Patent Application
20140090392
The present invention relates generally to gas turbine engine control, and more, particularly to lean blowout avoidance by model based fuel-air ratio control.
Modern Brayton and Ericsson cycle engines, including gas turbine engines for aircraft applications, continue to grow more complex. These engines require sophisticated control systems to handle increasing operational demands at reduced tolerances. Such engine control systems command engine actuators for control parameters such as estimated fuel-air ratio rate and variable engine geometries to achieve desired values of output parameters such as net thrust or engine rotor speed. A variety of control methods are currently used toward this end, including model-based control algorithms using predictive models that relate thermodynamic parameters such as flow rate, pressure, and temperature to input and output variables such as overall thrust, power output, or rotational energy.
Engine control systems are typically provided with a plurality of inputs including both current operating parameters and target parameters. Current operating parameters may include engine parameters such as rotor speeds, engine temperatures, and flow rates, as well as environmental parameters such as altitude and inlet total air pressure and air temperature. Some current operating parameters are directly measured, while others may be fixed at manufacture or estimated based on measured parameters. Target parameters may include desired rotor speeds or net thrust values specified according to desired aircraft activities.
In addition to achieving specified target parameters, engine control systems are expected to avoid engine trajectories resulting in engine states that unduly reduce component lifetimes or increase likelihoods of undesired events such as engine surge, compressor stall, or engine blowout. Lean combustor blowout, in particular, occurs when the fuel-air ratio (FAR) in the combustor of a gas turbine engine falls sufficiently that the combustor flame is extinguished. Conventional systems manage FAR indirectly, for example by limiting the fuel-sensed combustor pressure ratio, so as to avoid lean blowout conditions.
The present invention is directed toward a gas turbine engine comprising a compressor, a combustor, a turbine, and an electronic engine control system. The compressor, combustor, and turbine are arranged in flow series. The electronic engine control system is configured to estimate combustor fuel-air ratio based on a realtime model-based estimate of combustor airflow, and commands engine actuators to correct for a difference between the estimated combustor fuel-air ratio and a minimum fuel-air ratio selected to avoid lean blowout.
In the turbofan configuration of
In the two-spool, high bypass configuration of
Flow F at inlet 18 divides into primary (core) flow FP and secondary (bypass) flow FS downstream of fan rotor 26. Fan rotor 26 accelerates secondary flow FS through bypass duct 28, with fan exit guide vanes (FEGVs) 42 to reduce swirl and improve thrust performance. In some designs, structural guide vanes (SGVs) 42 are used, providing combined flow turning and load bearing capabilities.
Primary flow FP is compressed in low pressure compressor 30 and high pressure compressor 32. Some portion of primary flow Fp is diverted or bled from compressor section 12 for cooling and peripheral systems, and/or to avoid compressor stall. The remainder of primary flow Fp constitutes combustor airflow Fc, the airflow into combustor 14. Combustor airflow Fc is mixed with fuel flow Ff in combustor 14 and ignited to generate hot combustion gas. Fuel flow Ff is controlled to avoid violating a lean fuel-air ratio (FAR) limit corresponding to lean blowout, as described in further detail below with respect to
Low pressure shaft 38 and high pressure shaft 40 are mounted coaxially about centerline CL, and rotate at different speeds. Fan rotor (or other propulsion stage) 26 is rotationally coupled to low pressure shaft 38. Fan rotor 26 may also function as a first-stage compressor for gas turbine engine 10, and LPC 30 may be configured as an intermediate compressor or booster. Gas turbine engine 10 may be embodied in a wide range of different shaft, spool and turbine engine configurations, including one, two and three-spool turboprop and (high or low bypass) turbofan engines, turboshaft engines, turbojet engines, and multi-spool industrial gas turbines.
Operational parameters of gas turbine engine 10 are monitored and controlled by a control system including FAR control system 100, described below with respect to
Electronic engine control system 102 is a digital controller that commands actuators of gas turbine engine 10 based on a specified FAR limit FARL, measured engine parameters MEP, and environmental parameters EVP. In particular, electronic engine control system 102 commands estimated fuel-air ratio FF via engine control parameters ECP. Model-based control system 102 also utilizes calibration parameters (not shown) which are set at manufacture or during maintenance, and which do not vary substantially during engine operation. Measured engine parameters MEP may, for instance, include rotor speeds and sensed pressures and temperatures at inlet 18 of LPC 30 and at the outlet of HPC 32 into combustor 14.
