Patents Assigned to Rolls-Royce plc
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Publication number: 20240110513Abstract: A gas turbine engine for an aircraft includes: an engine core including a compressor, a combustor, a turbine, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor; a fan including a plurality of fan blades and arranged upstream of the engine core; turbomachinery bearings; a power gearbox adapted to drive the fan at a lower rotation speed than the turbine; and a heat management system configured to provide lubrication and cooling to the power gearbox and turbomachinery bearings.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 15, 2023Publication date: April 4, 2024Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plcInventor: Andrea MINELLI
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Publication number: 20240110517Abstract: A method of operating a gas turbine engine for an aircraft including: a compressor, a combustor, a turbine, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor; a fan; turbomachinery bearings; a power gearbox; and a heat management system configured to provide lubrication and cooling to the gearbox and turbomachinery bearings. The method includes operating the heat management system to provide a first amount of heat and a second amount of heat such that a first proportion of heat generated by the gearbox and the turbomachinery and dissipated to air at 85% of a core shaft maximum take-off speed is in the range of from 0.25 to 0.70; and operating the fan at cruise condition to provide a fan pressure ratio in the range of from 1.35 to 1.43.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2023Publication date: April 4, 2024Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plcInventor: Andrea MINELLI
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Publication number: 20240114790Abstract: A thermoelectric generator system comprising a thermoelectric generator, a vortex tube for receiving a compressed gas from a flow input and separating the compressed gas into a hot flow exiting a first output and a cold flow exiting a second output, a sensor system for determining a first parameter, a second parameter, and a third parameter, the third parameter being indicative of a temperature of a third fluid flow, a radiator system comprising a first and second heat exchangers disposed on opposing sides of the thermoelectric generator; a tube system to separately direct the hot, cold, and third fluid flows towards a switch arrangement configured to be moveable between a first configuration, a second configuration, and a third configuration, with a control unit for controlling the switch arrangement based on the first, second, and third parameter.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 11, 2023Publication date: April 4, 2024Applicant: Rolls-Royce plcInventors: Jia LI, Seok Woo LEE, Vincent B. Gill
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Patent number: 11945030Abstract: A method of forming an article includes producing a base powder including a plurality of base particles. Each base particle includes an external surface and a first material. The method further includes removing one or more oxides from the external surface of each base particle to form a cleaned powder including a plurality of cleaned particles. Each cleaned particle includes a cleaned external surface made of the first material. The method further includes coating the cleaned external surface of each cleaned particle with a second material having a greater oxidation resistance than the first material to form a coated powder including a plurality of coated particles. Each coated particle includes an external layer including the second material that fully covers the cleaned external surface made of the first material. The method further includes forming the article using the coated powder.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2022Date of Patent: April 2, 2024Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLCInventor: David A. Stewart
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Patent number: 11945595Abstract: A support structure for attaching an engine to an aircraft pylon at front, mid and rear attachment positions thereof, including a front mount joined to the engine and configured to attach to the pylon at the front attachment position and a rear mount joined to a core casing to attach to the pylon at the rear attachment position, each of the front and rear mounts configured to transfer lateral and vertical loads from the engine to the pylon, and the rear mount being spaced from the front mount such that yaw and pitch torques are transferred from the engine to the pylon through the front and rear mounts. The support structure also includes an axial load transfer formation to transfer axial loads from the engine to the pylon and a roll-torque transfer formation to transfer roll torque from the core casing to the pylon.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 2022Date of Patent: April 2, 2024Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLCInventor: Richard G Stretton
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Patent number: 11946382Abstract: Gearboxes for aircraft gas turbine engines, in particular to arrangements for journal bearings such gearboxes, and to related methods of operating such gearboxes and gas turbine engines. Example embodiments include a gearbox for an aircraft gas turbine engine, the gearbox including: a sun gear; a plurality of planet gears surrounding and engaged with the sun gear; and a ring gear surrounding and engaged with the plurality of planet gears, each of the plurality of planet gears being rotatably mounted around a pin of a planet gear carrier with a journal bearing having an internal sliding surface on the planet gear and an external sliding surface on the pin.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2023Date of Patent: April 2, 2024Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLCInventor: Mark Spruce
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Patent number: 11946417Abstract: A combination of a gas turbine engine and power electronics, includes an engine core and oil circuit to cool and lubricate bearings of the engine core, and a fuel circuit for supplying fuel to the combustor. The fuel circuit includes a low pressure pump for pressurising the fuel to a low pressure, and a high pressure pump to receive the low pressure fuel and increase the pressure to a high pressure for supply to a fuel metering system and the combustor. The engine includes a fuel-oil heat exchanger having a fuel side on the fuel circuit between an outlet of the low pressure pump and an inlet of the high pressure pump, and an oil side on the oil circuit to transfer heat from the oil circuit to the fuel circuit. The power electronics transfers heat to a cooling flow formed by a portion of the low pressure fuel.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 2023Date of Patent: April 2, 2024Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plcInventor: Andrea Minelli
