Hybrid propfan engine

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of hybrid propeller fan engine, hybrid propeller fan engine includes gas turbine, driving component;Wherein, gas turbine includes free turbine, free turbine is driven under the action of gas propeller fan rotation;Driving component includes motor, speed reducer and driving shaft, motor is connected with speed reducer, speed reducer is connected with free turbine by driving shaft, motor drives free turbine by speed reducer and driving shaft.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of aero-engine, especially relates to a hybrid prop-fan engine. BACKGROUND

[0002] Energy saving and emission reduction has become an urgent demand of various industries and fields. In particular, in the field of aero-engine, saving fuel, reducing emissions and achieving better economy have always been one of the important design goals. In order to achieve this goal, on the one hand, the design of the transmission gas turbine needs to be as close to its limit efficiency as possible; on the other hand, new power generation schemes need to be introduced to make up for the shortcomings of single gas turbine power output mode.

[0003] In many other fields, new energy technologies have been widely used, and new energy technologies are mostly mediated by electricity, relying on electric motors to generate power output. In the field of aero-engine, the application of new energy technology is still relatively small. For the aero-engine of non-micro-sized aircraft, there are still many technical bottlenecks in relying on pure electric power system for power output, for example, the low energy density of batteries. Therefore, in the field of aero-engine, it is necessary to introduce an electric power system on the basis of retaining the gas turbine to realize hybrid power output, play the dual advantages of oil and electricity, make up for their shortcomings, achieve energy saving and emission reduction, and further improve the economy.

[0004] However, for the prop-fan engine as one of the aero-engines, the connection arrangement between the gas turbine system and the electric power system, the energy transmission path, and the hybrid power output mode and other technical problems need to be solved. SUMMARY

[0005] The utility model aims at least to provide a kind of hybrid prop-fan engine, for the connection arrangement between electric power system and gas turbine system, energy transmission path and hybrid power output mode provide solution, improve the working efficiency of hybrid prop-fan engine, and realize the energy saving and emission reduction of hybrid prop-fan engine.

[0006] The following gives a brief summary of one or more aspects to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all contemplated aspects, and neither is it intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its only purpose is to give some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form to sequence the more detailed description given later.

[0007] The utility model discloses one of embodiments provides a kind of hybrid propeller fan engine, hybrid propeller fan engine includes gas turbine, driving component;Wherein, gas turbine includes free turbine, free turbine is driven under the action of gas propeller fan rotation;Driving component includes motor, speed reducer and driving shaft, motor is connected with speed reducer, speed reducer is connected with free turbine by driving shaft, motor drives free turbine by speed reducer and driving shaft.

[0008] In some embodiments, the hybrid propeller fan engine includes a power generation component and a compressor, the compressor has a gas rotating shaft, the generator is connected with the gas rotating shaft, the gas rotating shaft drives the generator to generate electric energy, and the electric energy generated by the generator is used to drive the motor to rotate.

[0009] In some embodiments, the power generation component includes an electric energy storage, the electric energy storage is used to store the electric energy generated by the generator, and the generator is electrically connected with the motor through the electric energy storage.

[0010] In some embodiments, the hybrid propeller fan engine includes a controller, the controller is used to control the transmission efficiency of the speed reducer to adjust the driving force of the driving component on the free turbine.

[0011] In some embodiments, the hybrid propeller fan engine includes a controller, the controller is used to control the output power of the motor to adjust the driving force of the driving component on the free turbine.

[0012] In some embodiments, the hybrid propeller fan engine includes an electric energy storage, the electric energy storage is used to store the electric energy generated by the motor driven by the driving shaft.

[0013] The hybrid propeller fan engine disclosed in the utility model is combined with the gas turbine system to output power by introducing the power system, which can more fully utilize the kinetic energy of the propeller fan engine, improves the working efficiency of the propeller fan engine, and is helpful for energy saving and emission reduction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] The above features and advantages of the utility model can be better understood after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, each component is not necessarily drawn to scale, and components having similar related properties or features can have the same or similar reference numerals. Among them:

[0015] Figure 1 is the structure schematic view of the hybrid propeller fan engine shown according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The utility model will be described in detail below in combination with the drawings and specific embodiments. Note that the aspects described below in combination with the drawings and specific embodiments are only exemplary and should not be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0017] It should be understood that the "system", "device", "unit" and / or "module" used herein is a method for distinguishing different components, elements, parts, portions or assemblies at different levels. However, if other words can achieve the same purpose, the words can be replaced by other expressions.

