Method for performing maintenance on an engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10197472-B2
Application number	US-201414500215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2014
Priority date	Sep 30, 2013
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A method for performing maintenance on an engine includes: providing an engine maintenance system including a database system having a database and a database management device: providing a first performance parameter stored in the database and characterizes an engine performance before an engine maintenance procedure; providing a maintenance parameter stored in the database and characterizes a scope of a maintenance measure performed on an engine during an engine maintenance procedure; providing a second performance parameter stored in the database and characterizes the engine performance after the engine maintenance procedure; determining, using the database management device, a functional relationship between the maintenance parameter and the contribution of the maintenance parameter to a difference between the first performance parameter and the second performance parameter; outputting the functional relationship via the engine maintenance system; and performing maintenance on the engine taking the functional relationship into account.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for performing maintenance on an engine, comprising the steps of:
providing an engine maintenance system including a database system having a database and a database management device;
providing at least one first performance parameter stored in the database and characterizing an engine performance before an engine maintenance procedure;
providing at least one maintenance parameter stored in the database and characterizing a scope of a maintenance measure performed on the engine during the engine maintenance procedure;
providing at least one second performance parameter stored in the database and characterizing the engine performance after the engine maintenance procedure;
determining, using the database management device, a functional relationship between the maintenance parameter and the contribution of the maintenance parameter to a difference between the first performance parameter and the second performance parameter;
outputting the functional relationship via the engine maintenance system; and
performing maintenance on the engine taking the functional relationship into account;
wherein the functional relationship comprises
Δ Y model,j =f ( X i,j ,a i )

wherein ΔY model,j is a difference between the first and second performance parameters for an engine j;
wherein X i,j is a maintenance parameter for a maintenance measure i and the engine j; and
wherein a i is a function parameter for the maintenance measure i.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the first performance parameter or the second performance parameter is determined using a monitoring system of the engine or using a performance test stand and is stored in the database.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the first performance parameter or the second performance parameter is determined taking into account at least one parameter selected from the group of height, pressure, temperature, rotational speed, fuel mass flow, flight Mach number, air mass flow, efficiency, capacity, valve position, guide vane angle, clearance-maintaining position and vibrations in the turbine region of the engine or in a compressor of the engine.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the at least one maintenance parameter characterizes a degree of a change in a feature of a component of the engine resulting from the maintenance measure or a degree of restoration of a feature of a component of the engine resulting from the maintenance measure or is determined taking into account a number of cycles that a component to be serviced of the engine has operated since a previous maintenance of the engine.

5. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the first performance parameter or the second performance parameter or the maintenance parameter is available in the form of data of an already serviced engine stored in the database or is acquired on the engine to be serviced and stored in the database.

6. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the first performance parameter or the second performance parameter or the maintenance parameter is provided in relation to a type or a specimen or a stage or a stage cluster of the engine.

7. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the functional relationship is determining by a compensation calculation.

8. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the functional relationship is determined for a plurality of maintenance parameters.

9. The engine maintenance system for the method as recited in claim 2 , comprising:
a database system including:
a database adapted to store at least one first performance parameter characterizing an engine performance before an engine maintenance procedure, at least one maintenance parameter characterizing a scope of a maintenance measure performed on an engine during an engine overhaul, and at least one second performance parameter characterizing the engine performance after the engine maintenance procedure; and
a database management device adapted to access the database and to determine a functional relationship between the at least one maintenance parameter and the contribution of the maintenance parameter to the difference between the first performance parameter and the second performance parameter; and

an output device for outputting the functional relationship determined by the database management device in order for it to be taken into account in the maintenance of the engine.

10. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein the compensation calculation determines the functional relationship, the functional relationship being between a change in a clearance of a blade and an associated increase in engine efficiency.

11. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein the compensation calculation determines a linear relationship between a change in a clearance of a blade and an associated increase in engine efficiency as the functional relationship.

12. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein the linear relationship is approximated using a constant.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the functional relationship is between a change in clearance of a blade and an associated increase in engine efficiency.

14. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the functional relationship is determined as a polynomial model, exponential model or is based on a stochastic model.

15. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the maintenance parameter is a change in a tip clearance, a change in a surface roughness, a change in a leading edge radius or a change in a chord length of a blade resulting from the engine maintenance procedure.

16. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein the maintenance parameter is a change in a tip clearance, a change in a surface roughness, a change in a leading edge radius or a change in a chord length of a blade resulting from the engine maintenance procedure.

17. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the maintenance parameter includes information that a certain portion of a plurality of rotor blades of the engine were or are to be polished during the engine maintenance procedure.

18. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein the maintenance parameter includes information that a certain portion of a plurality of rotor blades of the engine were or are to be polished during the engine maintenance procedure.

19. The method as recited in claim 16 ,
wherein the at least one first performance parameter characterizing an engine performance before an engine maintenance procedure is fuel mass flow before the engine maintenance procedure and wherein
the at least one second performance parameter characterizing the engine performance after the engine maintenance procedure is fuel mass flow after the engine maintenance procedure.

20. A method for performing maintenance on an engine, comprising the steps of:
providing an engine maintenance system including a database system having a database and a database management device;
providing at least one first performance parameter stored in the database and characterizing an engine performance before an engine maintenance procedure;
providing at least one maintenance parameter stored in the database and characterizing a scope of a maintenance measure performed on the engine during the engine maintenance procedure;
providing at least one second performance parameter stored in the database and characterizing the engine performance after the engine maintenance procedure;
determining, using the database management device, a functional relationship between the mai

Assignees

• MTU Aero Engines AG

Inventors

• Kuschke Jonathan
• Tsalavoutas Anastasios
• Kando Andre

Classifications

• G05B23/0283 Primary

  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 title

• F05D2270/301

  Pressure · CPC title

• G01M15/05 Primary

  by combined monitoring of two or more different engine parameters · CPC title

• F05D2270/306

  Mass flow · CPC title

• F05D2270/303

  Temperature · CPC title