Reversing marine gas turbine drive
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsMichael E. Behm, Clifford M. Toraason
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A reversing marine drive utilizing a gas generator prime mover provided with first and second counter-rotating power turbines. The first turbine is connectable by a differential gear set and a pinion and reduction gear assembly to the ship's shaft to drive the shaft and the screw thereon in the forward thrust direction. The second turbine is connectable by the differential gear set and the pinion and reduction gear assembly to the ship's shaft to drive it and the screw thereon in the reverse thrust direction. A brake assembly is provided in association with each of the first and second power turbines so that when one of the power turbines is driving the screw, the other power turbine is stopped. A master computer may be provided to control the reversing marine drive.
Claims13
A reversing marine drive comprising a gas generator prime mover provided with first and second counter-rotating power turbines, a ship shaft, a screw on said shaft and a pinion and reduction gear assembly for said ship shaft, a differential gear set means for connecting said first power turbine to said pinion and reduction gear assembly and for disconnecting said second power turbine therefrom to drive said screw in a forward thrust direction and for connecting said second power turbine to said pinion and reduction gear set and disconnecting said first power turbine therefrom to drive said screw in a reverse thrust direction, first and second brake set means being operatively connected to said first and second power turbines, respectively, for stopping said second power turbine when said first power turbine is driving said screw and for stopping said first power turbine when said second power turbine is driving said screw, a master control computer means for monitoring gas generator parameters and for controlling both said gas generator and said brake set means in response to command inputs, interlock means for inhibiting a power setting above idle when both said first and second brake set means are released and for inhibiting release of said first and second brake set means when the power setting of said gas generator is above idle.
A reversing marine drive comprising a gas generator prime mover provided with first and second counter-rotating power turbines, a ship shaft, a screw on said shaft and a pinion and reduction gear assembly for said ship shaft, a differential gear set means for connecting said first power turbine to said pinion and reduction gear assembly and for disconnecting said second power turbine therefrom to drive said screw in a forward thrust direction and for connecting said second power turbine to said pinion and reduction gear set and disconnecting said first power turbine therefrom to drive said screw in a reverse thrust direction, first and second brake set means being operatively connected to said first and second power turbines, respectively, for stopping said second power turbine when said first power turbine is driving said screw and for stopping said first power turbine when said second power turbine is driving said screw, a stationary support surrounded by and coaxial with said first power turbine, bearings for said first power turbine mounted on said support, said second power turbine being coaxial with and surrounding said first power turbine, bearings for said second power turbine being mounted on said first power turbine, whereby said bearings for said second power turbine will be in motion when said ship is under way forward and reverse and said bearings for said first power turbine will be stopped when said ship is under way, when in reverse only.
A reversing marine drive comprising a gas generator prime mover provided with first and second counter-rotating power turbines, a ship shaft, a screw on said shaft and a pinion and reduction gear assembly for said ship shaft, a differential gear set means for connecting said first power turbine to said pinion and reduction gear assembly and for disconnecting said second power turbine therefrom to drive said screw in a forward thrust direction and for connecting said second power turbine to said pinion and reduction gear set and disconnecting said first power turbine therefrom to drive said screw in a reverse thrust direction, first and second brake set means being operatively connected to said first and second power turbines, respectively, for stopping said second power turbine when said first power turbine is driving said screw and for stopping said first power turbine when said second power turbine is driving said screw, said second power turbine being coaxial with and surrounding said first power turbine, said second power turbine having an entry end and said gas generator having an outlet adjacent thereto, a seal shiftable between a retracted position spaced from said second power turbine entry end and said gas generator outlet and an extended position sealingly engaging said entry end of said second power turbine and said gas generator outlet, and means to shift said seal to said retracted position when said second power turbine is rotating and said first power turbine is stationary, and to shift said seal to said extended position when said second power turbine is stationary and said first power turbine is rotating.
A reversing marine drive comprising a gas generator prime mover provided with first and second counter-rotating power turbines, a ship shaft, a screw on said shaft and a pinion and reduction gear assembly for said ship shaft, a differential gear set means for connecting said first power turbine to said pinion and reduction gear assembly and for disconnecting said second power turbine therefrom to drive said screw in a forward thrust direction and for connecting said second power turbine to said pinion and reduction gear set and disconnecting said first power turbine therefrom to drive said screw in a reverse thrust direction, first and second brake set means being operatively connected to said first and second power turbines, respectively, for stopping said second power turbine when said first power turbine is driving said screw and for stopping said first power turbine when said second power turbine is driving said screw, a bypass valve assembly means for causing some at least of the output of said gas generator to bypass said power turbines and pass to exhaust and for controlling the amount of said output passing to exhaust.
A reversing marine drive comprising a gas generator prime mover provided with first and second counter-rotating power turbines, a ship shaft, a screw on said shaft and a pinion and reduction gear assembly for said ship shaft, a differential gear set means for connecting said first power turbine to said pinion and reduction gear assembly and for disconnecting said second power turbine therefrom to drive said screw in a forward thrust direction and for connecting said second power turbine to said pinion and reduction gear set and disconnecting said first power turbine therefrom to drive said screw in a reverse thrust direction, first and second brake set means being operatively connected to said first and second power turbines, respectively, for stopping said second power turbine when said first power turbine is driving said screw and for stopping said first power turbine when said second power turbine is driving said screw, locking means associated with each of said first and second brake set means for releasably locking its respective one of said first and second power turbines against rotation so that its respective brake set means need not be actuated for long periods of time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.