[0018] It can be understood that the technical terms involved in the description of the present specification, such as "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation or be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, therefore it cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0019] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second" and the like used herein to limit the features are only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding features, and the above terms have no special meaning unless otherwise stated, therefore it cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0020] In the description of the present specification, it should be noted that, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, integrally connected, or detachably connected; it can be mechanically connected, or electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or the communication between two elements, etc. For ordinary skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present specification can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0021] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a hybrid propeller fan engine according to some embodiments.

[0022] The present specification proposes a hybrid propeller fan engine, such as Figure 1As shown, the propfan engine 100, also known as turbofan engine, includes a gas turbine 110, the gas turbine 110 includes a compressor 111, a combustion chamber 112 and a compression turbine 113. Air enters the gas turbine 110 through an air inlet, compressed by the compressor 111, enters the combustion chamber 112, mixes with fuel and burns to produce high-temperature and high-pressure gas, which drives the compression turbine 113 to rotate, the compression turbine 113 is used to drive the compressor 111 to compress air, and the compression turbine 113 is connected to the compressor 111 through a gas shaft.

[0023] The propfan engine 100 further includes a free turbine 114, also known as a drive turbine 114, and a propfan 115. The free turbine 114 is connected to the propfan 115 through a drive shaft. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas generated by the gas turbine 110 drives the free turbine 114 to rotate, and the free turbine 114 drives the propfan 115 to rotate through the drive shaft. The rotation of the propfan 115 generates the propulsion force for the aircraft to move forward.

[0024] The propfan engine 100 here is also known as a free turbine engine. The free turbine 114 is driven by high-temperature and high-pressure gas, i.e. gas, and is not mechanically connected to the gas turbine 110. Therefore, the working efficiency of the free turbine engine is slightly lower than that of the single-shaft turbofan engine in the turbofan engine type. However, the free turbine engine requires less starting torque than the single-shaft turbofan engine because the free turbine engine only needs to bring the gas turbine 110 to the ignition speed during startup, while the single-shaft turbofan engine also needs to bring the propfan to the ignition speed during startup. In addition, the maintenance of the free turbine engine is relatively simple. When the engine needs to be inspected for hot parts, the free turbine can be removed, and sometimes the entire engine does not need to be disassembled from the aircraft.

[0025] In order to improve the economy and power output of the free turbine engine, the hybrid propfan engine 100 further includes a drive component.

[0026] Referring to Figure 1 , the drive component includes an electric motor 121, a speed reducer 122 and a drive shaft. The electric motor 121 is connected to the speed reducer 122. The speed reducer 122 is connected to the free turbine 114 through the drive shaft, and the electric motor 121 drives the free turbine 114 through the speed reducer 122 and the drive shaft. In this way, the free turbine 114 and the propfan 115 connected thereto can be driven by the electric motor 121 and the gas generated by the gas turbine 110 to improve the rotation speed of the propfan 115, thereby improving the output power of the propfan engine 100 and achieving energy saving and emission reduction.

[0027] The electric motor 121 is a component that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. In some embodiments, the electric motor 121 is connected to the reducer 122 via a connecting shaft. The reducer 122 serves to match the speed and transmit torque between the electric motor 121 and the drive shaft. If the direct output speed of the electric motor 121 is too high, the reducer 122 is needed as a transition between the electric motor 121 and the drive shaft to reduce the speed and torque output from the electric motor 121 to the drive shaft. In some embodiments, the reducer 122 includes a worm gear reducer and a planetary gear reducer. In some embodiments, the reducer 122 includes a single-stage reduction assembly and a multi-stage reduction assembly. In some embodiments, the transmission efficiency of the reducer 122 is adjustable to adjust the speed and torque output from the electric motor 121 to the drive shaft, thereby adjusting the driving force of the drive component on the free turbine.

