Method for monitoring an ignition sequence of a turbomachine engine

• US 9,896,958 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2013
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safran Aircraft Engine Company
• Original Assignee: Snecma (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Foiret, Guilhem, Demaison, Francois, Lamoureux, Benjamin Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Kirkland, III, Freddie
• Application Number:
  US14/441,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20150285093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/003 Arrangements for testing or measuring for measuring vibrations G01H
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/26 Starting; Ignition
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/266 Electric sparking plugs H01T
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/85 Starting

Abstract

A method for monitoring an ignition sequence of an engine, in particular a turbomachine engine, including the following steps: (i) defining an ignition time of the engine for a defined starting parameter, (ii) comparing the ignition time of the engine defined in this way with a reference ignition time expected for a reference engine and for this starting parameter, (iii) deducing an indicator of the bringing into operation of the engine, (iv) repeating steps (i) to (iii) for this starting parameter, for each bringing into operation of the engine of the sequence, and (v) on the basis of the change in the indicator, generating a degradation alert for the ignition sequence of the engine.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring an ignition sequence of an engine, the method comprising:

(i) determining a duration for ignition of the engine for a determined starting parameter comprising a thermal condition of the engine during a starting operation sequence, the ignition duration being determined from a number of discharges of an ignition spark plug of the engine required for a starting operation of the engine;

(ii) comparing the determined ignition duration of the engine with an expected reference ignition duration for a reference engine and for the starting parameter, by comparing the number of discharges of the ignition spark plug of the engine required for the starting operation of the engine, with an expected number of discharges of an ignition spark plug for a starting operation of the reference engine;

(iii) inferring an indicator of the starting operation of the engine, the indicator corresponding to a difference between the number of discharges of the ignition spark plug of the engine required for the starting operation of the engine, and the expected number of discharges of the ignition spark plug for the starting operation of the reference engine;

(iv) repeating steps (i) to (iii) for the starting parameter, for each starting operation of the engine of the sequence, and calculating a moving average of the indicator for each starting operation of the engine; and

(v) generating a degradation alert of the ignition sequence of the engine when a change in the moving average of the indicator is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

2. The monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the engine comprises two ignition spark plugs, and the indicator is determined independently for each ignition spark plug.

3. The monitoring method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a set of reference ignition durations for the reference engine and for the starting parameter.

4. A non-transitory computer readable medium including computer executable instructions for executing a method for monitoring a sequence for starting operation of an engine when executed by a computer, the method comprising:

(i) determining a duration for ignition of the engine for a determined starting parameter comprising a thermal condition of the engine during a starting operation sequence, the ignition duration being determined from a number of discharges of an ignition spark plug of the engine required for a starting operation of the engine;

(ii) comparing the determined ignition duration of the engine with an expected reference ignition duration for a reference engine and for the starting parameter, by comparing the number of discharges of the ignition spark plug of the engine required for the starting operation of the engine, with an expected number of discharges of an ignition spark plug for a starting operation of the reference engine;

(iii) inferring an indicator of the starting operation of the engine, the indicator corresponding to a difference between the number of discharges of the ignition spark plug of the engine required for the starting operation of the engine, and the expected number of discharges of the ignition spark plug for the starting operation of the reference engine;

(iv) repeating steps (i) to (iii) for the starting parameter, for each starting operation of the engine of the sequence, and calculating a moving average of the indicator for each starting operation of the engine; and

(v) generating a degradation alert of the ignition sequence of the engine when a change in the moving average of the indicator is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

5. A system for monitoring a sequence for starting operation of an engine, notably of a turbomachine, comprising:

means for determining a duration for ignition of the engine for a determined starting parameter comprising a thermal condition of the engine during a starting operation sequence, the ignition duration being determined from a number of discharges of an ignition spark plug of the engine required for a starting operation of the engine;

means for comparing the determined ignition duration of the engine with an expected reference ignition duration for a reference engine and for the starting parameter, by comparing the number of discharges of the ignition spark plug of the engine required for the starting operation of the engine, with an expected number of discharges of an ignition spark plug for a starting operation of the reference engine;

means for inferring an indicator of the starting operation of the engine, the indicator corresponding to a difference between the number of discharges of the ignition spark plug of the engine required for the starting operation of the engine, and the expected number of discharges of the ignition spark plug for the starting operation of the reference engine;

means for recording the indicator for each starting operation of the engine of the sequence;

means for calculating a moving average of the indicator for each starting operation of the engine; and

means for generating a degradation alert of the ignition sequence of the engine when a change in the moving average of the indicator is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold.