Adaptive remaining useful life balancing control system and method for multi-engine systems

• US 9,221,535 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2013
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Gordon, Grant, Peralta-Duran, Hector Alonso, Ling, Richard, Gorelik, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US14/030,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20150081193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 701/7, 701/100, 702/34, 702/185, 703/8, 714/43, 370/360, 607/72, 602/77, 700/177, 324/526
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/04 Helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0085 Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/28 Regulating systems responsive to plant or ambient parameters, e.g. temperature, pressure, rotor speed F02C9/30 - F02C9/38, F02C9/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/42 specially adapted for the control of two or more plants simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/329 in helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/81 Modelling or simulation
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/11 to prolong engine life
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/13 to control two or more engines simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0294 Optimizing process, e.g. process efficiency, product quality

Abstract

A system and method of adaptively managing a plurality of engines in a multi-engine system, where each engine comprises hot gas components and non-hot gas components, and each engine exhibits a performance margin and a remaining useful life, includes continuously, and in real-time, determining a plurality of different degradation mechanisms for each of the plurality of engines, and continuously, and in real-time, determining which of the determined degradation mechanisms is most limiting. The engines are controlled, based on the most limiting degradation mechanism, in a manner that the remaining useful lives of each engine are substantially equal. The plurality of different degradation mechanisms of each engine are determined based on the engine performance margin, modeled failure predictions of the hot gas components, and modeled failure predictions of the non-hot gas components.

Claims

1. A method of adaptively managing a plurality of engines in a multi-engine system, each engine comprising hot gas components and non-hot gas components and having an associated engine control, each engine exhibiting a performance margin and a remaining useful life, and the engine performance margin of each engine has operational limits associated therewith, the method comprising the steps of:

continuously, and in real-time, determining, with its associated engine control, a plurality of different degradation mechanisms for each of the plurality of engines;

continuously, and in real-time, determining, with its associated engine control, which of the determined degradation mechanisms is most limiting;

controlling each of the plurality of engines, with its associated engine control, based on the most limiting degradation mechanism, in a manner that the remaining useful lives of each engine are substantially equal;

selectively enabling, with its associated engine control, engine operations above predetermined nominal engine operating limits; and

upon enabling engine operations above the predetermined nominal engine operating limits, increasing the operational limits associated with the engine performance analysis,

wherein the plurality of different degradation mechanisms of each engine are determined based on;

(i) the engine performance margin,

(ii) modeled failure predictions of the hot gas components, and

(iii) modeled failure predictions of the non-hot gas components.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of controlling the plurality of engines comprises selectively controlling each of the engines, with its associated engine control, to create a load imbalance between the plurality of engines.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

supplying each of the determined degradation mechanisms to processor-based decision logic; and

using the processor-based decision logic to determine which of the determined degradation mechanisms is most limiting.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the most limiting of the determined degradation mechanism results in a shortest remaining useful life.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

continuously sensing a plurality of parameters within each engine; and

continuously updating each of the different degradation mechanisms based on the plurality of sensed parameters.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of engines generates an output torque; and

the method further comprises combining the output torque generated by each engine in a combining gear box.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selectively displaying, on a display device, one or more of the plurality of different degradation mechanisms of each engine.

8. A system for adaptively managing a multi-engine system, comprising:

a plurality of engines, each engine comprising hot gas components and non-hot gas components, and each engine exhibiting a performance margin and a remaining useful life, the engine performance margin of each engine having operational limits associated therewith;

a plurality of engine controls, each engine control in operable communication with each other, and associated with a different one of the plurality of engines, each engine control coupled to selectively receive an enablement signal and configured to;

continuously, and in real-time, determine a plurality of different degradation mechanism for at least its associated engine;

continuously, and in real-time, determine which of the determined degradation mechanisms for at least its associated engine is most limiting;

control operations of at least its associated engine, based on the most limiting degradation mechanism, in a manner that the remaining useful lives of each engine are substantially equal; and

upon receipt of the enablement signal, to (i) enable engine operations above predetermined nominal engine operating limits and (ii) increase the operational limits associated with the engine performance analysis,

wherein the plurality of different degradation mechanisms of each engine are determined based on;

