U.S. patent application number 15/050741 was filed with the patent office on 2017-01-05 for control apparatus for angling guide vanes of a torque converter.
This patent application is currently assigned to General Electric Company. The applicant listed for this patent is General Electric Company. Invention is credited to Justin Aaron Allen, Jason Dean Fuller, Karl Dean Minto.
Application Number | 20170002745 15/050741 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47828603 |
Filed Date | 2017-01-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170002745 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fuller; Jason Dean ; et
al. |
January 5, 2017 |
CONTROL APPARATUS FOR ANGLING GUIDE VANES OF A TORQUE CONVERTER
Abstract
A control apparatus for angling guide vanes of a torque
converter is provided and includes a modeling unit configured to
receive current condition data, to determine a current input power
supplied by a starting motor from the current condition data and to
output a result of the determination as a control signal and a
controller, which is coupled to the modeling unit and thereby
receptive of the control signal. The controller is configured to
execute a comparison of the current input power with a rating of
the starting motor and to angle the guide vanes of the torque
converter at an angle in accordance with a result of the
comparison.
Inventors: |
Fuller; Jason Dean;
(Simpsonville, SC) ; Minto; Karl Dean;
(Greenville, SC) ; Allen; Justin Aaron;
(Greenville, SC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
General Electric Company |
Schenectady |
NY |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
General Electric Company
Schenectady
NY
|
Family ID: |
47828603 |
Appl. No.: |
15/050741 |
Filed: |
February 23, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13231761 |
Sep 13, 2011 |
9297313 |
|
|
15050741 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F02C 3/04 20130101; F02C
9/28 20130101; F05D 2220/32 20130101; F02C 7/27 20130101; F02C
7/262 20130101; F05D 2260/402 20130101; F05D 2240/60 20130101; F05D
2240/35 20130101; F02C 7/268 20130101; F05D 2260/85 20130101; F02C
7/275 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F02C 7/275 20060101
F02C007/275; F02C 3/04 20060101 F02C003/04 |
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. (canceled)
3. (canceled)
4. (canceled)
5. (canceled)
6. (canceled)
7. (canceled)
8. A system comprising: a gas turbine engine to generate power from
combustion, the gas turbine engine including a compressor to
compress inlet gas for use in the combustion and/or a motor; a
starting motor and torque converter pair to apply torque to an
output shaft to which the compressor and/or the motor is coupled;
and a control apparatus to control an operation of the starting
motor and torque converter pair in accordance with a condition of
the output shaft.
9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the torque converter
comprises guide vanes and the control apparatus controls an angling
of the guide vanes of the torque converter in accordance with a
current rotational speed of the output shaft.
10. The system according to claim 8, further comprising an
additional starting motor and torque converter pair to apply
additional torque to the output shaft, wherein the control
apparatus controls respective operations of the starting motor and
torque converter pair and the additional starting motor and torque
converter pair.
11. A system comprising: a torque converter to convert input torque
into output torque and having guide vanes configured to be angled
at various angles; a starting motor to transmit the input torque to
the torque converter in accordance with an angle of the guide vanes
via an input shaft to which the starting motor and the torque
converter are coupled; a gas turbine engine to generate power from
combustion, the gas turbine engine including a compressor to
compress inlet gas for use in the combustion; an output shaft to
which the torque converter and the compressor are coupled and by
which the output torque is transmitted from the torque converter to
the compressor; and a control apparatus to control an angling of
the guide vanes in accordance with a rotational speed of the output
shaft.
12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the control apparatus
comprises: a modeling unit configured to receive current condition
data, to determine a current input power supplied by the starting
motor from the current condition data and to output a result of the
determination as a control signal; and a controller, which is
coupled to the modeling unit and thereby receptive of the control
signal, the controller being configured to execute a comparison of
the current input power with a rating of the starting motor and to
angle the guide vanes at an angle in accordance with a result of
the comparison.
13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the current condition
data comprise at least one of: a current rotational speed of the
input shaft; a current guide vane angle of the guide vanes; and a
current rotational speed of the output shaft.
14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the modeling unit is
further configured to determine current output torque and power
supplied by the torque converter and to determine an efficiency of
the torque converter.
15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the rating of the
starting motor relates to an allowable starting motor power.
16. The system according to claim 12, wherein the rating of the
starting motor relates to an allowable starting motor speed.
