Method and apparatus for detecting performance of an APU fuel assembly

• US 9,657,649 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Air China Limited
• Original Assignee: Air China Limited
• Inventors: Huang, Lei, Gu, Zhuping, Zheng, Fengliang, Wang, Rong, Ma, Hongtao, Wu, Jiaju, Chen, Lei
• Primary Examiner(s): Kirkland, III, Freddie
• Application Number:
  US14/338,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20160230676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 7311201
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/00 Controlling gas-turbine plants; Controlling fuel supply in air- breathing jet-propulsion plants controlling air intakes F02C7/057; controlling turbines F01D; controlling compressors F04D27/00; controlling in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/26 Control of fuel supply F02C9/48 takes precedence; fuel valves F02C7/232
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/50 for auxiliary power units (APU's)
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/14 Testing gas-turbine engines or jet-propulsion engines
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0235 based on a comparison with predetermined threshold or range, e.g. "classical methods", carried out during normal operation; threshold adaptation or choice; when or how to compare with the threshold
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for detecting performance of an APU fuel assembly, comprising: obtaining APU messages at multiple time points within a time period; obtaining running parameters of the APU fuel assembly according to the APU messages, the running parameters at least comprising starting time STA; calculating average value AVG and deviation index δ of the starting time STA within said time period; determining whether performance of the APU fuel assembly is in the stable phase, decline phase, or failure phase according to the deviation index δ.

Claims

1. A method for detecting performance of an Airborne Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) fuel assembly of an aircraft, comprising:

obtaining APU messages at multiple time points within a time period;

obtaining running parameters of the APU fuel assembly according to the APU messages, the running parameters at least comprising starting times STAs within said time period;

calculating average value AVG and deviation index δ

of the starting times STAs within said time period; and

determining whether performance of the APU fuel assembly is in a stable phase, a decline phase or a failure phase according to the deviation index δ

, the determining comprising;

in response to that the deviation index δ

is greater than a decline threshold value, determining that performance of the APU fuel assembly is in the stable phase;

in response to that the deviation index δ

is greater than the decline threshold value and is less than a failure threshold value, determining that performance of the APU fuel assembly is in the decline phase; and

in response to that the deviation index δ

is greater than the failure threshold value, determining that performance of the APU fuel assembly is in the failure phase; and

determining a stable deviation index δ

when the APU fuel assembly is in the stable phase;

wherein, the decline threshold value is about 2 times of the stable deviation index in the stable phase, and the failure threshold value is about 3-4 times of the stable deviation index.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the time period is between 2 and 4 days.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein about 5-10 APU messages are obtained within said time period.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

determining a starting time STA_next obtained according to a next APU message;

in response to that the starting time STA_next is greater than AVG+nδ

or less than AVG−

nδ

, determining whether a subsequent starting time STA_next+1 obtained according to a follow-up next APU message is greater than AVG+nδ

or less than AVG−

nδ

; and

in response to that a number of times for consecutive starting times obtained according to consecutive APU messages continuously greater than AVG+nδ

or continuously less than AVG−

nδ

exceeds a preset warning number Z, outputting warnings;

wherein, n is a value from 2 to 5;

Z is a value from 3 to 5.

5. The method of claim 4, in response to that the starting time STA_next obtained according to the next APU message is less than AVG+nδ

and greater than AVG−

nδ

, recalculating an average value AVG and a deviation index δ

of starting times.

6. The method of claim 4, in response to that the number of times for consecutive starting times STA obtained according to the consecutive APU messages continuously larger than AVG+nδ

or continuously smaller than AVG−

nδ

exceeds the preset warning number Z, recalculating an average value AVG and a deviation index δ

of starting times.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein n is 2 or 3, and Z is 3.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the deviation index δ

is a standard deviation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein an APU starter works in normal condition.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein other parameters of APU keep normal, the other parameters comprising one or more of:

APU exhaust gas temperature EGT, bleed air pressure PT, angle of inlet guide vane IGV and APU turbine efficiency NPA.

11. An apparatus for detecting performance of an APU fuel assembly of an aircraft comprises a processor and a storage for storing computer readable instructions for instructing the processor implementing the following units:

a message acquisition unit configured to obtain APU messages at multiple time points in a time period;

a message parsing unit configured to parse out running parameters of the APU fuel assembly according to the APU messages, the running parameters at least comprising starting times within the time period; and

a performance detection unit configured to determine whether performance of the APU fuel assembly is in a stable phase, a decline phase, or a failure phase according to a calculated average value and a calculated deviation index δ

of the starting times of the APU within the time period by;

in response to that the deviation index δ

is greater than a decline threshold value, determining that performance of the APU fuel assembly is in the stable phase;

in response to that the deviation index δ

is greater than the decline threshold value and is less than a failure threshold value, determining that performance of the APU fuel assembly is in the decline phase; and

in response to that the deviation index δ

is greater than the failure threshold value, determining that performance of the APU fuel assembly is in the failure phase; and

determining a stable deviation index when the APU fuel assembly is in the stable phase;

wherein, the decline threshold value is about 2 times of the stable deviation index in the stable phase, and the failure threshold value is about 3-4 times of the stable deviation index.

12. An apparatus for detecting performance of an APU fuel assembly of an aircraft comprises:

a processor; and

a storage coupled to the processor, which stores computer readable instructions;

the computer readable instructions run on the processor to execute the following steps;

obtaining APU messages at multiple time points within a time period;

parsing out running parameters of the APU fuel assembly according to the messages, the running parameters comprising starting times of the APU within the time period; and

determining whether performance of the APU fuel assembly is in a stable phase, a decline phase, or a failure phase according to a calculated average value and a calculated deviation index δ

of the starting times within the time period, the determining comprising;

in response to that the calculated deviation index δ

is greater than a decline threshold value, determining that performance of the APU fuel assembly is in the stable phase;

in response to that the calculated deviation index δ

is greater than the decline threshold value and is less than a failure threshold value, determining that performance of the APU fuel assembly is in the decline phase; and

in response to that the calculated deviation index δ

is greater than the failure threshold value, determining that performance of the APU fuel assembly is in the failure phase; and

determining a stable deviation index when the APU fuel assembly is in the stable phase;

wherein, the decline threshold value is about 2 times of the stable deviation index in the stable phase, and the failure threshold value is about 3-4 times of the stable deviation index.