Controlling soot
    1.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US12241629B2

    公开(公告)日:2025-03-04

    申请号:US17896442

    申请日:2022-08-26

    Abstract: A gas turbine engine comprising a variable geometry combustor having fuel injectors, a rich-burn zone, a quick-quench zone, and a lean-burn zone, and further comprising quench ports for admitting quench air to the quick-quench zone; a variable geometry airflow arrangement for the variable geometry combustor, which is configured to vary an airflow through the fuel injectors and/or the quench ports; and a control system configured to control the variable geometry airflow arrangement in dependence upon an airflow delivered to the combustor, a fuel flow to the fuel injectors, and a target index of soot emissions to control the quantity of soot produced by combustion.

    Aircraft propulsion system
    2.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US12241409B2

    公开(公告)日:2025-03-04

    申请号:US18164858

    申请日:2023-02-06

    Inventor: Peter Swann

    Abstract: An aircraft propulsion system includes first and second engines and first and second electrical machines coupled to the first and second engines respectively. The first electrical machine is arranged to be driven by electrical power in order to at least partially drive the first engine. The second electrical machine is arranged to be driven by the second engine to generate electrical power. An electrical network allows transmission of electrical power between the electrical machines. A controller is arranged to selectively reduce fuel flow to the first engine and provide electrical power from the second electrical machine to the first electrical machine to drive the first electrical machine, based on expected properties of contrails formed in an exhaust plume of the first engine and/or the second engine. The system allows the formation of contrails by the engines to be managed in order to mitigate climate-warming effects of the contrails.

    Aircraft fuelling
    3.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US12111055B2

    公开(公告)日:2024-10-08

    申请号:US18211622

    申请日:2023-06-20

    CPC classification number: F23R3/28 B64D27/10 F02C7/264 F05D2240/35

    Abstract: A method of operating a gas turbine engine; the gas turbine engine includes a combustor. The combustor includes a combustion chamber and a plurality of fuel spray nozzles configured to inject fuel into the combustion chamber. The plurality of fuel spray nozzles includes a first subset of fuel spray nozzles and a second subset of fuel spray nozzles. The combustor is operable in a condition in which the first subset of fuel spray nozzles are supplied with more fuel than the second subset of fuel spray nozzles. A ratio of the number of fuel spray nozzles in the first subset of fuel spray nozzles to the number of fuel spray nozzles in the second subset of fuel spray nozzles is in the range of 1:2 to 1:5. The method includes: providing fuel to the one or more fuel-oil heat exchangers. Also provided is a gas turbine engine for an aircraft.

    Fuelling schedule
    5.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US11815031B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-11-14

    申请号:US17853074

    申请日:2022-06-29

    CPC classification number: F02C9/28 B64D27/10 B64D37/04 G08G5/0034

    Abstract: A method of operating an aircraft including a gas turbine engine and a plurality of fuel tanks arranged to provide fuel to the gas turbine engine, where at least two of the fuel tanks contain fuels with different fuel characteristics. The method includes obtaining a flight profile for a flight of the aircraft; and determining a fuelling schedule for the flight based on the flight profile and the fuel characteristics. The fuelling schedule governs the variation with time of how much fuel is drawn from each tank. Fuel input to the gas turbine engine may then be controlled in operation in accordance with the fuelling schedule.

    Controlling soot
    6.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US11732659B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-08-22

    申请号:US17896467

    申请日:2022-08-26

    Abstract: A gas turbine engine comprising a variable geometry combustor having pilot fuel injectors and main fuel injectors; a fuel metering system configured to control fuel flow to the pilot fuel injectors and the main fuel injectors; a variable geometry airflow arrangement for the variable geometry combustor, which is configured to vary the airflow through the pilot fuel injectors and/or the main fuel injectors; a control system configured to control the variable geometry airflow arrangement in dependence upon airflow delivered to the combustor, the fuel flow to the pilot fuel injectors and the main fuel injectors, and a target index of soot emissions, thereby controlling airflow through the pilot fuel injectors and/or the main fuel injectors and hence the quantity of soot produced by combustion.

    Gas turbine operation
    7.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US11591973B1

    公开(公告)日:2023-02-28

    申请号:US17853365

    申请日:2022-06-29

    Abstract: A aircraft gas turbine engine and operation method, the engine including: a staged combustion system having pilot and main fuel injectors, and operates in a pilot-only range wherein fuel delivers to pilot fuel injectors, and a pilot-and-main operation range wherein fuel is delivered to at least the main fuel injectors. The engine further includes a fuel delivery regulator to pilot and main fuel injectors, which receives fuel from a first and second source containing fuels each with different characteristics. The staged combustion system switches between pilot-only and pilot-and-main range operation when in steady cruise mode, the mode defining a boundary between first and second engine cruise operation range. The fuel delivery regulator delivers fuel to pilot fuel injectors during at least part of the first engine cruise operation with different fuel characteristics from fuel delivered to one or both pilot and main fuel injectors the second engine cruise operation range.

    AIRCRAFT ELECTRICALLY-ASSISTED PROPULSION CONTROL SYSTEM

    公开(公告)号:US20200010205A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-01-09

    申请号:US16552433

    申请日:2019-08-27

    Abstract: This invention concerns an aircraft propulsion system in which an engine has an engine core comprising a compressor, a combustor and a turbine driven by a flow of combustion products of the combustor. At least one propulsive fan generates a mass flow of air to propel the aircraft. An electrical energy store is provided on board the aircraft. At least one electric motor is arranged to drive the propulsive fan and the engine core compressor. A controller controls the at least one electric motor to mitigate the creation of a contrail caused by the engine combustion products by altering the ratio of the mass flow of air by the propulsive fan to the flow of combustion products of the combustor. The at least one electric motor is controlled so as to selectively drive both the propulsive fan and engine core compressor.

    Aircraft propulsion system
    9.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US10259590B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-04-16

    申请号:US15079273

    申请日:2016-03-24

    Inventor: Peter Swann

    Abstract: An aircraft propulsion system in which a combustion engine is arranged to drive an electrical generator. An electrical energy store is provided within the system. A propulsive rotor is arranged to be driven by an electric motor and a controller selectively varies the supply of power to the electric motor from the generator and/or energy store in dependence on one or more property of a vapor trail resulting from the engine exhaust flow. The controller may also control the supply of power to the energy store for charging.

    Fuel delivery
    10.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US12215635B2

    公开(公告)日:2025-02-04

    申请号:US18208077

    申请日:2023-06-09

    Abstract: A gas turbine engine for an aircraft includes a staged combustion system having pilot fuel injectors and main fuel injectors. The gas turbine engine further includes a fuel delivery regulator arranged to control delivery of fuel to the pilot and main fuel injectors, and a fuel characteristic determination module configured to determine one or more fuel characteristics of the fuel being supplied to the staged combustion system. A controller is configured to determine a staging point defining the point at which the staged combustion system is switched between pilot-only operation and pilot-and-main operation, the staging point being determined based on the determined one or more fuel characteristics, the controller being configured to control the staged combustion system according to the determined staging point.

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