[0028] In some embodiments, the propfan engine 100 includes a controller, the controller in Figure 1 (Not shown) The controller is used to control the transmission efficiency of the reducer 122 to adjust its transmission efficiency. The controller can adjust the transmission efficiency of the reducer 122 according to different operating conditions to meet the needs of different conditions. For example, during takeoff or engine restart, the reducer 122 is adjusted to have a higher transmission efficiency to assist the propfan engine 100 in starting. Conversely, during deceleration, the controller adjusts the reducer 122 to have a lower transmission efficiency to assist the propfan engine 100 in deceleration. In some embodiments, the controller is used to control the connection between the reducer 122 and the drive shaft to switch the connection between the reducer 122 and the drive shaft. For example, during the aircraft's deceleration and taxiing phase, the controller controls the reducer 122 to disconnect from the drive shaft, no longer transmitting the kinetic energy output by the motor 121 to the drive shaft, reducing the kinetic energy received by the free turbine 114 and the connected propfan 115, thereby achieving engine deceleration and shutdown.

[0029] In some embodiments, the hybrid propfan engine 100 includes a controller for controlling the output power of the electric motor 121 to adjust the driving force of the driving component to the free turbine. The controller can adjust the output power of the electric motor 121 according to different working conditions to meet the requirements of different working conditions. For example, during the take-off phase or the engine restart phase, the electric motor 121 is adjusted to have a higher output power to assist the propfan engine 100 to start. For another example, during the deceleration phase, the controller adjusts the electric motor 121 to have a lower transmission efficiency to assist the propfan engine 100 to decelerate. In some embodiments, the controller is used to control the electric motor 121 to switch to start or stop to switch the electric motor 121 to output or not to output to the driving shaft. For example, during the deceleration glide phase of the aircraft, the controller controls the electric motor 121 to stop, and the electric motor 121 no longer generates kinetic energy and cannot output kinetic energy to the driving shaft. The free turbine 114 and the propfan 115 connected thereto only receive the kinetic energy output by the gas turbine 110, and the kinetic energy received by the free turbine 114 and the propfan 115 connected thereto is reduced to achieve engine deceleration and stop.

[0030] In some embodiments, in order to fully utilize the kinetic energy inside the propfan engine 100 and improve the economy of the propfan engine 100, the hybrid propfan engine 100 includes a power generation component, which includes a generator 123.

[0031] The gas shaft is driven to rotate by the compression turbine 113 to generate kinetic energy. The generator 123 is connected to the gas shaft. In some embodiments, the generator 123 is mechanically connected to the gas shaft through an adapter for converting the output power of the gas shaft to adapt to the operating power of the generator 123. The rotation of the gas shaft drives the generator 123 to generate electric energy, and the electric energy generated by the generator 123 is used to drive the electric motor 121 to rotate. The kinetic energy originally existing in the propfan engine 100 is utilized through the generator 123 and output to the electric motor 121 for driving the propfan 115 to rotate. This is equivalent to improving the output power of the propfan engine 100 without additional kinetic energy input, and also improving the working efficiency of the propfan engine 100.

[0032] In some embodiments, the power generation component includes an electric energy storage 124 for storing the electric energy generated by the generator 123, and the generator 123 is electrically connected to the electric motor 121 through the electric energy storage 124. The electric energy generated by the generator 123 under the drive of the gas shaft is stored in the electric energy storage 124, and the electric energy storage 124 serves as an electric energy transfer station to provide stable power for the electric motor 121 to drive the propfan 115 to rotate.

[0033] During the process of engine ground starting, the propfan engine 100 with the generator 123, the gas turbine 110 initially drives the gas rotating shaft to rotate, so that the generator 123 generates electric energy. The electric motor 121 is driven by the electric energy to drive the propfan 115 to rotate through the free turbine 114, thereby playing a role of assisting the propfan engine 100 to start and reducing the starting torque of the propfan engine 100. When the engine restarts in flight, the restart envelope of the propfan engine 100 is wider. The propfan engine 100 with the generator 123 can have two modes when the engine restarts in flight, which are propfan starting and electric motor starting. The propfan starting refers to that, after the propfan engine 100 is extinguished in the air, the rotation of the propeller is in the windmill state, the gas rotating shaft also rotates with the propeller, so that the generator 123 generates electric energy. The electric motor 121 is driven by the electric energy to drive the propfan 115 to rotate through the free turbine 114. The electric motor starting refers to that, after the propfan engine 100 is extinguished in the air, the electric energy storage 124 supplies energy, and the free turbine 114 drives the propfan 115 to rotate under the direct driving of the electric motor 121. Through the propfan starting and the electric motor starting, the restart of the propfan engine 100 can be realized, which is beneficial to improve the safety of the propfan engine 100 in operation.