(i) the engine performance margin,

(ii) modeled failure predictions of the hot gas components, and

(iii) modeled failure predictions of the non-hot gas mechanical components.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein each engine control is associated with one of the plurality of engines, and each engine control comprises:

a remaining useful life module configured to (i) determine the plurality of different degradation mechanisms for its associated engines and (ii) determine which of the determined degradation mechanisms for that engine is most limiting; and

an engine controller configured to control at least its associated engine.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

each remaining useful life module is further configured, upon determining which of the determined degradation mechanisms for its associated engine is most limiting, to supply a signal representative of the determination; and

each engine controller is associated with one of the remaining useful life modules, each engine controller coupled to receive the signal supplied from its associated remaining useful life module and configured, in response thereto, to control the operations of at least its associated engine.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein each remaining useful life module is configured to implement:

a performance margin trending function that continuously, and in real-time, determines (i) the performance margin of its associated engines and (ii) trends of the determined performance margin;

a hot gas component failure model that continuously, and in real-time, determines the remaining useful life of the hot gas components within its associated engine; and

a mechanical component health diagnostic model that continuously, and in real-time, determines the remaining useful life of non-hot gas components.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein each remaining useful life module is further configured to implement decision logic, the decision logic configured to determine which of the determined degradation mechanisms for its associated engine is most limiting.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein each engine control is configured to determine that a shortest remaining useful life is the most limiting of the determined degradation mechanisms.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a plurality of sensors, each sensor configured to continuously sense a parameter within one of the engines and supply sensor data representative thereof to one of the engine controls,

wherein the engine control is further configured to continuously update each of the different degradation mechanisms based on the plurality of sensed parameters.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein:

each of the plurality of engines generates an output torque; and

the system further comprises a combining gear box coupled to each engine and configured to combine the output torque generated by each engine.

16. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a display device in operable communication with, and coupled to receive image rendering display commands from, each of the engine controls, the display device configured, upon receipt of the image rendering display commands, to render images,

wherein each engine control is further configured to at least selectively supplying image rendering display commands that cause the display device to render images of one or more of the plurality of different degradation mechanisms of each engine.

17. A method of adaptively managing a first engine and a second engine in a twin-engine system, the first and second engines each comprising hot gas components and non-hot gas components, and the first and second engines each exhibiting a performance margin and a remaining useful life, the method comprising the steps of:

continuously, and in real-time, determining, in a first engine control, a first engine performance-based degradation mechanism for the first engine, the first engine performance-based degradation mechanism based on the performance margin of the first engine;

continuously, and in real-time, determining, in a second engine control, a second engine performance-based degradation mechanism for the second engine, the second engine performance-based degradation mechanism based on the performance margin of the second engine;

continuously, and in real-time, determining, in the first engine control, a first engine hot-gas-component-based degradation mechanism for the first engine, the first engine hot-gas-component-based degradation mechanism based on modeled failure predictions of hot gas components within the first engine;

continuously, and in real-time, determining, in the second engine control, a second engine hot gas component-based degradation mechanism for the second engine, the second engine hot-gas-component-based degradation mechanism based on modeled failure predictions of hot gas components within the second engine;

continuously, and in real-time, determining, in the first engine control, a first engine non-hot-gas-component-based degradation mechanism for the first engine, the first engine non-hot-gas-component-based degradation mechanism based on modeled failure predictions of non-hot gas components within the first engine;

continuously, and in real-time, determining, in the second engine control, a second engine non-hot-gas-component-based degradation mechanism for the second engine, the second engine non-hot-gas-component-based degradation mechanism based on modeled failure predictions of non-hot gas components within the second engine;

continuously, and in real-time, determining, in the first and second engine controls, which of the determined degradation mechanisms is most limiting;

controlling the first and second engines, using the first and second engine controls, respectively, based on the most limiting degradation mechanism, in a manner that the remaining useful lives of the first and second engines are substantially equal;

selectively enabling, in the first and second engine controls, engine operations of the first and second engines, respectively, above predetermined nominal engine operating limits; and

upon enabling engine operations above the predetermined nominal engine operating limits, increasing the operational limits associated with the first and second engine performance analyses.