17. The system according to claim 12, wherein the rating of the
starting motor relates to an allowable starting motor
acceleration.
18. The system according to claim 12, further comprising an
additional starting motor and an additional torque converter
coupled to the input shaft, wherein the starting motor has a
substantially higher rating than the additional starting motor.
19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the control apparatus
controls respective operations of the additional starting motor and
the starting motor in accordance with a current rotational speed of
the output shaft.
20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the control apparatus
controls the angling of the guide vanes of the torque converter and
controls an angling of guide vanes of the additional torque
converter in accordance with a current rotational speed of the
output shaft.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a control
apparatus for angling guide vanes of a torque converter.
[0002] Torque converters are used for many applications such as
starting turbo-machines of gas turbine engines or accelerating
large synchronous motors to speed prior to connecting them to the
electrical grid. In these applications, a large motor is coupled to
one side of the torque converter with the other side being coupled
to a drive shaft of the gas turbine engine or motor. The torque
converter converts the torque provided by the starting motor into
startup torque for the gas turbine engine or a large synchronous
motor. Such startup operations may lead to component failures due
to either electrical or mechanical overloading of the starting
motor, torque converter, or couplings. Decreasing the acceleration
of the turbine or synchronous motor may reduce the likelihood of
component failure, however, such a course may also lead to
decreased customer satisfaction due to increased startup times.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0003] According to one aspect of the invention, a control
apparatus for angling guide vanes of a torque converter is provided
and includes a modeling unit configured to receive current
condition data, to determine a current input power supplied by a
starting motor from the current condition data and to output a
result of the determination as a control signal and a controller,
which is coupled to the modeling unit and thereby receptive of the
control signal. The controller is configured to execute a
comparison of the current input power with a rating of the starting
motor and to angle the guide vanes of the torque converter at an
angle in accordance with a result of the comparison.
[0004] According to another aspect of the invention, a system is
provided and includes a gas turbine engine to generate power from
combustion, the gas turbine engine including a compressor to
compress inlet gas for use in the combustion and/or a motor, a
starting motor and torque converter pair to apply torque to an
output shaft to which the compressor and/or the motor is coupled
and a control apparatus to control an operation of the starting
motor and torque converter pair in accordance with a condition of
the output shaft.
[0005] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a system
is provided and includes a torque converter to convert input torque
into output torque and having guide vanes configured to be angled
at various angles, a starting motor to transmit the input torque to
the torque converter in accordance with an angle of the guide vanes
via an input shaft to which the starting motor and the torque
converter are coupled, a gas turbine engine to generate power from
combustion, the gas turbine engine including a compressor to
compress inlet gas for use in the combustion, an output shaft to
which the torque converter and the compressor are coupled and by
which the output torque is transmitted from the torque converter to
the compressor and a control apparatus to control an angling of the
guide vanes in accordance with a rotational speed of the output
shaft.
[0006] These and other advantages and features will become more
apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with
the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0007] The subject matter, which is regarded as the invention, is
particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at
the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other
features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the
following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system including a
control apparatus for angling torque converter guide vanes.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the control apparatus of
FIG. 1;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the control apparatus of
FIG. 1 in accordance with further embodiments; and
[0011] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of further embodiments of the
control apparatus.
[0012] The detailed description explains embodiments of the
invention, together with advantages and features, by way of example
with reference to the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] With reference to FIG. 1, a system 10 is provided. The
system includes a torque converter 20 and a starting motor 30. The
torque converter 20 is configured to convert input torque into
output torque and has guide vanes 21 that can be angled at various
angles to promote such torque conversion. The guide vanes 21
themselves do not admit or prevent admission of oil but instead
direct oil flow to create more or less torque in the torque
converter 20. Where the guide vane 21 angle is large or open, the
flow of fluid is permitted such that a relatively substantial
fraction of the input torque is convertible to output torque. By
contrast, where the guide vane 21 angle is small or closed, the
flow of fluid is prevented such that a relatively small fraction of
the input torque is convertible to output torque.
[0014] The starting motor 30 transmits the input torque to the
torque converter 20 via an input shaft 35 to which the starting
motor 30 and the torque converter 20 are each coupled. The input
torque transmission is achieved in accordance with the angle of the
guide vanes 21 whereby the torque converter 20 draws power from the
starting motor 30 in accordance with the guide vane 21 angle. The
starting motor 30 is thereby prevented from transmitting a
relatively large input torque to the torque converter 20 if the
guide vanes 21 are closed but is permitted to transmit the
relatively large input torque if the guide vanes 21 are open.
