Granted Patent B2

US 12,281,618 · App. 18/910,905 · Granted Apr 22, 2025

Inventors: Bugra H. Ertas (Niskayuna, NY); Ravindra Shankar Ganiger (Bengaluru, IN); Andrea Piazza (Turin, IT); Arthur W. Sibbach (Boxford, MA)

Assignees: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY; GE AVIO S.R.L.

F02C7/36F01D15/10F16H57/025F05D2220/76F05D2260/4031F16H2057/02026F16H2057/02034F16H2057/02039H02M1/0067H02M1/327H02M7/003

Abstract

Claims (53)

1. A gas turbine engine comprising:

a fan, a compressor section, a turbine section that includes a rotating shaft, and a combustion section in flow communication with the compressor section and the turbine section;

an engine static structure;

an electric power system comprising:

at least one electric machine drivingly coupled to the rotating shaft and generating electricity as a first type of current;

a plurality of power converters electrically coupled with the at least one electric machine, the plurality of power converters converting the electricity as the first type of current from the at least one electric machine to a second type of current; and

a plurality of power distribution management units electrically coupled with the plurality of power converters, the plurality of power distribution management units supplying the electricity as the second type of current to at least one of the gas turbine engine or one or more aircraft systems of an aircraft,

wherein at least two of the plurality of power converters or the plurality of power distribution management units are integrated together in a single housing;

a gearbox assembly configured to transfer rotational energy from the turbine section to the fan; and

a mounting assembly for coupling the gearbox assembly to the gas turbine engine, the mounting assembly having:

a flex coupling configured to mount a first gear of the gearbox assembly to the rotating shaft of the gas turbine engine;

a flex mount configured to mount a second gear of the gearbox assembly to the engine static structure; and

a fan frame configured to mount a third gear of the gearbox assembly to the engine static structure,

wherein each of the flex coupling and the flex mount is characterized by a lateral impedance parameter ratio, a bending impedance parameter ratio, and a torsional impedance parameter ratio, and

wherein the lateral impedance parameter ratio of the flex coupling, the flex mount, or both is less than or equal to 0.5,

wherein the bending impedance parameter ratio of the flex coupling, the flex mount, or both is less than or equal to 0.5, and

wherein the torsional impedance parameter ratio of the flex coupling, the flex mount, or both is greater than or equal to 0.1.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of power converters is integrated together with the at least one electric machine in the housing, the housing being a power converter housing.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of power converters includes a plurality of low-pressure power converters thermally coupled together by a first power converter cold plate that cools the plurality of low-pressure power converters.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of power converters includes a plurality of high-pressure power converters thermally coupled together by a second power converter cold plate that cools the plurality of high-pressure power converters.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the rotating shaft is a low-pressure shaft, the turbine section includes a high-pressure shaft, and the at least one electric machine includes a low-pressure electric machine drivingly coupled to the low-pressure shaft and a high-pressure electric machine drivingly coupled to the high-pressure shaft.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of power converters includes a plurality of low-pressure power converters integrated together with the low-pressure electric machine in the housing, the housing being a low-pressure power converter housing.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of power converters includes a plurality of high-pressure power converters integrated together with the high-pressure electric machine in the housing, the housing being a high-pressure power converter housing.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of power distribution management units includes a first power distribution management unit and a second power distribution management unit that are integrated together in the housing, the housing being a power distribution management unit housing.

9. The gas turbine engine of claim 8 , wherein the first power distribution management unit is thermally coupled with the second power distribution management unit via a power distribution management unit cold plate that cools the first power distribution management unit and the second power distribution management unit.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the plurality of power converters is integrated together with the plurality of power distribution management units in the power distribution management unit housing.

11. The gas turbine engine of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of power converters includes a first low-pressure power converter and a first high-pressure power converter thermally coupled together by a first power converter cold plate.

12. The gas turbine engine of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of power converters includes a second low-pressure power converter and a second high-pressure power converter thermally coupled together by a second power converter cold plate.

13. A gas turbine engine comprising:

a fan, a compressor section, a turbine section that includes a low-pressure shaft and a high-pressure shaft, and a combustion section in flow communication with the compressor section and the turbine section;

an engine static structure;

an electric power system comprising:

a low-pressure electric machine drivingly coupled to the low-pressure shaft and generating electricity as a first type of current;

a high-pressure electric machine drivingly coupled to the high-pressure shaft and generating electricity as the first type of current;

a plurality of low-pressure power converters electrically coupled with the low-pressure electric machine, the plurality of low-pressure power converters converting the electricity as the first type of current from the low-pressure electric machine to a second type of current;

a plurality of high-pressure power converters electrically coupled with the high-pressure electric machine, the plurality of high-pressure power converters converting the electricity as the first type of current from the high-pressure electric machine to the second type of current; and

a plurality of power distribution management units electrically coupled with the plurality of low-pressure power converters and the plurality of high-pressure power converters, the plurality of power distribution management units supplying the electricity as the second type of current to at least one of the gas turbine engine or one or more aircraft systems of an aircraft, wherein the plurality of power distribution management units includes a first power distribution management unit and a second power distribution management unit that are integrated together in a power distribution management unit housing;

a gearbox assembly configured to transfer rotational energy from the turbine section to the fan; and

a mounting assembly for coupling the gearbox assembly to the gas turbine engine, the mounting assembly having:

a flex coupling configured to mount a first gear of the gearbox assembly to the low-pressure shaft of the gas turbine engine;

a flex mount configured to mount a second gear of the gearbox assembly to the engine static structure; and

a fan frame configured to mount a third gear of the gearbox assembly to the engine static structure,

wherein each of the flex coupling and the flex mount is characterized by a lateral impedance parameter ratio, a bending impedance parameter ratio, and a torsional impedance parameter ratio,

wherein the lateral impedance parameter ratio of the flex coupling, the flex mount, or both is less than or equal to 0.5,

wherein the bending impedance parameter ratio of the flex coupling, the flex mount, or both is less than or equal to 0.5, and

wherein the torsional impedance parameter ratio of the flex coupling, the flex mount, or both is greater than or equal to 0.1.

14. The gas turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of low-pressure power converters is integrated together with the low-pressure electric machine or the plurality of high-pressure power converters is integrated together with the high-pressure electric machine.

15. The gas turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of low-pressure power converters is thermally coupled together by a first power converter cold plate that cools the plurality of low-pressure power converters.

16. The gas turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of high-pressure power converters is thermally coupled together by a second power converter cold plate that cools the plurality of high-pressure power converters.

17. The gas turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of low-pressure power converters is integrated together in a low-pressure power converter housing.

18. The gas turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of high-pressure power converters is integrated together in a high-pressure power converter housing.

19. The gas turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the first power distribution management unit is thermally coupled with the second power distribution management unit via a power distribution management unit cold plate that cools the first power distribution management unit and the second power distribution management unit.

20. The gas turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of low-pressure power converters or the plurality of high-pressure power converters is integrated together with the plurality of power distribution management units in the power distribution management unit housing.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (59)