US 12,662,953 B2Granted

Propulsion system including a turbine engine

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorsArthur W. Sibbach, Mark Wotzak, Brandon W. Miller, Erich Alois Krammer

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Abstract

A propulsion system and a method of operating the propulsion system. The propulsion system includes a first turbine engine, a second turbine engine, and a lubrication system. The lubrication system supplies a lubricant to the first turbine engine and the second turbine engine. The lubrication system includes one or more first lubricant sensors that sense information about the lubricant to the first turbine engine and one or more second lubricant sensors that sense information about the lubricant to the second turbine engine. The first controller and the second controller receive the information of the lubricant from the first lubricant sensors and the second lubricant sensors. The first controller controls the lubrication system to supply the lubricant to the second turbine engine based on the sensed information about the lubricant in the second turbine engine received at the first controller when the second turbine engine is shut down.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A propulsion system comprising:

a first turbine engine comprising:
a first turbo-engine;
a first propulsor that is drivingly coupled to the first turbo-engine;
a first electric machine configured to power the first propulsor when the first turbo-engine is shut down;
and
a first controller configured to control the first turbine engine;
a second turbine engine comprising:
a second turbo-engine;
a second propulsor that is drivingly coupled to the second turbo-engine;
a second electric machine configured to power the second propulsor when the second turbo-engine is shut down;
and
a second controller configured to control the second turbine engine;
and
a lubrication system configured to supply a lubricant to the first turbine engine and the second turbine engine, the lubrication system including a plurality of lubricant sensors including one or more first lubricant sensors that are configured to sense information about the lubricant to the first turbine engine and one or more second lubricant sensors that are configured to sense information about the lubricant to the second turbine engine,
wherein the first controller and the second controller are configured receive the information of the lubricant from the one or more first lubricant sensors and the one or more second lubricant sensors, and the first controller is configured to control the lubrication system to supply the lubricant to the second turbine engine based on the sensed information about the lubricant in the second turbine engine received at the first controller when the second turbine engine is shut down.

12 more elements

A method of operating a propulsion system including a first turbine engine, a second turbine engine, and a lubrication system, the method comprising:

operating the first turbine engine, the first turbine engine comprising a first turbo-engine, a first propulsor, a first electric machine, and a first controller;
operating the second turbine engine, the second turbine engine comprising a second turbo-engine, a second propulsor, a second electric machine, and a second controller;
powering the first propulsor with the first electric machine when the first turbo-engine is shut down;
powering the second propulsor with the second electric machine when the second turbo-engine is shut down;
supplying a lubricant to the first turbine engine and the second turbine engine with the lubrication system, the lubrication system including one or more first lubricant sensors and one or more second lubricant sensors;
sensing information about the lubricant in the first turbine engine with the one or more first lubricant sensors;
receiving the information about the lubricant in the first turbine engine at the first controller;
sensing information about the lubricant in the second turbine engine with the one or more second lubricant sensors;
receiving the information about the lubricant in the second turbine engine at the second controller;
and
controlling the lubrication system with the first controller to supply the lubricant to the second turbine engine based on the sensed information about the lubricant in the second turbine engine received at the first controller when the second turbine engine is shut down.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.