Method and apparatus for operating a gas turbine engine
First Claim
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1. A method for operating a gas turbine engine, said method comprising:
- detecting a change in a rotational speed of a rotor assembly based on a signal transmitted from at least one speed sensor, wherein the change in rotational speed persists for at least a specified period;
comparing the detected change in rotational speed to a threshold speed range;
generating a first output when the detected change in rotational speed exceeds the threshold speed range for a first predetermined duration, wherein the first output is at least one of an audio and a visual indication alerting a user;
identifying, based on the first output, the occurrence of an engine impulse event;
detecting the vibration level of the rotor assembly based on a signal transmitted from at least one sensor;
comparing the detected vibration level to a predetermined amplitude vibration threshold range and a predetermined vibration duration threshold range, wherein the predetermined vibration duration threshold range is determined using vibration data collected from at least one gas turbine engine during a plurality of flights; and
generating a second output when the detected vibration level exceeds the predetermined vibration amplitude threshold range for a period of time that exceeds the predetermined vibration duration threshold range to identify a gas turbine engine impulse event.
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Abstract
A method for operating a gas turbine engine includes coupling at least one sensor within the gas turbine engine to transmit a signal indicative of a vibration level of a rotor assembly within the gas turbine engine, detecting the vibration level of the rotor assembly based on the signal transmitted from the at least one sensor, comparing the detected vibration level to a predetermined vibration threshold, and generating an output if the detected vibration amplitude exceeds the threshold amplitude for a predetermined duration to facilitate identifying a gas turbine engine impulse event.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A method for operating a gas turbine engine, said method comprising:
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detecting a change in a rotational speed of a rotor assembly based on a signal transmitted from at least one speed sensor, wherein the change in rotational speed persists for at least a specified period; comparing the detected change in rotational speed to a threshold speed range; generating a first output when the detected change in rotational speed exceeds the threshold speed range for a first predetermined duration, wherein the first output is at least one of an audio and a visual indication alerting a user; identifying, based on the first output, the occurrence of an engine impulse event; detecting the vibration level of the rotor assembly based on a signal transmitted from at least one sensor; comparing the detected vibration level to a predetermined amplitude vibration threshold range and a predetermined vibration duration threshold range, wherein the predetermined vibration duration threshold range is determined using vibration data collected from at least one gas turbine engine during a plurality of flights; and generating a second output when the detected vibration level exceeds the predetermined vibration amplitude threshold range for a period of time that exceeds the predetermined vibration duration threshold range to identify a gas turbine engine impulse event. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 11)
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4. A monitoring system for a gas turbine engine including a combustor, said system comprising:
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at least one sensor configured to transmit a signal indicative of a vibration level of a rotor assembly within the gas turbine engine; at least one speed sensor configured to transmit a speed signal indicative of a rotational speed of the rotor assembly; and an engine monitoring unit (EMU) coupled to said at least one sensor for receiving the signal transmitted therefrom, said EMU configured to; detect the vibration level of the rotor assembly based on the signal transmitted from the at least one sensor; detect a change in the rotational speed of the rotor assembly based on the speed signal from the at least one speed sensor, wherein the change in rotational speed persists for at least a specified period; generate a first output when the change in rotational speed exceeds a threshold speed range for a first predetermined duration, wherein the first output is at least one of an audio and a visual indication alerting a user; identify the occurrence of an engine impulse event based on the first output; generate a second output when the detected vibration level exceeds a predetermined vibration amplitude threshold range for a period of time that exceeds a predetermined vibration duration threshold range; and generate an indication of a gas turbine engine impulse event based on the first and second generated outputs; wherein the first and second predetermined durations are stored in the EMU. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
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7. A gas turbine engine assembly comprising:
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a core gas turbine engine comprising a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine coupled to said compressor; a fan assembly coupled to said core gas turbine engine; at least one sensor configured to transmit a signal indicative of a vibration level of at least one of said compressor and said fan assembly; at least one speed sensor positioned within the gas turbine engine, said speed sensor configured to transmit a signal indicative of a rotational speed of said fan assembly; and an engine monitoring unit (EMU) coupled to said at least one sensor for receiving the signal transmitted therefrom, said EMU configured to; detect a change in rotational speed of the fan assembly, wherein the change in rotational speed persists for at least a specified period; generate a first output when the detected change in rotational speed exceeds a threshold speed range for a first predetermined duration, wherein the first output is at least one of an audio and a visual indication alerting a user; identify the occurrence of an engine impulse event based on the first output; detect the vibration level of at least one of the compressor and the fan assembly based on the signal transmitted from the at least one sensor; generate a second output when the detected vibration level exceeds a predetermined vibration amplitude threshold range for a period of time that exceeds a predetermined vibration duration threshold range; and generate an indicator of a gas turbine engine impulse event based on the first and second generated outputs; wherein the first and second predetermined durations are stored in the EMU. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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Specification