Multiple turboshaft engine control method and system for helicopters
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorKeith Morgan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Electric power from the low spool of a turboshaft engine is transferred to drive the compressor of an other turboshaft engine. This is used to assist in maintaining the other turboshaft idling while a single engine provides flight power or to increase acceleration for instance.
Claims6
A method of controlling operation of an arrangement having at least a first turboshaft engine and a second turboshaft engine of a helicopter, each turboshaft engine having a first electric machine on a compressor spool, the compressor spool having both at least one turbine stage and at least one compressor stage, and a second electric machine on a power spool, the power spool having a low-pressure turbine stage, the method comprising:
- determining an increase in a power requirement and a difference in revolutions per minute between the first turboshaft engine and the second turboshaft engine;
- upon determining, extracting electrical power from the power spool of the first turboshaft engine using the second electric machine of the first turboshaft engine, and
- driving the compressor spool of the second turboshaft engine using a portion of the extracted electrical power from the power spool of the first turboshaft engine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.