US 11,916,500 B2
Synchronous generator with configurable modality
Stephen Kuznetsov, Marlborough, MA (US); and Eric Stich, Marlborough, MA (US)
Assigned to RAYTHEON COMPANY, Waltham, MA (US)
Filed by Raytheon Company, Waltham, MA (US)
Filed on Dec. 20, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/645,308.
Prior Publication US 2023/0198444 A1, Jun. 22, 2023
Int. Cl. H02P 25/18 (2006.01); H02K 3/28 (2006.01); H02K 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC H02P 25/184 (2013.01) [H02K 3/28 (2013.01); H02K 7/003 (2013.01); H02K 2213/09 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for multi-mode synchronous electrical power generation, the system comprising:
a stator including:
main stator windings that have first, second, and third stator phase windings wye-configured for three-phase operation, each of the first, second, and third stator phase windings having a plurality of series-connected inductive coils, the pluralities of series-connected inductive coils of the first, second, and third stator windings distributed about the stator in a stator arrangement; and
a rotor that is rotatable within the stator, the rotor including:
a slip ring(s) via which an excitation power is applied to the rotor;
a rotor configuration engine having:
an excitation detector that detects whether the excitation power applied to the rotor is a DC excitation power or an AC excitation power;
a configuration switch(es); and
a configuration controller that sets the configuration switch(es) to a power-generation switch configuration in response to the excitation detector detecting a DC excitation power, and sets the configuration switch(es) to a grid-power switch configuration in response to the excitation detector detecting an AC excitation power; and
rotor windings that include first, second, and third rotor phase excitation windings, each having a plurality of series-connected inductive coils distributed about the rotor in a fashion that corresponds to the stator arrangement, wherein when the switches are in the grid-power switch configuration, the first, second, and third rotor phase excitation windings are wye-configured to create a revolving magnetic field, and when the switches are in the power-generation switch configuration, the first second and third rotor phase excitation windings are in series-parallel configuration, thereby creating a stationary magnetic rotor field.