IP Library Granted Patent US 10,833,616
Granted Patent B1
US 10,833,616 · App. 16/692,213 · Granted Nov 10, 2020

Gas turbine engine generator power management control system

Inventors: Donald Silverstein (Indianapolis, IN); Ainsmar Brown (Indianapolis, IN); Ivan Troitsky (Indianapolis, IN); James Greg Steinrock (Columbus, IN)
Assignee: Rolls-Royce Marine North America Inc.
H02P9/008H03H21/0043H02P2101/25H02P2101/30H02P2101/35
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,833,616
App. No.
16/692,213
Granted
Nov 10, 2020
Kind
B1
Abstract

A power management system may include an energy source and a generator driven by a gas turbine engine to output generator power to a common bus. A source power converter is electrically coupled between the energy source and the common bus. A controller circuitry includes an adaptive filter to filter a power signal indicative of power consumption of a variable load on the common bus, and outputs a filtered signal as a load demand signal to the generator. A source demand error signal is also output to control the source power converter to supply power from the energy source to the common bus. The controller circuitry is further configured to automatically adjust the adaptive low pass filter in accordance with the power consumption of the dynamic load and the load demand signal of the generator.

Claims (38)

1. A system comprising:

a generator rotatably driven by a gas turbine engine to output generator electric power to a common bus, the common bus electrically coupled to a variable load comprising a pulse load;

a source power converter electrically coupled with the common bus;

an energy source electrically coupled with the source power converter; and

a controller circuitry configured with an adaptive filter to receive and dynamically filter a power signal indicative of the variable load, the dynamically filtered power signal output as a demand setpoint for the gas turbine engine and generator to supply a part of the pulse load, and a difference between the filtered power signal and the power signal is output by the controller circuitry as a power output setpoint for the source power converter to supply a remainder of the pulse load.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller circuitry is configured to dynamically adjust the adaptive filter based on the demand setpoint and measured actual power consumption of the variable load.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller circuitry is further configured to dynamically adjust the adaptive filter based on a voltage magnitude at the variable load.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a power converter electrically coupled between the common bus and the variable load, the power converter configured to convert a voltage of the common bus to a supply voltage of the variable load.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller circuitry is configured to dynamically adjust a gain of the adaptive filter.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller circuitry is configured to dynamically adjust a gain and a time constant of the adaptive filter.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the adaptive filter is a low pass filter with an adjustable gain and an adjustable time constant, and the controller circuitry is configured to dynamically adjust the adjustable gain and the adjustable time constant to vary the demand setpoint for the gas turbine engine and the power output setpoint for the source power converter.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the adaptive filter is dynamically adapted to maintain operation of the gas turbine engine in a predetermined operating range.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the variable load is a repetitive pulse load, and the controller circuitry is configured to dynamically adjust the adaptive filter to minimize variation in the demand setpoint for the gas turbine engine.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the energy source is a rechargable battery, a rechargeable capacitor or some combination thereof.

11. A method comprising:

monitoring a power signal indicative of a load on a common bus, the load comprising a pulse load;

filtering the power signal with an adaptive filter to generate a filtered power signal;

identifying a relatively constant part of the power signal;

dynamically adjusting the adaptive filter in accordance with the identified relatively constant part of the power signal;

generating a demand setpoint for a gas turbine engine rotatably driving a generator based on the filtered power signal provided by the dynamically adjusted adaptive filter, the gas turbine engine rotatably driving the generator to produce generator output power for a portion of the pulse load in accordance with the demand setpoint;

generating a power output setpoint for a source power converter in accordance with the filtered power signal provided by the dynamically adjusted adaptive filter; and

supplying source power to the common bus from a power source via the source power converter, the source power supplied to a remaining portion of the pulse load according to the power output setpoint.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein dynamically adjusting the adaptive filter comprises adjusting a gain and a time delay of the adaptive filter in accordance with the identified relatively constant part of the power signal.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein identifying a relatively constant part of the power signal comprises estimating a duty cycle of the pulse load.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein generating a demand setpoint for the gas turbine engine comprises controlling power demand of a full authority digital electronics control (FADEC) of the gas turbine engine.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein generating the power output setpoint for the source power converter comprises subtracting the filtered power signal from the power signal to generate the power output setpoint.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein dynamically adjusting the adaptive filter comprises adjusting division of the load between the generator and the source power converter.

17. A system comprising:

an energy source;

a generator rotatably driven by a gas turbine engine to output generator power to a common bus;

a source power converter electrically coupled between the energy source and the common bus; and

a controller circuitry comprising an adaptive filter configured to filter a power signal indicative of power consumption of a variable load on the common bus, and output a filtered signal as a load demand signal to the generator,

the controller circuitry further configured to output a source demand error signal to control the source power converter to supply power from the energy source to the common bus,

wherein the source demand error signal is representative of a difference between the filtered signal and power consumption of the dynamic load;

the controller circuitry further configured to dynamically adjust the adaptive low pass filter in accordance with the power consumption of the dynamic load and the load demand signal of the generator.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the controller circuitry is configured to dynamically adjust the adaptive filter by dynamic adjustment of at least one of a time constant and a gain of the adaptive filter.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the controller circuitry includes a running load maximum circuitry configured to dynamically calculate a maximum load value for the variable load, and the controller circuitry further configured to adjust a time constant of the adaptive filter in response to changes in the maximum load value.

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the controller circuitry includes a pulse width estimator circuitry executable to calculate an estimated duty cycle of the variable load, the controller circuitry further configured to adjust at least one of a gain or a time constant of the adaptive filter in accordance with changes in the estimated duty cycle of the variable load.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 25, 2025
From: BIRD-JOHNSON PROPELLER COMPANY, LLC
To: ROLLS-ROYCE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 073026/0523 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 27, 2025
From: ROLLS-ROYCE MARINE NORTH AMERICA INC.
To: BIRD-JOHNSON PROPELLER COMPANY, LLC
Reel/Frame 073267/0582 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 13, 2019
From: SILVERSTEIN, DONALD; BROWN, AINSMAR; TROITSKY, IVAN; STEINROCK, JAMES GREG
To: ROLLS-ROYCE MARINE NORTH AMERICA INC.
Reel/Frame 051271/0111 →
Cited By (3)
US 12,341,428 US 12,537,426 US 12,549,118