Patents Assigned to Roll-Royce plc
  • Publication number: 20230304441
    Abstract: Disclosed is a fuel system for a gas turbine engine having a core exhaust and a combustion section. The system comprises a fuel pump for fluid communication with a fuel reservoir; a driving turbine for driving the fuel pump; and an air feed to drive the driving turbine, the air feed being fluidly connectable to the core exhaust of the gas turbine engine. Also disclosed is a fuel system comprising: a fuel pump for fluid communication with a fuel reservoir; a fuel line from the fuel pump for fluid communication with the combustion section of the gas turbine engine; and an air feed to a heat exchanger, the air feed being fluidly connectable to the core exhaust of the gas turbine engine, wherein the fuel line is in thermal communication with the air feed within a heat exchanger.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Jonathan E. HOLT
  • Publication number: 20230304446
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a system for use with a gas turbine engine having a gas turbine shaft and an accessory gearbox drivably coupled to the gas turbine shaft. The system includes an accessory of the accessory gearbox. The system further includes an output shaft drivably coupled between the accessory gearbox and the accessory. The system further includes a sensor configured to generate a sensor signal. The system further includes a controller configured to determine a speed of the output shaft based on the sensor signal. The controller is further configured to determine a speed of the gas turbine shaft based at least on the speed of the output shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Jan SMILEK
  • Publication number: 20230304440
    Abstract: Disclosed is a fuel system for a gas turbine engine. The system comprises a fuel pump for fluid communication with a fuel reservoir; a driving turbine for driving the fuel pump; and a source of compressed air flow to drive the driving turbine. The source of compressed air may be the engine core, a dedicated fuel system compressor or the compressor of a cabin blower system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Jonathan E. HOLT, Richard SHARPE
  • Patent number: 11767771
    Abstract: A bracket for mounting a first component to a second component, the bracket comprising at least one mounting boss defining a through-hole having an opening axis in axial direction for receiving a fixing used to attach the bracket to one of the first and second components; wherein the mounting boss comprises a fixing support face around the through-hole on a surface of the bracket, the fixing support face configured to bear a head of the fixing; the mounting boss is configured to resist compressive forces exerted on the bracket by the head of the fixing; and the mounting boss comprises a cavity in a space projected from the fixing support face in the axial direction of the through-hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventors: Jaideep Y. Thar, Oliver C. Taylor-Tibbott, Andrea L. Ball
  • Patent number: 11767789
    Abstract: A turbofan gas turbine engine comprises, in axial flow sequence, a heat exchanger module, a fan assembly, a compressor module, and a turbine module. The fan assembly comprises a plurality of fan blades defining a fan diameter (D). The heat exchanger module comprises a plurality of heat transfer elements. The heat exchanger module is in fluid communication with the fan assembly by an inlet duct. The inlet duct has a fluid path length along a central axis of the inlet duct between a downstream-most face of the heat transfer elements and an upstream-most face of the fan assembly. The fluid path length is less than 10.0*D.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Natalie C Wong, Thomas S Binnington, David A Jones, Daniel Blacker
  • Publication number: 20230295793
    Abstract: An apparatus for coating a surface of a substrate includes an evaporant source disposed within an open environment including air at atmospheric pressure. The evaporant source includes a coating material. The apparatus further includes an energy beam source disposed within the open environment and configured to emit at least one energy beam that impinges on an emission region of the evaporant source to form a vapour plume at the emission region. The vapour plume includes the coating material of the evaporant source. The apparatus further includes a fixture configured to position the evaporant source relative to the substrate within the open environment, such that a maximum distance between the emission region of the evaporant source and the surface of the substrate is less than or equal to 10 cm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Dmitrii I. USHMAEV, Zhirong LIAO, Dragos A. AXINTE, Andrew D. NORTON, James KELL
  • Publication number: 20230296060
    Abstract: A method of operating an aircraft including a gas turbine engine and a plurality of fuel tanks arranged to provide fuel to the gas turbine engine. At least two of the fuel tanks contain fuels with different fuel characteristics. The method includes obtaining a flight profile for a portion of a flight of the aircraft; and determining a fueling schedule for the portion of the flight based on the flight profile and the fuel characteristics, the fueling schedule governing the variation with time of how much fuel is drawn from each tank. Fuel input to the gas turbine engine may then be controlled in operation in accordance with the fueling schedule.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Peter SWANN, Craig W BEMMENT, Alastair G HOBDAY, Benjamin J KEELER, Christopher P MADDEN
  • Publication number: 20230296057