Electronic engine control system 102 is comprised of five sections: engine model 104, compressor ratio block 106, difference block 108, model based control block 110, and model correction 112. These logic blocks represent distinct processes performed by electronic engine control 102, but may share common hardware. In particular, engine model 104, ratio block 106, model based control block 110, and model correction 112 may be logically separable software algorithms running on a shared processor or multiple parallel processors of a full authority digital engine controller (FADEC) or other computing device. This device may be a dedicated computer, or a computer shared with other control functions for gas turbine engine 10.
Engine model 104 is a logical block incorporating a model of gas turbine engine 10. In some embodiments, engine model 104 may be a component-level model describing only compressor section 12. In other embodiments, engine model 104 may be a system-level model describing the entirety of gas turbine engine 10. Engine model 104 may, for instance, be constructed based on the assumption that specific heats and gas constants within gas turbine engine 10 remain constant over one timestep. Similarly, engine model 104 may incorporate simplifying assumptions that unaccounted pressure losses across gas turbine engine 10 and torque produced by cooling bleed mass flow are negligible. The particular simplifying assumptions used by engine model 104 are selected for high accuracy during normal modes of operation of gas turbine engine 10, and may not hold during some exceptional operating conditions such as engine surge.
Engine model 104 produces a real time estimate of combustor airflow Fc based on environmental parameter EVP, engine measured engine parameters MEP, and engine control parameters ECP corresponding to a previous iteration of the logic process of compressor control system 100. In some embodiments, engine model 104 may also estimate limit fuel-air ratio FARL, an optimal or proper FAR selected to avoid lean blowout based on current flight conditions, as described in greater detail below. In further embodiments, engine model 104 may concurrently be used to estimate other current state parameters gas turbine engine 10 for other (non-FAR) control applications.
Ratio block 106 produces estimated fuel air ratio FARE. FARE is the ratio of fuel flow Ff to combustor airflow Fc. As shown in
Model based control block 110 commands actuators of gas turbine engine 10 via engine control parameters ECP. Engine control parameters ECP reflect a plurality of engine operating parameters, including fuel flow Ff. In some embodiments, engine control parameters ECP may also include actuator commands for inlet guide vanes, bleed valves, and variable geometry stator vanes to adjust combustor airflow Fc, thereby providing an alternative or additional route to correct combustor fuel-air ratio. Model based control block 110 may perform other functions in addition to lean blowout avoidance via FAR control, in which case engine control parameters ECP may include a wide range of additional actuator commands. Model based control 110 determines engine control parameters at least in part based on error signal E. In particular, model based control 110 specifies commanded fuel flow FF so as to correct for any fuel excess or deficiency indicated by FARE. If estimated fuel-air ratio FARE falls below limit fuel-air ratio FARL, model based control 110 will respond to resulting positive error E by adjusting fuel flow Ff upward via engine control parameters ECP.
Engine control parameters ECP are also received by engine model 104 in preparation for a next timestep. Model correction 112 updates engine model 104 for the next timestep, correcting for gradual drift due and deterioration of gas turbine engine 10. With the aid of model correction block 112, the approximation provided engine model 104 converges on actual engine behavior sufficiently quickly to ensure that the model remains a good predictor of actual engine values, but sufficiently slowly to avoid tracking noise in measured engine parameters MEP and environmental parameter EVP
FAR control system 100 meters fuel flow Ff based on an estimate of FAR derived from a current or previous-iteration value of fuel flow Ff and a realtime model-based estimation of combustor airflow Fc. Model-based estimation of combustor airflow Fc allows improved precision in FAR estimation over prior art indirect management of fuel air ratio FAR by means of pressure sensors. This improved accuracy in turn allows improved transient capability and reduced emissions of gas turbine engine 10 by enabling leaner operation of combustor 14 without risk of lean blowout.
While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment(s), it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
