Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling windmilling in an engine are described. An electric starter motor is coupled to the engine, a circuit element is coupled to the electric starter engine and to a DC signal source, and a control system coupled to the engine and to the circuit element. The control system is configured for: determining whether the engine is in a windmilling state; when the engine is in a windmilling state, commanding the circuit element to apply a DC signal to the electric starter motor; and modulating the DC signal applied to the electric starter motor to control a level of rotational motion of the engine.

Abstract: A hydrogen content fuel can be stably ignited using a gaseous fuel that does not contain hydrogen and dispersibility of the hydrogen content fuel is enhanced. A gas turbine combustor including a burner including: a startup fuel pipe in which a startup fuel circulates; a first main fuel pipe in which a main fuel circulates, a second main fuel pipe in which the main fuel circulates; a fuel mixer to which the startup fuel pipe and the first main fuel pipe are connected; an inner fuel nozzle to which the fuel mixer is connected; a plurality of outer fuel nozzles to which the second main fuel pipe is connected; a startup fuel control valve provided in the startup fuel pipe; a first fuel control valve provided in the first main fuel pipe; and a second fuel control valve provided in the second main fuel pipe.

Abstract: A generator assembly includes a stator assembly coupled to an engine stator component of a propulsion engine, the stator assembly including: a stator support structure fixedly attached to the engine stator component; a stator disposed on a supporting surface of the stator support; a manifold coupled to the stator support, the manifold defining a connection volume and including at least one coolant opening at a connection end of the manifold; and an electrical connector extending between the stator and a connection device disposed on the connection end. The generator assembly also includes a rotor assembly comprising a rotor support structure connected to a shaft of the propulsion engine and a rotor attached to the rotor support structure, wherein the rotor rotates in conjunction with the shaft to generate a power signal that travels through the electrical connector to the connection device.

Abstract: A plasma injection module includes a fuel receiving end, a discharge end opposite the fuel receiving end, and an axial fluid pathway extending between the fuel receiving end and the discharge end. An insulator assembly defines a first portion of the axial fluid pathway proximate to the fuel receiving end. An injection tube assembly having a permanent magnet is positioned downstream of the insulator. A voltage input connection is arranged downstream of the insulator assembly and upstream of the injection tube assembly. The voltage input connection secures a voltage source to the injection tube to form a plasma filament within and adjacent to the axial fluid pathway. During operation a permanent magnet produces a magnetic field that interacts with the plasma filament to rotate the plasma filament and increase an area of ignition between the plasma filament and the combustible material at the discharge end.

Abstract: A hybrid propulsion system includes a heat engine configured to drive a heat engine shaft. An electric motor is configured to drive a motor shaft. A transmission system includes at least one gear box. The transmission system is configured to receive rotational input power from each of the heat engine shaft and the motor shaft and to convert the rotation input power to output power. The motor shaft includes a disconnect mechanism to allow the heat engine to rotate with the electric motor stopped. The heat engine shaft includes a disconnect mechanism to allow the electric motor to rotate with the heat engine stopped.

Abstract: A power plant comprises a combustor for combusting first and second constituents to generate a gas stream, a turbine for rotation by the gas stream, a compressor to receive a first portion of the gas stream and provide compressed gas to the combustor, a recompressor configured to receive a second portion of the gas stream and provide compressed gas to the combustor, a generator to be driven by the turbine, and a methane reforming reactor configured to dry reform methane to provide the first constituent. A method of operating a power plant comprises operating a supercritical CO2 power cycle to turn a turbine, driving a generator with the turbine, extracting CO2 byproduct from the power cycle, reacting fuel and CO2 to produce a synthesis gas in a dry reforming of methane reactor, and mixing the synthesis gas with oxygen to execute a combustion process for the power cycle.

Abstract: A power take-off (PTO) system includes a spur pinion on a shaft, used to turn a sector face gear that is coupled to a surface to be turned, such as a jet vane in a rocket nozzle. These may be parts of a thrust vectoring system, with the PTO system used to connect to a control surface actuator for a control surface such as a fin. The mechanical coupling between the fin and the jet vane may enable steering of a flight vehicle such as a missile at both low speeds and high speeds, with the thrust vectoring by the jet vane effective at low airspeeds and the control surface movement used for steering at high airspeeds. The PTO system may be backward compatible with prior systems, while allowing a more direct connection between the control surface actuator and the thrust vectoring system, with a reduced number of parts.

Abstract: A cooling system for cooling hot components of a radial or axial gas turbine engine, which includes a recuperator heat exchanger, provides engine cooling without loss of thermal efficiency. Air flow leaving a compressor is split between a recuperator flow path and a bleed flow path. Air in the bleed flow path flows through the hot parts of the engine, thereby cooling the engine and heating the air. The air in the bleed flow path is combined with the output flow from a combustor and directed into a turbine inlet. A reduction of air flow in the recuperator flow path increases the thermal effectiveness of the recuperator heat exchanger by increasing a ratio of hot and cold flows inside the heat exchanger. The increase in thermal effectiveness of the heat exchanger compensates for energy losses incurred by diverting a portion of the compressor air flow for cooling.

Abstract: A gas turbine engine and combustor assembly are provided, the combustor assembly including a first liner and a second liner together defining at least in part a combustion chamber, wherein the first liner and the second liner are separated by a gap along the longitudinal direction, and wherein the first liner is forward of the second liner relative to a flow of fluid through the combustion chamber along the longitudinal direction, and wherein the gap is extended along the circumferential direction.