[0034] In some embodiments, under some specific working conditions, the electric motor 121 can be used as a generator, and the electric energy storage 124 is used to store the electric energy generated by the electric motor 121, so as to realize the effect of kinetic energy recovery. For example, under the engine deceleration working condition, the propfan 115 is in the reverse rotation state, the propfan 115 drives the electric motor 121 to reverse through the driving rotating shaft, the electric motor 121 generates electric energy, and the electric energy is stored in the electric energy storage 124. When the electric motor 121 is used as a generator, the kinetic energy generated due to deceleration can be recovered and stored for next time output, so as to further improve the energy saving effect and economy of the propfan engine 100.

[0035] The propfan engine 100 related in the specification introduces an electric power system. On the basis of the traditional single gas turbine driven propfan engine, an electric power system including a generator, an electric energy storage and an electric motor is introduced. The gas rotating shaft in the gas turbine is mechanically connected with the generator, and part of the energy of the gas turbine is converted into electric energy and stored in the electric energy storage. The electric motor is connected with the free turbine through the speed reducer and the driving rotating shaft. The free turbine and the external propfan connected therewith can be driven by the electric motor and the gas turbine. In different working conditions, the power output distribution of the electric motor and the gas turbine can be adjusted, different power output distribution schemes can be realized, respective advantages can be exerted, more accurate power output effect can be realized, and the performance of the propfan engine 100 can be improved.

[0036] The propeller fan engine 100 related in the specification provides a solution for the connection arrangement, energy transmission path and hybrid power output mode between the electric power system and the gas turbine system, improves the working efficiency of the propeller fan engine 100, and realizes energy saving and emission reduction of the propeller fan engine 100.

[0037] The foregoing has described the basic concepts, and it is obvious that the above detailed disclosure is only used as an example and does not constitute a limitation on the specification for those skilled in the art. In addition, unless explicitly stated in the claims, the order of the elements and sequences treated in the specification, the use of numerals and letters, or the use of other names is not used to limit the order of the processes and methods of the specification. Although some currently considered useful novel embodiments are discussed in the above disclosure through various examples, it should be understood that such details are only for the purpose of illustration, and the additional claims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments, on the contrary, the claims are intended to cover all modifications and equivalent combinations that meet the spirit and scope of the embodiments.

Claims

1. A hybrid propfan engine characterized by, The hybrid propeller-fan engine comprises a gas turbine, a driving component; wherein, The gas turbine comprises a free turbine, which drives the propeller-fan to rotate under the action of gas; The driving component comprises an electric motor, a speed reducer and a driving shaft, the electric motor is connected with the speed reducer, the speed reducer is connected with the free turbine through the driving shaft, and the electric motor drives the free turbine through the speed reducer and the driving shaft.

2. The hybrid propfan engine of Claim 1, wherein, The hybrid propeller-fan engine comprises a power generation component and a compressor, the power generation component comprises a generator, and the gas turbine has a gas rotating shaft; The generator is connected with the gas rotating shaft, the gas rotating shaft drives the generator to generate electric energy, and the electric energy generated by the generator is used to drive the electric motor to rotate.

3. The hybrid propfan engine of Claim 2, wherein, The power generation component comprises an electric energy storage, which is used to store the electric energy generated by the generator, and the generator is electrically connected with the electric motor through the electric energy storage.

4. The hybrid propfan engine of Claim 1, wherein, The hybrid propeller-fan engine comprises a controller, which is used to control the transmission efficiency of the speed reducer, so as to adjust the driving force of the driving component to the free turbine.

5. The hybrid propfan engine of Claim 1, wherein, The hybrid propeller-fan engine comprises a controller, which is used to control the output power of the electric motor, so as to adjust the driving force of the driving component to the free turbine.

6. The hybrid propfan engine of Claim 1, wherein, The hybrid propeller-fan engine comprises an electric energy storage, which is used to store the electric energy generated by the electric motor driven by the driving shaft.

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