Gas turbine engine shaft break mitigation
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorNatalie C Wong
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of controlling a gas turbine engine includes the steps of: detecting a shaft break event in a shaft connecting a compressor of the gas turbine engine to a turbine of the gas turbine engine; and in response to this detection, activating a shaft break mitigation system which introduces a fluid into a gas flow of the gas turbine engine downstream of the turbine, or increases an amount of a fluid being provided into the gas flow of the gas turbine engine downstream of the turbine, whereby the fluid reduces an effective area of a nozzle for the gas flow so as to reduce the mass flow rate of the gas flow through the turbine.
Claims11
A method of controlling a gas turbine engine, the method including steps of:
- detecting a break has occurred in a shaft connecting a compressor of the gas turbine engine to a turbine of the gas turbine engine;
- and
- in response to the detecting, activating a shaft break mitigation system which introduces a fluid into a core gas flow of the gas turbine engine downstream of the turbine, wherein the fluid is different from a reheat fuel for a reheat system, or
- increases an amount of the fluid being provided into the core gas flow of the gas turbine engine downstream of the turbine,
- whereby the fluid reduces an effective area of a nozzle for the core gas flow so as to reduce a mass flow rate of the core gas flow through the turbine.
A gas turbine engine, comprising:
- an engine core comprising a turbine, a compressor, and a shaft system connecting the turbine to the compressor;
- and
- an electronic engine controller, wherein
- the electronic engine controller is configured to, in response to detecting a break has occurred in the shaft system, activate a shaft break mitigation system which introduces a fluid into a core gas flow of the gas turbine engine downstream of the turbine, wherein the fluid is different from a reheat fuel for a reheat system, or
- increases an amount of the fluid being provided into the core gas flow of the gas turbine engine downstream of the turbine, whereby the fluid reduces an effective area of a nozzle for
- the core gas flow so as to reduce a mass flow rate of the core gas flow through the turbine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.