Gas turbine engine and method of operation
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorsBruno Chatelois, Michel Desjardins, Paul Weaver, Eric Durocher
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The gas turbine engine can have an engine core; a core output shaft drivable by the engine core; a power output shaft; an auxiliary power shaft; and a reduction gearbox having gears, the gears drivingly connecting the core output shaft to the auxiliary power shaft. The gears can include an epicyclic gearing drivingly connecting the core output shaft and the auxiliary power shaft to the power output shaft. The gas turbine engine can further have a second auxiliary power shaft interconnected to the auxiliary power shaft, the power output shaft, and the core output shaft by the gears.
Claims18
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- an engine core;
- a core output shaft drivable by the engine core;
- a power output shaft;
- an auxiliary power shaft;
- and
- a reduction gearbox having an input port operatively connected to the core output shaft, an output port operatively connected to the power output shaft, an auxiliary port operatively connected to the auxiliary power shaft, and epicyclic gearing drivingly connecting the core output shaft to the auxiliary power shaft, the epicyclic gearing drivingly connecting the core output shaft and the auxiliary power shaft to the power output shaft;
- wherein the auxiliary power shaft is drivingly connected to another gas turbine engine.
A gas turbine engine system comprising :
- a first turboprop engine and a second turboprop engine supported by wings on opposite sides of a fuselage, each of said first and second turboprop engines having
- an engine core;
- a core output shaft drivable by the engine core;
- a power output shaft;
- an auxiliary power shaft;
- a reduction gearbox having gears drivingly connecting the core output shaft to the auxiliary power shaft, the gears including an epicyclic gearing, the epicyclic gearing drivingly connecting the core output shaft and the auxiliary power shaft to the power output shaft;
- the gas turbine engine system further comprising a mechanical connexion drivingly connecting the auxiliary power shaft of the first and second turboprop engines to one another;
- and
- wherein the epicyclic gearing of one of the first and second turboprop engine reverses an angular rotation direction between the auxiliary power shaft and the power output shaft.
A method of operating a gas turbine engine system having a first turboprop engine and a second turboprop engine supported by wings on opposite sides of a fuselage, each of said first and second turboprop engines having an engine core, a core output shaft drivable by the engine core, a power output shaft, an auxiliary power shaft and a reduction gearbox interconnecting the core output shaft, power output shaft and auxiliary power shaft, the reduction gearbox having an epicyclic gearing reduction stage, the method comprising :
- the auxiliary power shaft of the first turboprop engine driving the power output shaft of the first turboprop engine;
- the core output shaft of the second turboprop engine driving the power output shaft of the second turboprop engine;
- the epicyclic gearing reduction stage of the first turboprop engine reversing an angular rotation direction between the corresponding auxiliary power shaft and power output shaft;
- and
- the epicyclic gearing reduction stage of the second turboprop engine preserving an angular rotation direction between the corresponding auxiliary power shaft and power output shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.