Hybrid-electric propulsion system for an aircraft
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsSridhar Adibhatla, Robert Charles Hon, Michael Thomas Gansler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hybrid-electric propulsion system for an aircraft includes a turbomachine, the turbomachine including a first spool and a second spool. A method for operating the hybrid electric propulsion system includes operating, by one or more computing devices, the turbomachine such that the first spool mechanically drives a prime propulsor of the hybrid-electric propulsion system; and modifying, by the one or more computing devices, a speed relationship parameter defined between the first spool and second spool by providing electrical power to, or drawing electrical power from, an electric machine mechanically coupled to the first spool, the second spool, or both.
Claims19
A method of operating a hybrid-electric propulsion system for an aircraft having a turbomachine, the turbomachine including a first spool and a second spool, the method comprising:
- operating, by one or more computing devices, the turbomachine such that the first spool mechanically drives a prime propulsor of the hybrid-electric propulsion system, the turbomachine comprising a low pressure compressor and a high pressure compressor in a serial flow relationship from the low pressure compressor to the high pressure compressor;
- and
- modifying, by the one or more computing devices, a speed relationship parameter defined between the first spool and the second spool by providing electrical power to the second spool via an electric machine when the first spool reduces speed at a first rate and the second spool reduces speed at a second rate that is faster than the first rate during a thrust reduction operation, wherein the first spool is a low pressure spool, wherein the second spool is a high pressure spool, and wherein the electric machine is coaxially coupled to the first spool forward of the low pressure compressor of the turbomachine.
A hybrid-electric propulsion system for an aircraft comprising:
- a turbomachine comprising a first spool operably coupled with a low pressure compressor, a second spool operably coupled with a high pressure compressor in a serial flow arrangement and downstream of the low pressure compressor in an axial direction, and a combustion section, wherein the first spool reduces speed at a first rate and the second spool reduces speed at a second rate that is faster than the first rate during a thrust reduction operation;
- a prime propulsor mechanically coupled to the first spool such that the first spool rotates the prime propulsor during operation;
- an electric machine mechanically coupled to the first spool forward of the low pressure compressor;
- an electric energy storage unit electrically connectable to the electric machine;
- and
- a controller comprising memory and one or more processors, the memory storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the hybrid-electric propulsion system to perform functions, the functions including:
- modifying a speed relationship parameter between the first spool and the second spool by providing electrical power to the electric machine mechanically coupled to the second spool to reduce the second rate of the second spool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.