ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL MACHINE HEALTH MONITORING

• US 20180370651A1
• Filed: 06/22/2017
• Published: 12/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Miller, Brandon Wayne, Adibhatla, Sridhar, Gansler, Michael Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 10,442,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/10 Air crafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0085 Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2221/00 Electric power distribution systems onboard aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/026 comprising different types of power plants, e.g. combination of a piston engine and a gas-turbine Hybrid electric aircraft B64D27/33
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/10 of gas-turbine type jet aircraft B64D27/16
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/12 within, or attached to, wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/16 of jet type
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/24 using steam or spring force jet aircraft B64D27/16
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/003 Arrangements for testing or measuring for measuring vibrations G01H
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/323 for aircraft propulsion, e.g. jet engines
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/76 an electrical generator
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/821 Parameter estimation or prediction
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/309 Rate of change of parameters
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/335 Output power or torque
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/14 Testing gas-turbine engines or jet-propulsion engines
• 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: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

Systems and methods for estimating engine and electrical machine health are provided. The systems and methods therefore include features that provide for improved health estimates of one or more engines and/or electrical machines of one or more engines having an electrical machine embedded therein or coupled thereto. In particular, the systems and methods therefore include features for utilizing sensed or measured operating parameters of the electrical machines and/or operating parameters of the prime mover to estimate the health of the prime mover and/or the electrical machines embedded therein or coupled thereto.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring the health of at least one of a prime mover and an electrical machine coupled with the prime mover, the method comprising:

measuring a response to a change in torque on the electrical machine, the response indicative of a change in one or more operating parameters of at least one of the prime mover and the electrical machine; and

determining a health estimate of at least one of the electrical machine and the prime mover based at least in part on the response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to measuring the response, the method further comprises:

pulsing the electrical machine for a predetermined time to induce the change in torque on the electrical machine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein during determining, the method further comprises:

comparing the response to a baseline response; and

determining a delta between the response and the baseline response;

wherein the health estimate is based at least in part on the delta between the response and the baseline response.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in the one or more operating parameters is indicative of a change in a power output of the prime mover.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the response is a fuel flow response indicative of a change in fuel flow of the prime mover.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the prime mover is a gas turbine engine defining an axial direction and having a low pressure shaft and a high pressure shaft each rotatable about the axial direction, the electrical machine coupled to at least one of the low pressure shaft and the high pressure shaft and at least partially rotatable about the axial direction, and wherein the response is at least one of a N1 speed response and an N2 response indicative of the low pressure shaft and the high pressure shaft of the gas turbine engine, respectively.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the prime mover is a gas turbine engine defining an axial direction and comprising a low pressure shaft and a high pressure shaft each rotatable about the axial direction, and wherein the electrical machine is a first electrical machine coupled to the low pressure shaft and at least partially rotatable about the axial direction, and wherein the gas turbine engine further comprises a second electrical machine coupled to the high pressure shaft and at least partially rotatable about the axial direction, and wherein the response is a power response indicative of a power output of the second electrical machine of the gas turbine engine.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the prime mover is a gas turbine engine and the electrical machine is an electrical generator.

9. A method for monitoring the health of at least one of a prime mover and an electrical machine coupled with the prime mover, the method comprising:

obtaining operating data indicative of one or more operating parameters of the electrical machine measured over a predetermined time during operation of the prime mover and the electrical machine;

generating a parameter function based at least in part on the operating data, wherein the parameter function is indicative of at least one of the operating parameters of the electrical machine trended over time; and

determining a health estimate of at least one of the electrical machine and the prime mover based at least in part on the parameter function.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining operating data indicative of one or more operating parameters of the prime mover measured over a predetermined time during operation of the prime mover and the electrical machine;

generating a parameter function based at least in part on the operating data, wherein the parameter function is indicative of at least one of the operating parameters of the prime mover trended over time; and

wherein, during determining, the health estimate is determined based at least in part on the parameter function of the electrical machine and the parameter function of the prime mover.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the operating parameter upon which the parameter function is based defines a predetermined threshold indicative of a value in which the electrical machine is no longer able to supply a predetermined power output to a load connected thereto;

and wherein the health estimate is indicative of a useful life remaining of at least one of the prime mover and the electrical machine, and wherein the useful life remaining is determined based at least in part on an intersection of the parameter function and the predetermined threshold.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more operating parameters include at least one of a current flow through the electrical machine, a voltage across the electrical machine, and a torque on the electrical machine.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein prior to generating, the method further comprises:

normalizing the one or more operating data; and

providing information to a user indicative of the health estimate of at least one of the prime mover and the electrical machine.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein during normalizing, the one or more operating parameters are normalized for variation in an operating condition and a power setting of the prime mover.

15. A gas turbine engine defining a radial direction and an axial direction, the gas turbine engine comprising:

a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section arranged in serial flow order, the compressor section, the combustion section, and the turbine section at least partially defining a core air flowpath;

one or more sensors for sensing one or more operating parameters of the gas turbine engine during operation;

a rotary component rotatable with at least one of a portion of the compressor section and a portion of the turbine section;

a static frame member; and

an electric machine rotatable with the rotary component, the electric machine mounted to the static frame member or coupled to the rotary component, or both;

a health monitoring system comprising one or more computing devices communicatively coupled with the electrical machine and the one or more sensors, the one or more computing devices comprising one or more processors and one or more memory devices, the one or more memory devices storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the one or more computing devices configured to;

obtain one or more signals from the one or more sensors indicative of a response to a change in torque on the electrical machine, the response indicative of a change in one or more operating parameters of the gas turbine engine;

compare the response to a baseline response;

determine a delta between the response and the baseline response; and

determine a health estimate of the gas turbine engine based at least in part on the delta between the response and the baseline response.

16. The gas turbine engine of claim 15, wherein the change in the one or more operating parameters is indicative of a change in a power output of the gas turbine engine.

17. The gas turbine engine of claim 15, wherein the combustion section includes a fuel delivery system for delivering fuel, and wherein the response is a fuel flow response indicative of a fuel flow delivered by the fuel delivery system to the combustion section of the gas turbine engine.

18. The gas turbine engine of claim 15, wherein the rotary component of the gas turbine engine includes at least one of a low pressure shaft and a high pressure shaft each rotatable about the axial direction, the electrical machine coupled to at least one of the low pressure shaft and the high pressure shaft, and wherein the response is at least one of a N1 speed response and an N2 response indicative of the low pressure shaft and the high pressure shaft of the gas turbine engine, respectively.

19. The gas turbine engine of claim 15, wherein the gas turbine engine further comprises:

a power source; and

wherein prior to obtaining the one or more signals indicative of the response to the change in torque on the electrical machine, the computing device is further configured to;

send one or more signals to a power source to pulse the electrical machine for a predetermined time.

20. The gas turbine engine of claim 15, wherein the gas turbine engine includes a gas-path sensor positioned along the core air flowpath for measuring one or more operating parameters during operation of the gas turbine engine, and wherein during determining the health estimate, the computing device utilizes the operating parameters measured by the gas-path sensor in conjunction with the operating parameters measured by the sensors to determine the health estimate of at least one of the gas turbine engine and the electrical machine.