    Abstract: Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for controlling an engine system of a vehicle comprising: determining an operating condition of the vehicle; determining one or more contextual conditions relevant to the vehicle; selecting, based upon both the determined operating condition and the determined one or more contextual conditions, a control profile for the engine system from a directory comprising a plurality of control profiles having different control characteristics; applying the selected control profile to a controller of the engine system; and controlling the engine system with the controller in accordance with the selected control profile. Also disclosed are an engine control system, a gas turbine engine, and an aircraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Derek S. WALL, Asad MUSTAFA, Robert JOHNSON, Jonathan WIELAND
  • Publication number: 20230296206
    Abstract: An organic composite gas storage tank 300 comprises a hollow central portion 306 which is substantially cylindrical and formed integrally with first and second end portions 302, 304, and which defines a longitudinal tank axis 301. The first end portion comprises a hollow truncated conical region which meets the hollow central portion at a first end thereof. The hollow central portion comprises first and second hollow truncated conical portions 306A, 306B, the external radius of a given hollow truncated conical portion decreasing in a direction towards a corresponding end portion. The tank comprises an organic composite fibre winding extending between first and second positions along the length of the tank which coincide with the first and second hollow truncated conical portions of the hollow central portion respectively, biassing these portions together and increasing the axial strength of the central portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Eric W DEAN
  • Publication number: 20230296056
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine for an aircraft including: an engine core including a turbine, a compressor, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor; a fan located upstream of the engine core, the fan including a plurality of fan blades; a gearbox that can receive an input from the core shaft, and can output drive to a fan shaft via an output of the gearbox so as to drive the fan at a lower rotational speed than the core shaft; and a fan shaft mounting structure arranged to mount the fan shaft within the engine, the fan shaft mounting structure including at least two supporting bearings connected to the fan shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Mark SPRUCE
  • Publication number: 20230294236
    Abstract: A method for modifying the mechanical and surface properties of a component. The method involves: removably attaching a component to at least one component support that is located within a vibratory trough of a component treatment apparatus, the at least one component support being a support shaft upon which the component is removably mountable within the vibratory trough; supplying the vibratory trough with treatment media; moving the component support or the vibratory trough so that the component is immersed into the treatment media; vibrating the vibratory trough to provide a substantially uniform surface treatment of the component, the vibratory trough being movable by at least one trough vibrating mechanism whose actuation is controlled by a controller in response to signals received from at least one sensor located on or within the vibratory trough; removing the component from the treatment media; and detaching the component from the component support.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicants: ROLLS-ROYCE plc, ROLLS-ROYCE DEUTSCHLAND LTD & CO KG
    Inventors: Abhay GOPINATH, Arun Prasanth NAGALINGAM, Goetz G. FELDMANN, Thomas HAUBOLD, Senthil Kumar ANANTHARAJAN
  • Publication number: 20230296025
    Abstract: A turbine blade includes an aerofoil including a leading edge, a trailing edge, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and an internal cooling circuit disposed within the aerofoil and configured to direct a cooling fluid within the aerofoil. The turbine blade includes at least one first recessed portion formed on the first sidewall proximal to a tip of the turbine blade. The first recessed portion is disposed proximal to and spaced apart from the trailing edge of the aerofoil. The first recessed portion includes a base surface, a first surface, and a second surface. The first recessed portion further includes at least one slot extending from the first surface to the internal cooling circuit. The slot is configured to allow a flow of the cooling fluid from the internal cooling circuit to the first recessed portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2022
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Peter T. IRELAND, John COULL, João António Coelho VIEIRA
  • Patent number: 11761856
    Abstract: A method comprising: inspecting an engine during a first period of time to identify damage, the engine being associated with an aircraft; receiving three-dimensional data of one or more components of the engine, the three-dimensional data being generated during the first period of time; determining, during the first period of time, whether the identified damage exceeds a threshold; providing instructions to release the aircraft for operation in a second period of time, subsequent to the first period of time, if the identified damage does not exceed the threshold; and inspecting the received three-dimensional data during the second period of time to measure damage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Paul A Flint, Adriano Pulisciano, Bilal M Nasser
  • Patent number: 11761384
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine for an aircraft and a method of operating a gas turbine engine on an aircraft. Embodiments disclosed include a gas turbine engine for an aircraft including: an engine core has a turbine, a compressor, and a core shaft; a fan located upstream of the engine core, the fan has a plurality of fan blades; a nacelle surrounding the engine core and defining a bypass duct and bypass exhaust nozzle; and a gearbox that receives an input from the core shaft and outputs drive to the fan wherein the gas turbine engine is configured such that a jet velocity ratio of a first jet velocity exiting from the bypass exhaust nozzle to a second jet velocity exiting from an exhaust nozzle of the engine core at idle conditions is greater by a factor of 2 or more than the jet velocity ratio at maximum take-off conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Craig W Bemment