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Patent number: 11946645Abstract: A combustor casing component for a gas turbine engine which is manufactured as a single-piece. The combustor casing component has a combustor outer casing portion, an outlet guide vane outer case portion, a pre-diffuser portion, a plurality of outlet guide vanes, and an outlet guide vane inner case portion.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2023Date of Patent: April 2, 2024Assignee: Rolls-Royce plcInventors: Lloyd D. Morson, Julien Digoude
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Publication number: 20240102431Abstract: A novel configuration for an axial flow gas turbine engine for aircraft has an engine core having a core length and including a first turbine, an axial compressor, and a drive connecting the first turbine to the axial compressor, the engine core further including a second turbine, and a fan shaft connecting the second turbine to a fan located upstream of the engine core, the fan including a plurality of fan blades extending from a fan hub, the fan having a tip radius from 90 mm to 225 mm and wherein the ratio of fan tip radius to an engine length is 0.15 to 0.25. The engine may have 3, 4 or 5 compressor stages and combustor volume (in litres) which when divided by fan tip radius (in mm) is 0.015 to 0.083. The fan may be multistage fan configured to permit an electric motor to be located within fan hub diameter.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2023Publication date: March 28, 2024Applicants: ROLLS-ROYCE plc, ROLLS-ROYCE plcInventors: Stephen J BRADBROOK, William J SMITH, Jonathan P BRADLEY
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Publication number: 20240102393Abstract: A platform for a stator vane includes a platform body and a plug. The platform body defines: an inner surface, an outer surface offset from the inner surface, an internal fluid passageway disposed between the outer surface and the inner surface, and a core aperture extending from the outer surface to the internal fluid passageway. The plug is configured to be secured to the platform body. The plug is configured to occupy no less than 50% of the core aperture by volume whilst secured to the platform body to at least partially eliminate recirculation of a fluid conveyed by the internal fluid passageway within the core aperture.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 25, 2023Publication date: March 28, 2024Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plcInventor: Bogachan ALPAN
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Publication number: 20240102396Abstract: A platform for a stator vane includes a platform body and a plug. The platform body defines: an inner surface, an outer surface offset from the inner surface, an internal fluid passageway disposed between the outer surface and the inner surface, and a core aperture extending from the outer surface to the internal fluid passageway. The plug 700 is configured to be secured to the platform body. The plug is configured to be partially disposed inside the core aperture and extend outside of the core aperture whilst secured to the platform body for improved heat transfer between a fluid conveyed by the internal fluid passageway and a fluid to which the outer surface is exposed.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 25, 2023Publication date: March 28, 2024Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plcInventor: Bogachan ALPAN
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Publication number: 20240102652Abstract: A liner for use with a gas turbine engine includes a first liner portion including a first upstream surface and a first downstream surface. The liner further includes a second liner portion spaced apart from the first liner portion. The second liner portion includes a second upstream surface and a second downstream surface. The second upstream surface faces the first downstream surface. Each of the first liner portion and the second liner portion at least circumferentially and radially extends with respect to a central axis. Each of the first liner portion and the second liner portion includes a substrate made of a metallic material and a wear resistant coating disposed on at least a portion of the substrate. The wear resistant coating is made of a polymeric material. The wear resistant coating at least forms the first downstream surface and the second upstream surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 28, 2023Publication date: March 28, 2024Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plcInventor: Ewan F THOMPSON
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Publication number: 20240102399Abstract: There is provided a dynamic sealing assembly for a rotary machine, comprising a primary sandwich plate, a secondary sandwich plate and a bristle pack. The primary sandwich plate comprises a plurality of primary vane openings, and the secondary sandwich plate comprises a plurality of secondary vane openings. The bristle pack comprises a plurality of bristles and is disposed between the primary sandwich plate and the secondary sandwich plate. Each of the plurality of primary vane openings overlies and aligns with a respective secondary vane opening to form a vane channel for receiving a vane along a longitudinal axis of the dynamic sealing assembly. The bristle pack is configured to: provide a brush seal between each vane received within the respective vane channels and the dynamic sealing assembly; and allow relative movement between the dynamic sealing assembly and the vane received within each vane channel along the longitudinal axis.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 8, 2023Publication date: March 28, 2024Applicant: Rolls-Royce plcInventors: Christopher A. MURRAY, Nicholas HOWARTH
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Combustion chamber assembly with collar section at a mixing air hole of a combustion chamber shingle
