Compressor-Driven Generator Layout for Turbine Engine Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbine engines face challenges with internally-located electric generators that produce excess heat, obstructing access for maintenance and affecting other components, and require improvements in performance and weight reduction.
Innovation Solution
Positioning an electrical generator in the compressor section of a turbine engine, where the rotor is driven by compressor blades, and integrating the stator into the casing to be cooled by bypass airflow, reducing heat addition to the core airflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the electrical generator is positioned within the housing of the turbine engine, then the generator is compact and integrated, but it produces excess heat that interferes with generator operations and other collocated components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the electrical generator from the traditional engine housing location and repositions it within the compressor section, specifically mounting the rotor on the outer diameter of compressor blades. This spatial extraction removes the heat-generating generator from proximity to temperature-sensitive components while maintaining integration within the overall engine structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces bypass airflow as an intermediary cooling medium between the generator and the engine core. The stator is positioned to be cooled by bypass airflow, which acts as a thermal buffer that absorbs heat from the generator without transferring it to the core engine components, thus mediating the thermal interaction.
2Area of stationary object
If the electrical generator is positioned within the housing of the turbine engine, then the generator is compact, but maintenance and inspections are difficult due to obstructions from other collocated components
Solution Approach 1:
The generator is extracted from the crowded engine housing environment and repositioned in the compressor section where there is more spatial freedom. This extraction improves accessibility by removing the generator from the constrained space surrounded by other engine components, allowing easier approach for maintenance activities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the generator into rotor and stator components that can be independently accessed and serviced. The rotor is mounted on compressor blades while the stator is positioned separately and cooled by bypass airflow, allowing maintenance personnel to access different parts of the generator through different pathways without requiring complete disassembly of the engine.
3Power
If a larger and more efficient electrical generator is positioned in the compressor section, then generator performance improves, but the generator adds weight and space to the turbine engine
Solution Approach 1:
The compressor blades serve a dual function: they perform their primary role of compressing air through the engine while simultaneously serving as the mounting structure and drive mechanism for the generator rotor. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate generator drive components, reducing overall weight while maintaining generator power output.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the generator rotor with the compressor blade assembly, creating an integrated structure where the rotor is carried on the outer diameter of the compressor blades. This merging eliminates redundant components and reduces the total weight of the generator system while maintaining its power-generating capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration improves generator performance by reducing weight and space usage, enhances thermal management, and maintains turbine engine efficiency by rejecting heat into bypass airflow, thereby improving overall performance.
Implementation Method 1
integrating the stator into the casing to be cooled by bypass airflow
Implementation Method 2
The electrical generator includes a rotor mechanically rotated by the plurality of compressor blades of the compressor stage and configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the turbine engine
Data Source
AI summary
A turbine engine includes at least one turbine, combustion equipment, and at least one compressor. The at least one compressor includes a compressor stage. The compressor stage includes a plurality of compressor blades configured to input work into a core airflow flowing through the turbine engine. The turbine engine includes an electrical generator. The electrical generator includes a rotor carried on an outer diameter of the plurality of compressor blades of the compressor stage and mechanically rotated by the plurality of compressor blades of the compressor stage and configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the turbine engine. The electrical generator further includes a stator.