  • Patent number: 11760502
    Abstract: A fuel delivery system for a gas turbine engine comprises a cryogenic fuel tank, a first fuel line for connection to the cryogenic fuel tank, a fuel pump connected to receive fuel via the first fuel line, a plurality of fuel lines connecting the fuel pump to a combustor of the gas turbine engine, a controller configured to operate the fuel delivery system, a purge gas tank connected to the first fuel line and configured to store a purge gas for purging the plurality of fuel lines and a fuel gas tank connected to the first fuel line and configured to store a fuel gas for flushing purge gas from the plurality of fuel lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Chloe J. Palmer
  • Patent number: 11761380
    Abstract: A turbofan gas turbine engine includes, in axial flow sequence, a heat exchanger module, a fan assembly, a compressor module, and a turbine module. The fan assembly includes a plurality of fan blades defining a fan diameter, and the heat exchanger module is in fluid communication with the fan assembly by an inlet duct. The heat exchanger module includes a plurality of heat transfer elements for transfer of heat from a first fluid contained within the heat transfer elements to an airflow passing over a surface of the heat transfer elements prior to entry of the airflow into an inlet to the fan assembly. At full-power condition, the engine produces a maximum thrust T (N), the heat exchanger module transfers a maximum heat rejection H (W) from the first fluid to the airflow, and a Heat Exchanger Performance parameter PEX (W/N) defined as PEX=H/T is 0.4 to 6.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Natalie C Wong, Thomas S Binnington, David A Jones, Daniel Blacker
  • Patent number: 11761910
    Abstract: A method of detecting defects on a surface or interface of a part is provided. The method includes: providing data from an X-ray scan of the part; processing the scan data to obtain an original 3D or 2D model of a surface or interface topology of the part; and filtering the original 3D or 2D model of the surface or interface topology to identify deviations from the expected surface or interface topology of the part. The identified deviations may be produced by surface or interface defects on the part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Andrew J Lodge, Akhil Mulloth
  • Publication number: 20230288026
    Abstract: An organic composite gas storage tank 100 comprises a hollow central portion 106 which is substantially cylindrical and formed integrally with first and second end portions 102, 104, and which defines a longitudinal tank axis 101. The first end portion 102 comprises a hollow truncated conical region 102A which meets the hollow central portion at a first end thereof, and a cylindrical region 102B which meets an end of the hollow truncated conical portion remote from the hollow central portion. An organic fibre winding 107 extends at least between axial positions which coincide with the hollow truncated conical region of the first end portion and the hollow central portion respectively. A hollow metal end-fitting 120 has a hollow truncated conical portion 124 embedded within the wall of the hollow truncated conical region of the first end portion, providing a long leakage path around the metal end-fitting.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2023
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Eric W. DEAN
  • Publication number: 20230287979
    Abstract: A brush seal includes an annular plate assembly defining a radially inner diameter having an inner central axis and a radially outer diameter having an outer central axis. The inner central axis and the outer central axis are spaced apart from each other by an offset, such that the radially inner diameter and the radially outer diameter are eccentric with respect to each other. The brush seal further includes a bristle pack. The bristle pack includes a plurality of bristles defining a bristle bore having a bristle bore central axis. The bristle bore central axis is aligned with the inner central axis and the bristle bore central axis is offset from the outer central axis. Moreover, the brush seal is disposed around a rotating component. The bristle bore central axis is aligned with a component axis of the rotating component and the bristle pack engages with the rotating component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2023
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Gervas FRANCESCHINI, Maciej T. PIETRZAK
  • Publication number: 20230286658
    Abstract: A ram-air duct system includes a ram-air duct configured to receive a flow of ram-air from a ram-air inlet and discharge the flow to a ram-air outlet. The system also includes a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with air within the ram-air duct, an auxiliary air passageway and an electrically-driven air mover configured to move a flow of auxiliary air along the auxiliary air passageway for discharge into the ram-air duct through an intermediate inlet between the ram-air inlet and the ram-air outlet. The air duct system further includes a controller configured to selectively operate the ram-air duct system in an auxiliary supply mode in which the air mover and/or a control valve are controlled to cause the flow of auxiliary air to be discharged into the duct through the intermediate inlet, to thereby control a rate of heat exchange between the heat exchanger and air within the duct.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2023
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Graeme E F SUTCLIFFE, Richard G MOCHRIE, Jade WHITTLE