Abstract: In a method for operating a combustor of an embodiment, before ignition in the combustor, a mixed gas containing oxygen is circulated through the combustor as a circulating gas. Then, in an operating time from the time of ignition in the combustor to the time of a rated load of a turbine, from the time of ignition until reaching stable combustion conditions allowing stable combustion, a combustion gas in which a controller controls a flow rate of a fuel supplied from a fuel supply part and a flow rate of an oxidant supplied from an oxidant supply part to maintain the same oxygen concentration as an oxygen concentration in the mixed gas is circulated as the circulating gas.

Abstract: There are provided a throttle mechanism and the like that are capable of easily changing a cross-sectional area of a flow path according to an operating state. The throttle mechanism in an embodiment is a throttle mechanism that controls a flow rate of a fluid flowing through a flow path, and is configured to make a cross-sectional area of the flow path change autonomously according to temperature.

Abstract: A particle separator includes a separator body in a primary fluid passageway of a machine. The primary fluid passageway includes one or more bleed holes through which a diverted portion of the fluid flowing in the primary fluid passageway toward a volume of the machine is diverted into an auxiliary flow passageway that bypasses the volume and directs the diverted portion of the fluid toward one or more other components of the machine. The separator body is coupled with the inner wall and/or outer wall of the primary fluid passageway. The separator body includes an upstream edge positioned to separate at least some particles carried by the fluid from the fluid as the diverted portion of the fluid bends around and flows over the at least one upstream edge of the separator body and into the auxiliary flow passageway.

Abstract: An embodiment of a torch ignitor system for combustor of a gas turbine engine includes a torch ignitor, the torch ignitor having a combustion chamber oriented about an axis, the combustion chamber having axially upstream and downstream ends defining a flow direction through the combustion chamber, along the axis. The torch ignitor system also includes a cap defining the axially upstream end of the combustion chamber and oriented about the axis, wherein the cap is configured to receive a fuel injector and at least one glow plug, a tip at a downstream end of the combustion chamber, and a passage for pressurized oxygen containing gas passing through the cap from an exterior of the combustion chamber and in fluid communication with the combustion chamber. An embodiment of a method for starting a gas turbine engine is also disclosed.

Abstract: An aircraft power system includes an auxiliary power unit (APU), a generator, and a constant speed drive (CSD). The APU drives an APU drive shaft at a first rotational speed during a first condition and a second rotational speed during a second condition. The generator is rotatably coupled to a generator shaft and produces an AC voltage having a target frequency in response to rotation of the generator shaft at a target rotational speed. The CSD unit receives the first rotational speed from the APU drive shaft and rotates the generator shaft at the target rotational speed based on the first rotational speed. The CSD further receives the second rotational speed from the APU drive shaft and rotates the generator shaft at the target rotational speed based on the second rotational speed.

Abstract: An assembly is provided for an aircraft propulsion system. This assembly includes a nacelle inner structure that extends axially along and circumferentially about an axial centerline. The nacelle inner structure includes an internal compartment and a cowl. The internal compartment is configured to house a core of a gas turbine engine. The cowl is configured to form an outer radial periphery of the internal compartment. An aft end portion of the cowl is also configured to form an outer radial periphery of a compartment exhaust to the internal compartment. The aft end portion of the cowl includes a plurality of axial fingers arranged circumferentially about the axial centerline in an array.

Abstract: A ducted heat exchanger system for a gas turbine engine includes an additive manufactured heat exchanger core with a contoured external and/or internal geometry. A method of additively manufacturing a heat exchanger for a gas turbine engine includes additively manufacturing a core of a heat exchanger to set a ratio of local surface area to flow area to control a pressure drop per unit length along the core.

Abstract: A compressible part having a solid portion and a compressible portion. The solid portion includes a first polymer material. The compressible portion has a lattice structure adjacent to the solid portion. The compressible portion includes a second polymer material that is an elastomeric polymer. The lattice structure is configured to provide for increased elastic deformation of the compressible part under compressive stress compared to the same compressible part made completely of the elastomeric polymer in solid form.

Abstract: The engine is adapted to generate thrust or designed to generate torque includes a combustor, the combustor generates an exhaust gas flow to push the rotor blades of a rotor in a rotor housing, the exhaust gas flow rotates the rotor, shaft, and fan which produces a rotating force and produces an air flow. The rotor housing having a first wall, a second wall, and a third wall which guides the exhaust gas flow until the exhaust gas flow reaches a housing gap at the second wall and the exhaust gas flow moves out from the rotor housing, while the first wall having another housing gap for the air flow to go through to cool the rotor and the cooling process adds torque to the engine. The engine includes an optional wind turbine assembly. An air compressor is either driven by an electric motor or driven by other means.

Abstract: A combustor of an aircraft engine comprises a liner defining a primary and a dilution zone having a hot surface exposed to a flow of combustion gases traveling from the primary zone downstream to the dilution zone and a cold surface. Dilution holes extending through the liner from the cold to the hot surface delimit the primary from the dilution zone. Effusion holes extending through the liner from the cold to the hot surface direct cooling air into the dilution zone. Two or more rows of effusion holes positioned within three dilution hole diameters downstream of the dilution holes are oriented relative to the liner to direct the cooling air in a cooling direction that is at least one of normal to the direction of the flow of gases passing adjacent the effusion holes, and against the direction of the flow of gases passing adjacent the effusion holes.

Abstract: A system includes a temperature control system configured to couple to an air intake section of a gas turbine system. The temperature control system includes a variable heating system having one or more heaters configured to heat an airflow in the air intake section when the airflow is cooled by an evaporative cooling system. The temperature control system is configured to control the variable heating system to vary an amount of heat supplied by the one or more heaters based on at least one temperature measurement relative to a temperature threshold.