Patent number: 11940150Abstract: A combustion chamber assembly includes a through hole on the combustion chamber wall bounded on an outer side of the wall by a hole edge and a combustion chamber shingle having a collar bounding a mixing air hole on the outer side of the wall and protruding with a first collar portion beyond the hole edge on the outer side of the wall. A cooling air opening is formed on an inner circumferential surface of a duct portion of the mixing air hole adjoining the first collar portion and extending in the direction of a combustion space, the cooling air opening leading into a cooling air duct which extends through the duct portion and via which cooling air is guided out of the mixing air hole in a direction of a hot side of the shingle facing the combustion space.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2022Date of Patent: March 26, 2024Assignees: ROLLS-ROYCE DEUTSCHLAND LTD & CO KG, ROLLS-ROYCE PLCInventors: Matthew Thomson, Romek Ott, Igor Sikorski, Sabina Heyen -
Patent number: 11938575Abstract: A manufacturing process for blades of a turbomachine, e.g. a gas turbine engine for an aircraft. In the process: a) a ceramic core piece that comprises at least two ceramic core elements and a clamping part that connects the ceramic core elements, is positioned in a wax forming device, subsequently; b) a molten wax material is applied to the outside of the ceramic core piece in the wax forming device and the wax is allowed to solidify, and subsequently; c) at least two turbomachine blades are cast using a crystallographically-oriented metal casting process and the wax and the ceramic core piece are removed.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2022Date of Patent: March 26, 2024Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plcInventor: Graham J Bing
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Publication number: 20240093613Abstract: A method (400) for coating a tip (106) of an aerofoil (100) is provided. The method (400) includes depositing a layer of nickel-based gamma/gamma prime chemistry (112) on the tip (106) of the aerofoil (100). The method (400) further includes depositing plurality of abrasive particles (114) on the layer of nickel-based gamma/gamma prime chemistry (112) to form a coating matrix (116). The method (400) further includes heating the tip (106) of the aerofoil (100) at a predetermined temperature in order to perform heat treatment of the coating matrix (116) and increase the strength of the coating (110) on the tip (106) of the aerofoil (100).Type: ApplicationFiled: September 6, 2023Publication date: March 21, 2024Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plcInventors: Andrew HEWITT, Matthew HANCOCK
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Publication number: 20240093645Abstract: There is disclosed a gas turbine engine comprising: an electrically-powered motor configured to rotate a driven spool of the gas turbine engine; a primary controller configured to conduct a primary function using the motor; and a bow controller configured to selectively control the motor to perform a rotor bow mitigation operation in which the motor drives the driven spool to rotate to mitigate a non-uniform thermal distribution in a rotor of a spool of the gas turbine engine.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 10, 2023Publication date: March 21, 2024Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plcInventors: David M. DONNELLY, Derek S. WALL
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Publication number: 20240096236Abstract: A device for generating conversational replies, including a processor with a memory; a speech input module, a user input module; a natural language processing module including one or more encoder-decode modules; the device being configured to: record portions of a conversation through the speech input module, use a speech recognition module to identify words in the conversation, and when one or more words have been recognised: generate one or more responses based on the one or more words using the natural language processing module; selecting a group of the context sensitive responses, prompt the user via the user input module to select a response from the group, output the selected response.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 9, 2021Publication date: March 21, 2024Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE PLCInventors: Stuart Brian MOSS, Muhannad Abdul Rahman ALOMARI, James Frederick Sebastian ARNEY
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Publication number: 20240093610Abstract: A gas turbine engine comprises a fan mounted to rotate about a main longitudinal axis; an engine core, comprising in axial flow series a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine coupled to the compressor through a shaft; a reduction gearbox that receives an input from the shaft and outputs drive to the fan so as to drive the fan at a lower rotational speed than the shaft; wherein the compressor comprises a first stage at an inlet and a second stage, downstream of the first stage, comprising respectively a first rotor with a row of first blades and a second rotor with a row of second blades, the first and second blades comprising respective leading edges, trailing edges and tips, and wherein the ratio of a maximum leading edge radius of the first blades to a maximum leading edge radius of the second blades is greater than 2.8.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2023Publication date: March 21, 2024Applicant: ROLLS -ROYCE plcInventors: Ian J. BOUSFIELD, Ducan A. Macdougall
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Patent number: 11933225Abstract: A fuel management system includes: a fuel tank; a fuel supply line that supply fuel from the fuel tank to a combustor of the gas turbine engine; a reheat fuel supply line that supply fuel from fuel tank to a reheat of the gas turbine engine, the reheat fuel supply line extending from a reheat branching point on the fuel supply line to the reheat; a fuel supply pump disposed along fuel supply line upstream of the reheat branching point; a reheat pump disposed along reheat fuel supply line, the reheat pump that pressurise fuel to a reheat delivery pressure for delivery to the reheat; and a reheat recirculation line that recirculate fuel from the reheat fuel supply line to a location upstream of fuel supply pump, the reheat recirculation line extending from a reheat recirculation branching point on the reheat fuel supply line downstream of the reheat pump.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2023Date of Patent: March 19, 2024Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plcInventors: Richard G Mochrie, David A Jones, Gordon Illing