Gas turbine engine with clutch assembly
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorBrian Lewis Devendorf
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gas turbine engine is provided. The gas turbine engine includes a turbomachine having a low speed spool and a high speed spool; a rotor assembly coupled to the low speed spool; an electric machine rotatable with the low speed spool for extracting power from the low speed spool, for adding power to the low speed spool, or both; and an inter-spool clutch positioned between the low speed spool and the high speed spool for selectively coupling the low speed spool to the high speed spool.
Claims17
A gas turbine engine defining an axial direction, the gas turbine engine comprising:
- a turbomachine comprising a combustion section, a low speed spool and a high speed spool;
- a rotor assembly coupled to the low speed spool;
- an electric machine rotatable with the low speed spool for extracting power from the low speed spool, for adding power to the low speed spool, or both;
- and
- an inter-spool clutch positioned between the low speed spool and the high speed spool for selectively coupling the low speed spool to the high speed spool,
- wherein the high speed spool comprises at least in part a high speed compressor, and
- wherein at least a portion of the inter-spool clutch is positioned at a location aligned with or forward of the combustion section along the axial direction and aligned with or positioned aft of the high speed compressor along the axial direction.
A method of operating a gas turbine engine defining an axial direction and comprising a combustion section, a low speed spool, a high speed spool, and an electric machine coupled to the low speed spool, the method comprising:
- rotating the low speed spool at least in part with the electric machine during startup operations of the gas turbine engine;
- wherein rotating the low speed spool at least in part with the electric machine during startup operations of the gas turbine engine comprises rotating the high speed spool with the low speed spool across an inter-spool clutch positioned between the low speed spool and the high speed spool during startup operations of the gas turbine engine,
- wherein the high speed spool comprises at least in part a high speed compressor, and
- wherein at least a portion of the inter-spool clutch is positioned at a location aligned with or forward of the combustion section along the axial direction and aligned with or positioned aft of the high speed compressor along the axial direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.