METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ESTIMATING OPERATING PARAMETERS OF AN ENGINE

• US 20100024536A1
• Filed: 07/29/2008
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Wiseman, Matthew William, Adibhatla, Sridhar, Brunell, Brent Jerome, Nestico, Brian Francis, Viassolo, Daniel Edgardo
• Granted Patent: US 7,861,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/112.10
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0221 Preprocessing measurements, e.g. data collection rate adjustment; Standardization of measurements; Time series or signal analysis, e.g. frequency analysis or wavelets; Trustworthiness of measurements; Indexes therefor; Measurements using easily measured parameters to estimate parameters difficult to measure; Virtual sensor creation; De-noising; Sensor fusion; Unconventional preprocessing inherently present in specific fault detection methods like PCA-based methods

Abstract

A method for estimating an operating parameter of a turbine engine is provided. The method includes receiving at least one sensor input, calculating the operating parameter using at least the one sensor input, and determining whether an anomaly is present in the calculated operating parameter using a redundancy system. An estimated operating parameter is output.

Claims

1. A method for estimating an operating parameter of a turbine engine, said method comprising:

receiving at least one sensor input;

calculating the operating parameter using at least the one sensor input;

determining whether an anomaly is present in the calculated operating parameter using a redundancy system; and

outputting an estimated operating parameter.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein receiving at least a sensor input further comprises receiving the sensor input, an actuator position input, and an ambient condition input.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein receiving at least a sensor input further comprises receiving at least one of a sensed temperature, a sensed pressure, a sensed speed, a sensed torque, and a sensed flow characteristic.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein calculating the operating parameter further comprises calculating the operating parameter using a data-based model.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein calculating the operating parameter further comprises calculating the operating parameter using a physics-based model.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein calculating the operating parameter further comprises calculating the operating parameter using the physics-based model and a tracking filter.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein determining whether an anomaly is present in the calculated operating parameter using a redundancy system further comprises:

if it is determined that the anomaly is present;

compensating for the anomaly using a backup model within the redundancy system, wherein the backup model calculates a corrected estimated operating parameter; and

outputting the corrected estimated operating parameter; and

if it is determined that the anomaly is not present, outputting the calculated operating parameter.

8. An estimation system for estimating an operating parameter, said estimation system comprising:

a primary model configured to receive at least a sensor input and to estimate the operating parameter using at least the sensor input; and

a redundancy system configured to receive the estimated operating parameter and to determine whether an anomaly is present within the estimated operating parameter.

9. An estimation system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said primary model comprises one of a data-based model and a physics-based model.

10. An estimation system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said primary model is configured to receive the sensor input, an actuator position input, and an ambient condition input, wherein the sensor input includes at least one of a sensed temperature, a sensed pressure, a sensed speed, a sensed torque, and a sensed flow characteristic.

11. An estimation system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said primary model is configured to receive a plurality of sensor inputs, said redundancy system further comprising:

a first backup model configured to receive a first set of sensor inputs of the plurality of sensor inputs; and

a second backup model configured to receive a second set of sensor inputs of the plurality of sensor inputs.

12. An estimation system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said primary model is configured to receive a predetermined number of sensor inputs, said redundancy system further comprising a predetermined number of backup models, said predetermined number of backup models being equal to the predetermined number of sensor inputs.

13. An estimation system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said redundancy system further comprises a plurality of backup models, said plurality of backup models configured to:

compensate when an anomaly is present within said estimated operating parameter; and

output a corrected estimated operating parameter.

14. A gas turbine engine for use in an aircraft, said gas turbine engine comprising:

at least one sensor configured to sense an engine parameter and to generate a sensor input representing the engine parameter;

a control system configured to control at least one of said gas turbine engine and the aircraft; and

an estimation system coupled in communication with said control system, said estimation system configured to output an estimated operating parameter to said control system, said estimation system comprising;

a primary model configured to receive at least the sensor input and to estimate the operating parameter using at least the sensor input; and

a redundancy system configured to receive the estimated operating parameter and to determine whether an anomaly is present within the estimated operating parameter.

15. A gas turbine engine in accordance with claim 14 wherein said control system is configured to control one of said gas turbine engine and the aircraft using the estimated operating parameter.

16. A gas turbine engine in accordance with claim 14 wherein said at least one sensor is at least one of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a speed sensor, a torque sensor, a flow sensor, an ambient condition sensor, and an actuator position sensor.

17. A gas turbine engine in accordance with claim 14 wherein said primary model comprises one of a data-based model and a physics-based model having a tracking filter.

18. A gas turbine engine in accordance with claim 14 wherein said primary model is configured to receive a plurality of sensor inputs, said redundancy system further comprising:

a first backup model configured to receive a first set of sensor inputs of the plurality of sensor inputs; and

a second backup model configured to receive a second set of sensor inputs of the plurality of sensor inputs.

19. A gas turbine engine in accordance with claim 14 wherein said primary model is configured to receive a predetermined number of sensor inputs, said redundancy system further comprising a predetermined number of backup models, said predetermined number of backup models being equal to the predetermined number of sensor inputs.

20. A gas turbine engine in accordance with claim 14 wherein said primary model comprises a first model type, and wherein said redundancy system comprises at least a second model type different than said first model type, said redundancy system configured to:

determine whether an anomaly is present in said first model type;

calculate said operating parameter using said second model type; and

output the operating parameter calculated using said second model type to said control system.