Removable Reactivation Pack for Helicopter Turboshaft Engine Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing reactivation packs for helicopter turbine engines increase weight, leading to fuel overconsumption and performance imbalance among engines, as they are often permanently installed and not adaptable to varying mission requirements.
Innovation Solution
A removable reactivation pack with two independent reactivation devices, one for rapid and one for normal operation, allowing on-demand hybridization of turbine engines and balancing engine aging by being mountable on specific engines as needed, using reversible coupling to the gas generator shaft and featuring distinct reactivation mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a reactivation pack is permanently installed on a turboshaft engine to enable standby mode operation, then the engine can be reactivated rapidly when needed, but the weight of the helicopter increases leading to fuel overconsumption
Solution Approach 1:
The reactivation pack is designed to be removable rather than permanently installed, allowing the system to dynamically adapt its configuration based on mission requirements. The pack can be installed when standby mode capability is needed and removed when it is not, making the weight characteristic variable rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The reactivation pack is designed as a separate, modular unit that can be independently installed or removed from the turboshaft engine. This segmentation allows the helicopter to have the reactivation capability only when specifically needed, rather than carrying it permanently.
2Adaptability or versatility
If reactivation packs are permanently installed on all turboshaft engines, then all engines can operate in standby mode, but this creates performance imbalance and unnecessary weight during missions where standby is not required
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows the reactivation pack to be selectively installed on specific engines based on mission requirements. This creates a dynamic configuration where the helicopter can be adapted for standby operations only when needed, rather than permanently carrying the weight of reactivation packs on all engines.
Solution Approach 2:
The removable reactivation pack design provides universal adaptability - the same pack can be installed on any turboshaft engine as needed, allowing the helicopter fleet to be configured for standby operations on a per-mission basis rather than requiring all engines to have permanent standby capability.
3Reliability
If turboshaft engines are oversized to ensure flight in all conditions including high altitude and hot weather, then the helicopter can operate throughout the entire flight envelope, but this increases weight and fuel consumption during cruise flight
Solution Approach 1:
By enabling standby mode operation through the removable reactivation pack, the system allows one engine to be shut down during cruise flight, thereby using a smaller, less powerful engine configuration when full power is not needed. This dynamic operation reduces fuel consumption during cruise while maintaining the capability for full power operation when required.
Solution Approach 2:
The engine operates in alternating states of active and standby mode based on flight conditions. During cruise flight, the standby engine remains off; when additional power is needed, it can be rapidly reactivated. This periodic activation pattern reduces average fuel consumption while maintaining reliability.
4Use of energy by moving object
If one turboshaft engine is placed in standby mode to reduce fuel consumption, then specific fuel consumption improves, but the engine must be rapidly reactivated in critical situations which requires complex reactivation mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The reactivation mechanism is segmented into a self-contained reactivation pack that includes all necessary components (energy storage device, coupling means, control systems). This modular segmentation simplifies the overall system architecture by isolating the complexity within a removable unit rather than integrating it throughout the engine system.
Solution Approach 2:
The energy storage device in the reactivation pack is pre-charged and ready to immediately provide the energy needed for rapid engine reactivation. The coupling means are pre-positioned and ready to engage with the engine's drive shaft, eliminating the need for complex real-time preparation during critical reactivation scenarios.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a removable pack for reactivating a helicopter turboshaft engine (6), including a gas generator (7) provided with a drive shaft (12). Said turboshaft engine (6) is capable of operating in at least one standby mode during a stabilized flight of the helicopter. Said removable pack includes: a removable housing (30) including a housing output shaft (31); controlled means (32, 33) for rotating said housing output shaft (31), said means being a so-called means for reactivating said turboshaft engine; and mechanical means (14) for reversibly coupling said housing output shaft (31) with said shaft (12) for driving said gas generator.