Hybrid gas turbofan powered idle descent mode
AssigneeRtx Corporation
InventorsNeil Terwilliger, Daniel Bernard Kupratis, Michael Romero
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of operating an aircraft hybrid gas turbofan during an idle mode of operation includes reducing a fuel flow to a primary gas turbine engine and boosting a high spool of the primary gas turbine engine using a secondary gas turbine engine via a first power linkage connecting the primary and secondary gas turbine engines, such that a net fuel reduction is achieved. The net fuel reduction accounts for fuel flow to the primary gas turbine engine and fuel flow to the secondary gas turbine engine.
Claims12
A method of operating a gas turbine engine, the method comprising:
- operating the gas turbine engine in an idle mode of operation, wherein the gas turbine engine comprises a high pressure spool comprising a high pressure compressor and a high pressure turbine, and a low pressure spool comprising a fan, a low pressure compressor, and a low pressure turbine, and wherein operating the gas turbine engine in the idle mode comprises:
- providing supplemental power, from a secondary gas turbine engine, to the high pressure spool of the gas turbine engine via a first power linkage connecting the gas turbine engine and the secondary gas turbine engine, to cause the high pressure spool to rotate at a higher speed than a conventional idle speed of a conventional idle mode of operation in which the supplemental power is not provided;
- reducing a fuel flow to the gas turbine engine over the conventional idle mode of operation;
- generating compressed air in the secondary gas turbine engine;
- routing the compressed air from the secondary gas turbine engine directly to the high-pressure turbine of the high pressure spool of the gas turbine engine;
- and
- concurrently increasing the supplemental power provided via the first power linkage, decreasing an amount of the compressed air routed from the secondary gas turbine engine directly to the high-pressure turbine, and increasing a fuel flow provided to a combustor of the gas turbine engine, and thereby reducing a response time of the gas turbine engine for spooling up.
A method of operating an aircraft hybrid gas turbofan, the method comprising:
- operating a primary gas turbine engine in an idle mode of operation, operating in the idle mode comprising:
- providing supplemental power, from a secondary gas turbine engine, to a high pressure spool of the primary gas turbine engine via a first power linkage connecting the high pressure spool of the primary gas turbine engine and the secondary gas turbine, and wherein the primary gas turbine engine further comprises a low pressure spool, the low pressure spool comprising a fan, a low pressure turbine, and a low pressure compressor, and wherein the high pressure spool comprises a high pressure turbine and a high pressure compressor;
- and
- wherein providing the supplemental power from the secondary gas turbine engine to the high pressure spool of the primary gas turbine engine further comprises:
- generating compressed air with the secondary gas turbine engine;
- routing the compressed air from the secondary gas turbine engine directly to the high-pressure turbine of the high pressure spool of the primary gas turbine engine;
- and
- concurrently increasing the supplemental power provided via the first power linkage, decreasing an amount of the compressed air routed from the secondary gas turbine engine directly to the high-pressure turbine, and increasing a fuel flow provided to a combustor of the primary gas turbine engine, and thereby reducing a response time of the primary gas turbine engine for spooling up;
- and
- wherein the primary gas turbine engine is a propulsion engine and the secondary gas turbine engine is an auxiliary gas turbine engine (APU).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.