Method and systems for controlling gas turbine engine temperature

• US 8,478,473 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2008
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Adibhatla, Sridhar
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): ENGLISH, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US12/181,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20100023238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,800 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701100-102, 701/107, 701/29.1, 701/29.2, 701/29.7, 701/30.2, 701/30.5, 701/30.6, 701/30.9, 701/31.5, 701/32.9, 731/120.1, 602/77, 703/7, 703/8
• US Class Current: 701/29.1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0254 based on a quantitative model, e.g. mathematical relationships between inputs and outputs; functions: observer, Kalman filter, residual calculation, Neural Networks
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0289 Reconfiguration to prevent failure, e.g. usually as a reaction to incipient failure detection

Abstract

A method and systems for controlling an engine are provided. The system includes an engine model programmed to receive engine operating condition values from a plurality of sensors on an engine. The engine model is programmed to determine a plurality of engine operating parameter values. The system also includes a processor configured to compare the operating parameter values to a predetermined allowable range for the operating parameter and control the operation of the engine to facilitate returning the determined operating parameter to the allowable range or maintaining the determined operating parameter within the allowable range, output the determined operating parameter values to a user, and/or generate maintenance requests based on the comparison.

Claims

1. An engine controller system comprising:

an engine model programmed to receive engine operating condition values from a plurality of sensors positioned on an engine, said engine model programmed to determine a plurality of engine operating parameter values from the received engine operating condition values that correspond to a location on the engine that is different from the sensor positions, wherein the determined operating parameter values represent a gas-path temperature within the engine; and

a processor configured to;

compare the determined operating parameter values to a predetermined allowable range for the operating parameter; and

at least one of control the operation of the engine to facilitate at least one of returning the determined operating parameter to the predetermined allowable range and maintaining the determined operating parameter within the predetermined allowable range, and output the determined operating parameter values to a user.

2. An engine controller system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said processor is further configured to update parameters of the model that represent a health of the engine.

3. An engine controller system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said model comprises a polynomial expression for each of the determined operating parameter values.

4. An engine controller system in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of engine operating parameter values is determined using at least one of an output from a set of sensors relatable to the operating parameter using the model, a first subset of the set of sensors, and a second subset of the set of sensors, the second subset of the set of sensors that are mutually exclusive of the first subset of sensors.

5. A method of controlling the operation of an engine, said method comprising:

receiving data from a plurality of sensors associated with corresponding sensed locations on the engine;

applying the received data to a model stored in a computer, the computer model configured to simulate an operation of the engine;

determining an operating parameter of the engine based on an output from the computer model, wherein the determined operating parameter corresponds to a location on the engine that is different from the sensed locations, wherein the determined operating parameter values represent a gas-path temperature within the engine;

comparing the determined operating parameter to a predetermined allowable range for the operating parameter; and

at least one of controlling the operation of the engine to facilitate at least one of returning the determined operating parameter to the predetermined allowable range and maintaining the determined operating parameter within the predetermined allowable range, outputting the determined operating parameter values to a user.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein said applying further comprises applying the received data to at least one of a physics-based model, and a regression-based model.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein said applying the received data to at least one of a physics-based model and a regression-based model consists of applying the received data to a physics-based model, the physics-based model determines an operating parameter of the engine based on a system model using the physics of the engine.

8. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein said applying the received data to at least one of a physics-based model and a regression-based model consists of applying the received data to a regression-based model, the regression-based model determines an operating parameter of the engine based on operating parameter changes based on at least one of historical sensor inputs and empirical sensor inputs.

9. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein said determining further comprises determining a first operating parameter of the engine at least one of directly using one or more sensors associated with the operating parameter and indirectly using one or more sensors that are associated with other than the first operating parameter.

10. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein said determining further comprises determining the operating parameter using a first set of sensors relatable to the operating parameter using the model.

11. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein determining the operating parameter using a first set of sensors relatable to the operating parameter using the model comprises determining the operating parameter using a second set of sensors relatable to the operating parameter, the second set of sensors being a sub-set of the first set of sensors.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein determining the operating parameter using a second set of sensors relatable to the operating parameter, the second set of sensors being a sub-set of the first set of sensors comprises determining the operating parameter using a third set of sensors relatable to the operating parameter, the third set of sensors being a sub-set of the first set of sensors, the third set of sensors being a set of sensors that are mutually exclusive of the second set of sensors.

13. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein further comprising:

iteratively determining the operating parameter of the engine that corresponds to a location of one of the plurality of sensors wherein the operating parameter is of the same type as the sensor is capable of sensing;

comparing the iteratively determined operating parameter to the received data corresponding to the iteratively determined operating parameter; and

updating the model using the comparison.

14. A system for controlling the operation of a gas turbine engine comprising:

an engine model having at least one input to receive engine operating conditions, said engine model configured to determine a plurality of gas turbine engine operating parameter values that correspond to a location on the engine that is different from a location of the received engine operating conditions, wherein the determined operating parameter values represent a gas-path temperature within the engine; and

a processor unit programmed to;

compare the determined operating parameter values to a predetermined allowable range for the operating parameter; and

at least one of control the operation of the gas turbine engine to facilitate at least one of returning the determined operating parameter to the predetermined allowable range and maintaining the determined operating parameter within the predetermined allowable range, output the determined operating parameter values to a user, and generate maintenance requests based on the comparison.

15. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein said processor is further configured to update parameters of the model that represent a health of the gas turbine engine.

16. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein said model comprises a polynomial expression for each of the determined operating parameter values.

17. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein at least one of said plurality of gas turbine engine operating parameter values comprises an gas turbine engine operating parameter value that corresponds to a location on the engine where at least one of a sensor is absent at the location and a sensor at the location is defective.

18. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein at least one of said plurality of gas turbine engine operating parameter values is determined using an output from a set of sensors relatable to the operating parameter using the model.

19. A system in accordance with claim 18, wherein the at least one of said plurality of gas turbine engine operating parameter values is determined using a first subset of the set of sensors.

20. A system in accordance with claim 19, wherein the at least one of said plurality of gas turbine engine operating parameter values is determined using a second subset of the set of sensors, the second subset being a subset of sensors that are mutually exclusive of the first subset of sensors.