Abstract:
An electrical power transmitting system (50) in accordance with the invention includes an alternating current electrical power generator (12) for producing alternating current on an output having a specified maximum; at least one electrical load (22) which is coupled to a point of regulation (16) in the electrical transmitting system; a feeder (14) having a specified maximum voltage drop, a length extending between the output and the point of regulation for transmitting the alternating current to the point of regulation, an inductance having an inductive reactance at a fundamental frequency of the alternating current, a capacitance (54, 66, 80 and 100) in series with the inductance having a capacitive reactance at the fundamental of the frequency of the alternating current which cancels at least part of the inductive reactance at the fundamental frequency of the alternating current to provide a reduced impedance in the feeder at the fundamental frequency of the alternating current to produce a reduced voltage drop which is less than the specified voltage drop; and the feeder having a minimum weight per unit length providing a maximum current carrying capacity equal to the specified maximum at the reduced voltage drop.
Abstract:
A circuit to discriminate the source of harmonic distortion of the output voltage comprises voltage sensors (28, 30) coupled to the output terminals of a source of electric power (16) and to a point of regulation (24) remote from the source for sensing the output voltage waveform present at each of these locations; means (32, 34) coupled to the voltage sensors (28, 30) for calculating the percentage total harmonic content of each of the sensed waveforms, and means (36) for comparing them to determine the source of distortion; means (42) coupled to the voltage sensors (28, 30) for calculating the actual voltage difference between the two sensed voltages, and means (46) for sensing the current flowing in the feeders (18a-c) which is compared with a profile of the normal voltage drop versus connected load (48) to generate an expected voltage drop; and a protection logic circuitry (40).
Abstract:
An aircraft (10) including a stowable, wingtip mounted, vortex turbine (30) for dissipating or extracting energy from a lift induced vortex (28) emanating from the aircraft (10) is provided. The vortex turbine (30) includes a first and a second array (38, 40) of blades (32a, b) (34a, b) extending respectively from a first and a second hub section (32, 34). Hub sections (32, 34) may be independently pivoted about a common axis of rotation (36) to a stowed position for landing, take-off, or ground operation, whereat none of the blades (32a, b) (34a, b) extend below a minimum ground clearance of the aircraft, or beyond a maximum horizontal extension of the wing (16). In flight, the hub sections (32, 34) may be deployed and the pitch of the blades adjusted to maximize dissipation of the lift induced vortex (28), thereby minimizing drag and providing improved safety for other aircraft flying through the wake of the aircraft (10) producing the vortex (28). The hub sections (32, 34) may also be locked together to form a turbine wheel (46) having a circumferentially symmetrical array of blades. The turbine wheel (46) is rotatable about the axis of rotation (36) for extracting usable energy from the lift induced vortex (28) and/or free stream air passing through the turbine wheel (46).
Abstract:
An electric starter/generator system for a turbine engine capable of transforming mechanical power from the turbine engine to electric power during a generate mode of operation and of transforming electric power from a low voltage dc source to mechanical power to drive the turbine engine during a start mode of operation, comprises a synchronous starter/generator (110) having a poly-phase wound stator (112), and a rotor (114) rotably positioned therein, the rotor (114) is drivably coupled to the turbine engine. The system establishes an electric field in the rotor (114) by excitation inverter (116), and directly coupled dc source (118). A means for energizing each of the poly-phase stator windings (112A, 112B, 112C) to drive the starter/generator as a motor is powered from battery (118). The inverter (124) establishes a rotating electric field in the stator whereby a constant torque is produced by the rotor to drive the turbine engine.
Abstract:
A shorted rectifying diode protection system for a synchronous generator (100) having a stationary exciter field which induces a voltage in a rotating exciter armature when energized by an exciter drive current, the voltage being rectified by a plurality of rotating rectifiers (108) and applied to a rotating field winding (114) to induce an output voltage in a plurality of main stator output phase windings (120), the output voltage being controlled by a voltage regulator (150) having peak excitation current protection means, comprises a circuit (162) for detecting actuation of the excitation current protection and generating a field protection monitor signal, a circuit for discriminating a shorted exciter field and generating a protection lock-out signal (182), and a logic circuit (168) responsive to the field protection monitor signal and the protection lock-out signal for generating a shorted rectifying diode protection signal (186). Upon generation of the protection signal, the system disables the voltage regulator (110) to preclude collateral damage to the generator. The method of detecting a shorted exciter field rectifying diode comprises the steps of a) monitoring the peak current supplied to the exciter field (112) from the voltage regulator (150), b) generating a field protection monitor signal when the peak current exceeds a given threshold, c) generating a protection lock-out signal (182) if the exciter field is discriminated as shorted, d) de-energizing the generator (100) in response to the protection monitor signal, and e) inhibiting the step of de-energizing the generator in response to the protection lock-out signal.
Abstract:
A compact gas turbine engine having improved fuel efficiency, lower emissions, better starting capability, and longer operational life is provided at low cost through the use of a combustor (40) incorporating tangential fuel injection (62) in conjunction with certain strategically placed and sized oxidant inlet jets (80, 82). The oxidant inlet jets include deflector jets (82) which deflect a generally circumferentially spiralling flow of gasses within the combustor in a manner causing fuel and oxidant to recirculate for a longer period of time within a primary combustion zone (86), to thereby improve combustion efficiency and reduce undesirable emissions. Apparatus and methods for regulating injection of the fuel and oxidant in or primary (98), secondary (100), and dilution zones (102) of the combustor (40) in a manner providing improvements in fuel efficiency, high altitude starting and other advantages are also defined.
Abstract:
A switched reluctance machine comprises a stator (48) having an even plurality of salient stator poles, each of which having a stator winding disposed thereon and electrically coupled one to another to form diametrically opposed pole pairs which may be coupled to an external source of electrical energy, a rotor (20) having an even plurality of salient rotor poles (22, 24, 26, 28), and at least one compensation (30, 32, 34, 36) disposed on each of the rotor poles. The compensation coils are electrically coupled one to another to form diametrically opposed compensation pairs (30 and 32, 34 and 36) in which flows a flux generating current when one of the stator windings of a pole pair is either open or shorted. The flux generated equalizes the unbalance forces resulting from the faulted stator winding, thereby increasing the fault tolerant capability of the switched reluctance machine.
Abstract:
An electrical apparatus comprises a bridge circuit (10) having a plurality of rectifier legs (12a-c) electrically connected in parallel. Each of the rectifier legs (12a-c) comprises a first and second rectifier (18a-c, 19a-c) coupled in series and having an input node (22a-c) therebetween. The electrical apparatus further comprises a switch (24), having a control input (26), a power input (28), and a power output (30), coupled in parallel with the bridge circuit (10), and a controller (32) having a control output (34) coupled to the control input (26) of the switch (24) for regulating the opening and closing of the switch (24). When the bridge circuit (10) is coupled to the disassociated neutral terminals (38a-c) of a wye wound electrical device (36), the controller (24) modulates the switch (24) to provide a current controlled soft start of the device (36) including acceleration and breaking of the device.
Abstract:
Systems and methods for starting a prime mover (21), such as a gas turbine engine of an aircraft auxiliary power unit (APU), are disclosed herein whereby an electromagnetic machine (10) is operated as a motor during operation in a self starting mode to bring the prime mover (21) up to selfsustaining speed. The same electromagnetic machine (10) is thereafter operated as a generator during operation in a generating mode.
Abstract:
A control (80) for a power conversion system develops a power signal (88) representing a power magnitude developed by the system and includes a variable gain amplifier (94) having a gain determined by the power signal (88) wherein the variable gain amplifier (94) controls the output of the system.