公开(公告)号：US12241421B1

公开(公告)日：2025-03-04

申请号：US18753264

申请日：2024-06-25

Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC

Inventor： Andrea Minelli ,  Craig W Bemment ,  Benjamin J Keeler ,  David M Beaven ,  Kevin R McNally

IPC: F02C7/14 ,  F02C7/06 ,  F02C7/36

Abstract: A method of operating a gas turbine engine comprising an engine core comprising a turbine, a compressor, a combustor arranged to combust a fuel, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor; a fan located upstream of the engine core; a gearbox that receives an input from the core shaft and outputs drive to the fan; an oil loop system arranged to supply oil to the gearbox; and a heat exchange system comprising an air-oil heat exchanger through which the oil flows, a fuel-oil heat exchanger through which the oil and the fuel flow; and a valve arranged to allow a proportion of the oil sent via at least one of the heat exchangers to be varied, is disclosed, the method comprising controlling the valve such that, under cruise conditions, an oil flow ratio of: rate ⁢ of ⁢ oil ⁢ flow ⁢ into ⁢ air - oil ⁢ heat ⁢ exchanger rate ⁢ of ⁢ oil ⁢ flow ⁢ into ⁢ fuel - oil ⁢ heat ⁢ exchanger is in the range from 0 to 0.59.

公开(公告)号：US12228083B2

公开(公告)日：2025-02-18

申请号：US18325240

申请日：2023-05-30

Applicant: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG ,  Rolls-Royce plc

Inventor： Ivo Martin ,  Björn Petersen ,  Andrea Minelli

IPC: F02C7/36 ,  B64D35/02 ,  F02C7/06

Abstract: A planetary gearbox device includes a static ring gear, a rotatable planet carrier, a plurality of planet gears, each planet gear being connected to a bearing device, wherein at least one of the bearing devices is coupled to at least one lubricant scooping device and/or at least one lubricant reservoir device for collecting lubricant, in particular oil coming from the at least one bearing device, and at least one lubricant channel allows a flow of the collected lubricant towards a lubrication location and/or a lubricant supply for the planetary gearbox device.

公开(公告)号：US12163479B2

公开(公告)日：2024-12-10

申请号：US18125477

申请日：2023-03-23

Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC

Inventor： Craig W Bemment ,  Benjamin J Keeler ,  Paul W Ferra ,  Alastair G Hobday ,  Kevin R McNally ,  Andrea Minelli ,  Martin K Yates

IPC: F02C9/28 ,  B64D27/12 ,  B64D37/00 ,  B64D41/00

Abstract: The present application discloses a method of determining one or more fuel characteristics of an aviation fuel suitable for powering a gas turbine engine of an aircraft, the gas turbine engine having a combustor supplied with fuel from a fuel system, the method comprising: determining a mass of the fuel being supplied to the combustor; determining a corresponding volume of the fuel being supplied to the combustor; and determining one or more fuel characteristics based on the determined mass and volume. Also disclosed is a fuel characteristic determination system, a method of operating an aircraft, and an aircraft.

公开(公告)号：US20240376845A1

公开(公告)日：2024-11-14

申请号：US18777670

申请日：2024-07-19

Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc

Inventor： Craig W. BEMMENT ,  Benjamin J. Keeler ,  Kevin R. McNally ,  Andrea Minelli

IPC: F02C7/14 ,  F02C7/36 ,  F23K5/20

Abstract: A method of operating a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine including an engine core comprising a turbine, a compressor, a combustor arranged to combust a fuel, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor; a fan located upstream of the engine core; a fan shaft; a main gearbox that receives an input from the core shaft and outputs drive to the fan via the fan shaft; a primary oil loop system arranged to supply oil to lubricate the main gearbox; and a heat exchange system arranged to transfer heat between the oil and the fuel, the oil having an average temperature of at least 180° C. on entry to the heat exchange system at cruise conditions. The method includes controlling the heat exchange system so as to raise the fuel temperature to at least 135° C. on entry to the combustor at cruise conditions.

公开(公告)号：US20240287937A1

公开(公告)日：2024-08-29

申请号：US18657237

申请日：2024-05-07

Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc

Inventor： Craig W. BEMMENT ,  Alastair G. Hobday ,  Benjamin J. Keeler ,  Andrea Minelli ,  Andrew T. Smith ,  Martin K. Yates

IPC: F02C7/224 ,  F02C7/14 ,  F02C7/32

CPC classification number: F02C7/224 ,  F02C7/14 ,  F02C7/32 ,  F05D2260/20

Abstract: A method of operating a gas turbine engine having an engine core having a turbine, a compressor, a combustor arranged to combust a fuel, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor; a fan located upstream of the engine core; a fan shaft; a gearbox that receives an input from the core shaft and outputs drive to the fan via the fan shaft; a heat exchange system having at least one fuel-oil heat exchanger arranged to transfer heat to the fuel; and a fuel pump arranged to deliver the fuel to the combustor, wherein the fuel pump is located downstream of the at least one fuel-oil heat exchanger. The method comprises controlling the heat exchange system so as to raise the fuel temperature to at least 135° C. on entry to the combustor at cruise conditions.

公开(公告)号：US12071894B2

公开(公告)日：2024-08-27

申请号：US18337519

申请日：2023-06-20

Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC

Inventor： Craig W Bemment ,  Benjamin J Keeler ,  Christopher P Madden ,  Andrea Minelli ,  Peter Swann ,  Martin K Yates

IPC: F02C7/14 ,  F02C7/06 ,  F02C7/10 ,  F02C7/224 ,  F02C7/36

CPC classification number: F02C7/14 ,  F02C7/06 ,  F02C7/10 ,  F02C7/224 ,  F02C7/36 ,  F05D2220/323 ,  F05D2260/205 ,  F05D2260/213 ,  F05D2260/98

Abstract: A method of operating a gas turbine engine including an engine core and turbine, a compressor, a combustor arranged to combust a fuel, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor; a fan located upstream of the engine core; a fan shaft; a main gearbox that receives an input from the core shaft and outputs drive to the fan via the fan shaft, the main gearbox including gears and journal bearings; a recirculating lubrication system arranged to supply oil to lubricate the gears and journal bearings, the lubrication system including a first oil tank arranged to supply oil to the gears and journal bearings and a second oil tank arranged to supply oil to the journal bearings only. The method includes, at cruise conditions: transferring 200-600 kJ/m3 of heat to the fuel from the oil through the heat exchange system so as to control the oil temperature.