Normally, the angle of the guide vanes 21 is set to maintain a
desired acceleration profile. If this profile is too aggressive,
however, the starting motor 30 could trip offline or be damaged. In
addition, the torque converter 20 could be damaged due to excessive
torque or a mechanical coupling on output shaft 45, which is
discussed below, could fail.
[0015] The system 10 may further include a gas turbine engine 40
and the output shaft 45. The gas turbine engine 40 is configured to
generate power and/or electricity from combustion of combustible
materials and includes at least a compressor 41 to compress inlet
gas for use in the combustion, a combustor 42 in which the
combustion occurs and a turbine section 43 where the products of
the combustion are employed in the generation of the power and/or
electricity. The torque converter 20 and the compressor 41 are each
coupled to the output shaft 45 such that the output torque is
transmitted from the torque converter 20 to the compressor 41 via
the output shaft 45. As an alternative or additional embodiment,
the torque converter 200 and the starting motor 300 (both of which
are described below) could be used to accelerate the starting motor
30 or the torque converter 20 and the starting motor 30 could be
used to accelerate a relatively large synchronous motor to speed
with or without a gas turbine engine. In any of these cases, the
starting motor 30 or the relatively large synchronous motor may not
otherwise be capable of being directly started across the line due
to, for example, high inrush electrical current.
[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the torque converter 20 and the starting
motor 30 form a pair that is arranged in series upstream from the
gas turbine engine 40. In accordance with further embodiments, an
additional torque converter 200 and an additional starting motor
300 may form an additional pair that is arranged in series with the
torque converter 20 and the starting motor 30. In these
embodiments, the starting motor 300 of the additional pair may have
a substantially lower rating than the starting motor 30. Thus, the
additional pair may be operated at low to medium loads during, for
example, startup of the gas turbine engine 40 while the torque
converter 20 and the starting motor 30 may be operated at medium to
high loads. In this way, the starting motor 30 and the additional
starting motor 300 can be operated at respectively efficient levels
for each.
[0017] When additional starting motor 300 runs for, for example,
low speed operation of the gas turbine engine 40, the starting
motor 30 may not be electrically connected and may be disposed in a
coasting condition. In such cases, the torque converter 20 may be
filled with fluid in order to pass torque.
[0018] The system 10 also includes a control apparatus 50. The
control apparatus 50 controls operations of the torque converter 20
and the starting motor 30 pair as well as operations of the
additional torque converter 200 and starting motor 300 pair in
accordance with a condition of the output shaft 45. For example,
the control apparatus 50 may be configured to sense a rotational
speed of the output shaft 45 and to place the starting motor 30 and
torque converter 20 in an operational condition at a high output
shaft 45 speed or to place the additional starting motor 300 and
torque converter 200 in an operational condition at a low output
shaft 45 speed. The sensing of the speed of the output shaft 45 may
be achieved by various method and devices such as, but not limited
to, attaching to the output shaft 45 a rotational speed sensor that
is coupled to the control apparatus 50.
[0019] In accordance with an embodiment, the control apparatus 50
may control operations of the starting motor 30 and the additional
starting motor 30 by way of the breakers 31 and 301, respectively,
which provide electrical power to the starting motor 30 and the
additional starting motor 300 from the electrical grid.
[0020] In accordance with further embodiments, the control
apparatus 50 may control an angling of the guide vanes 21 of the
torque converter 20 (or the guide vanes 201 of the additional
torque converter 200) in accordance with a rotational speed of the
output shaft 45. To this end, with reference to FIG. 2, the control
apparatus 50 includes a modeling unit 501 running in real-time
simultaneously with the control apparatus 50 and a controller 502.
The modeling unit 501 may be embodied as a non-transitory computer
readable medium having executable instructions stored thereon for
causing the controller 502 to perform the methods described herein
and may be configured to receive current condition data, to
determine a current input power supplied by the starting motor 30
from the current condition data and to output a result of the
determination as a control signal 503.
[0021] The controller 502 may include a proportional-integral (PI)
controller or a similar type of controller and is coupled to the
modeling unit 501. The controller 502 is thereby receptive of the
control signal 503 and may be additionally receptive of rating data
504 of the starting motor 30, proportional gain data 505 and
integral gain data 506. The controller 502 is thus configured to
execute a comparison of the current input power with the rating of
the starting motor 30 and to issue a servo control signal 507 to
angle the guide vanes 21 at an angle in accordance with a result of
the comparison, the proportional gain data 505 and the integral
gain data 506. In this way, the torque converter 20 is prevented
from drawing excessive power from the starting motor 30 while
matching or increasing as much as possible the desired acceleration
profile of the gas turbine engine 40.
[0022] The current condition data to be received by the modeling
unit 501 may include at least one or more of a current rotational
speed 510 of the input shaft 35, a current guide vane angle 520 of
the guide vanes 21 and a current rotational speed 530 of the output
shaft 45. Using this current condition data, the modeling unit 501
generates and outputs the control signal 503 and may additionally
determine a current output torque 540 (this is also used as a
control signal for FIG. 3) supplied by the torque converter 20, a
current output power 550 supplied by the torque converter 20 and a
current efficiency 560 of the torque converter 20. These additional
determinations can be employed by the modeling unit to at least
modulate the generation and output of the control signal 503 over
time as it is possible than an efficiency of the torque converter
20 will tend to decrease.
[0023] With reference to FIG. 3, and in accordance with an
alternate embodiment, the controller 502 may be receptive of the
current output torque 540 from the modeling unit 501 along with a
signal 604. The signal 604 may be reflective of a torque limit of,
for example, couplings of the torque converter 20. In this case,
the controller 502 may be further configured to execute a
comparison between current output torque and system torque limits
to generate a second control signal 607. The second control signal
607 may then be reflective of a maximum allowable torque of the
system as a whole and at least the torque converter 20.
[0024] With reference to FIG. 4, the control apparatus 50 may
further include a control loop unit 60. The control loop unit 60
serves to protect at least the starting motor 30 from damages that
may occur due to the starting motor 30 being run more aggressively
than its rating would suggest is possible or safe. In accordance
with embodiments, the rating of the starting motor 30 may relate to
one or more of an allowable starting motor power, an allowable
starting motor speed and an allowable starting motor acceleration.
In each case, the control loop unit 60 may take as an input from
the controller 502 any one or more of the servo control signal 507
(where the rating relates to an allowable starting motor power),
the second control signal 607 (where the rating relates to current
torque converter output torque), a third control signal 707 (where
the rating relates to desired gas turbine acceleration reference
data) and/or a fourth control signal 807 (where the rating relates
to desired gas turbine speed reference data).
[0025] In accordance with an embodiment, the control loop unit 60
then selects the least or minimum of, for example, the servo
control signal 507, the second control signal 607 and the third
control signal 707 as the main control signal 601. The main control
signal 601 is then employed to set the angle of the guide vanes 21
of the torque converter 20. Thus, the starting motor 30 is
prevented from running at a power, torque, speed or acceleration
that may require an excess of either of the other two measures.
[0026] That is, if the torque converter 20 draws a safe amount of
power from the starting motor 30 at a rotational speed within safe
parameters but at an acceleration profile that is too aggressive,
the control loop unit 60 may select the least or minimum of, for
example, the servo control signal 507, the second control signal
607 or the third control signal 707 as the main control signal 601
and may then set the guide vanes 21 at an angle associated with
safe acceleration. This, in turn, limits the ability of the torque
converter 20 to draw as much power from the starting motor 30 or to
allow the starting motor 30 to operate at such rotational
speeds.
[0027] In accordance with further embodiments, it is to be
understood that the control loop unit 60 may be configured to allow
the use of any one or more of the servo control signal 507, the
second control signal 607, the third control signal 707 and/or the
fourth control signal 807. Alternatively, the control loop unit may
also be configured to allow the use of three control signals, such
as servo control signal 507, the third control signal 707 and the
fourth control signal 807 or the second control signal 607, the
third control signal 707 and the fourth control signal 807, for
example. The configuration chosen will normally depend on system
configuration as a whole and on determinations as to which
component needs protection and to what degree this protection is
required.
[0028] While the invention has been described in detail in
connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be
readily understood that the invention is not limited to such
disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to
incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or
equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are
commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention.
Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention have been
described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may
include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the
invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing
description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended
claims.
* * * * *