Reducing low flight mach number fuel consumption
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorCaroline L. TURNER
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gas turbine engine for an aircraft, comprises a high-pressure (HP) spool comprising an HP compressor and a first electric machine driven by an HP turbine, the first electric machine having a first maximum output power; a low-pressure (LP) spool comprising an LP compressor and a second electric machine driven by an LP turbine, the second electric machine having a second maximum output power; and an engine controller configured to identify a condition to the effect that the LP turbine is operating in an unchoked regime, and, in response to an electrical power demand being between zero and the first maximum output power, only extracting electrical power from the first electric machine to meet the electrical power demand.
Claims4
A gas turbine engine for an aircraft, comprising:
- a high-pressure (HP) spool comprising an HP compressor and a first electric machine driven by an HP turbine, the first electric machine having a first maximum output power;
- a low-pressure (LP) spool comprising an LP compressor and a second electric machine driven by an LP turbine, the second electric machine having a second maximum output power;
- and
- an engine controller configured to identify a condition to the effect that the LP turbine is operating in an unchoked regime, and, in response to an electrical power demand being between zero and the first maximum output power, only extracting electrical power from the first electric machine to meet the electrical power demand.
A method of reducing fuel consumption at low inlet Mach numbers in a gas turbine engine of the type having a high-pressure (HP) spool comprising an HP compressor and a first electric machine driven by an HP turbine, the first electric machine having a first maximum output power, and a low-pressure (LP) spool comprising an LP compressor and a second electric machine driven by an LP turbine, the second electric machine having a second maximum output power, the method comprising:
- identifying a condition to the effect that the LP turbine is operating in an unchoked regime;
- and
- in response to an electrical power demand being between zero and the first maximum output power, only extracting electrical power from the first electric machine to meet the electrical power demand.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.