Systems and methods for detecting the onset of compressor stall

• US 9,500,200 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2012
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Rittenhouse, Brian Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivera, Carlos A
• Application Number:
  US13/450,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20130276425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,678 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/20 by throttling; by adjusting vanes
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/001 Testing thereof; Determination or simulation of flow characteristics; Stall or surge detection, e.g. condition monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/0246 by varying geometry within the pumps, e.g. by adjusting vanes
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/563 specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/101 Compressor surge or stall

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application include a stall detection system for a gas turbine engine. The system may include a compressor and a number of variable stator vanes associated with the compressor. The variable stator vanes may form one or more variable stator vane stages. The system may also include one or more resolvers associated with one or more of the variable stator vanes. The resolvers may be configured to detect a flutter in an angle of the variable stator vanes. The flutter may be indicative of the onset of compressor stall.

Claims

1. A stall detection method for a gas turbine engine, comprising:

associating one or more resolvers with one or more variable stator vanes, wherein the one or more resolvers comprise one or more rotary sensors;

receiving feedback from the one or more resolvers comprising data regarding an angle of the one or more variable stator vanes and relative movement of the one or more variable stator vanes with respect to the angle;

receiving feedback from the one or more resolvers comprising data regarding an angle of the one or more variable stator vanes and; and

detecting, by the one or more resolvers, a flutter comprising the relative movement in the the angle of the one or more variable stator vanes that is indicative of an onset of a compressor stall.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising taking corrective action to prevent the compressor stall from occurring.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising positioning the one or more resolvers symmetrically about one or more variable stator vane stages.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the flutter meets a predetermined threshold indicative of the onset of compressor stall.