THROTTLE RESPONSIVE HYDROKINETIC TORQUE CONVERTER FOR GAS TURBINE ENGINE DRIVE

摘要

A gas turbine having a compressor and a turbine mounted on a single shaft and a throttle actuated fuel control responsive to parameters as compressor discharge pressure, engine speed and temperature to provide power increasing with engine speed as the throttle is advanced to a maximum limited by the fuel control. The engine drives a hydrodynamic torque converter having power absorption or capacity characteristics varying as a function of engine or input speed and substantially independent of output speed having variable pitch stator blades movable from a full power capacity position through a range of intermediate power capacity positions to a minimum power capacity position controlled as a function of throttle position and engine speed. When the throttle is in a closed position the fuel control provides starting or idle fuel feed and the stator control provides minimum capacity position of the stator blades for low drag during engine starting and low creep during engine idling. When the throttle is advanced to full throttle position the fuel control provides under steady state operating conditions power increasing with throttle advancement up to the maximum rated power and the stator control controls stator blade angle to provide torque converter capacity matching engine power. When the throttle is quickly advanced from some partial position to full throttle for maximum acceleration, the stator vanes are switched to an intermediate capacity position for acceleration up to maximum engine speed and then returned to the above steady state control mode.