Method of starting a gas turbine engine including a cooling phase

US10502139B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• General Electric Company · US

Inventors

• Steven Alan Ross · Cincinnati, US
• Mark Edward Linz · Cincinnati, US
• Joseph Daniel Garrett, III · Parkersburg, US
• Amid Ansari · Mason, US
• Joseph Roger Broda · Sharonville, US
• Thomas Earl Gillingham · Cincinnati, US
• Kevin Richard Graziano · Springdale, US
• Robert Charles Hon · Stanton, US
• Kenneth Kirchmayer · Cincinnati, US
• Daniel Roy Kiracofe · Cincinnati, US
• Andrew Todd Lehmann · Hamilton, US
• Michael Scott McCambridge · Cincinnati, US
• Tod Robert Steen · Cincinnati, US
• Thomas Charles Swager · Maineville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 28, 2015
• Grant date: Dec 10, 2019
• Expiry date: Oct 24, 2035

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02T50/60
• WIPO field: Engines, pumps, turbines
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A method of starting a gas turbine engine having a rotor comprising at least a shaft-mounted compressor and turbine, with a casing surrounding the rotor includes an acceleration phase, a bowed-rotor cooling phase, during the acceleration, and a combustion phase. The bowed-rotor cooling phase comprises a time where the rotational speed of the rotor is maintained below a bowed-rotor threshold speed until a non-bowed condition is satisfied, wherein the air forced through the gas turbine engine cools the rotor. The combustion phase occurs after the bowed-rotor cooling phase and upon reaching the combustion speed, wherein fuel is supplied to the gas turbine engine.