the AC power from the AC power source and configured, upon receipt thereof, to rectify the AC power into DC power;
- and
- a DC power output unit coupled to receive the DC power from the power rectification unit and configured to supply the DC power directly to the DC power input unit of the electronic control unit as DC supply power;
- and
- an ignition igniter coupled to the DC power output unit of the ignition exciter to directly receive the DC power from the power rectification unit.
A method for supplying DC power to an electronic control unit of a gas turbine engine that includes at least a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section, the gas turbine engine, the electronic control unit having a DC power input unit adapted to receive DC supply power and being devoid of any internal power rectification circuit, the electronic control unit further adapted to control functions of each of the compressor section, the combustion section, and the turbine section of the gas turbine engine, the method comprising the following steps:
- generating AC power by an AC power source of the gas turbine engine;
- supplying the generated AC power to an ignition exciter of the gas turbine engine;
- rectifying said AC power in said ignition exciter into DC power;
- supplying said DC power directly to the DC power input unit of said electronic control unit as DC supply power;
- and
- supplying said DC power directly to an ignition igniter of said gas turbine engine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.