Evaluation of gas turbine engine dynamic interaction with electrical and thermal system

In navy's future all-electric ship design, the gas turbine engine is dedicated to electrical power generation. The power is then sent to a common electrical bus for allocation to both propulsion and non-propulsion electrical loads. Thus the gas turbine engine is dynamically coupled with the electrical system, and even with the thermal system, which is usually critical for the electrical system design. It has becoming increasingly important to understand the interactions that exist between the operation of the engine and the behavior of the electrical and thermal systems. This paper presents a co-simulation approach for cross-disciplinary simulations. Such an approach is implemented by integrating a twin-shaft gas turbine model, with a power generation and distribution system, and a thermal system. In this study, the thermal system is mainly used to manage the heat generated by the power converters in the electrical system. This paper discusses potential interactions that could take place during a dynamic disturbance of the fuel flow to the gas turbine engine. Preliminary simulation results for the dynamics of gas turbine power generation, power redistribution between the electrical loads, temperatures of power converters are presented to demonstrate the modeling and simulation capability, as well as illustrating the opportunities for further research.