Method of operating a gas turbine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12577917-B2
Application number	US-202418765796-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2024
Priority date	Jul 8, 2024
Publication date	Mar 17, 2026
Grant date	Mar 17, 2026

Abstract

A method of operating a gas turbine engine includes controlling operating of the gas turbine engine through a first portion of a total operating period utilizing first data of a first control table to control an operational aspect related to an engine operating condition of an estimated performance margin table, selecting one of a second control table through an Nth control table for operating the gas turbine engine through a second portion of the total operating period of the gas turbine engine, and controlling operating of the gas turbine engine through the second portion of the total operating period utilizing the second through N data of the respective control table selected in the selecting to control the operational aspect related to the engine operating condition of the estimated performance margin table.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A method of operating a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine including (a) a compressor section, (b) a combustor, (c) a turbine section, and (d) an engine controller that includes a processing circuit and a memory storing (i) an engine control program for controlling operation of the gas turbine engine, (ii) an estimated performance margin table plotting an estimated performance margin of an engine operating condition throughout a total operating period of the gas turbine engine, (iii) a first control table including first data of operational parameters for controlling an operational aspect related to the engine operating condition of the estimated performance margin table, and (iv) at least one second through N control table including second through N data, respectively, of the operational parameters for controlling the operational aspect related to the engine operating condition of the estimated performance margin table, the method implemented by the engine controller comprising:
controlling operating of the gas turbine engine through a first portion of the total operating period utilizing the first data of the first control table to control the operational aspect related to the engine operating condition of the estimated performance margin table; selecting one of the second through N control tables for operating the gas turbine engine through a second portion of the total operating period of the gas turbine engine; and controlling operating of the gas turbine engine through the second portion of the total operating period utilizing the second through N data of the respective control table selected in the selecting to control the operational aspect related to the engine operating condition of the estimated performance margin table, wherein the engine operating condition of the estimated performance margin table is a fuel flow reduction amount within the combustor.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
during the controlling operating of the gas turbine engine through the first portion of the total operating period, sensing the engine operating condition of the estimated performance margin table; determining an operational performance margin of the engine operating condition for the first portion of the total operating period; comparing the determined operational performance margin of the engine operating condition to the estimated performance margin of the estimated performance margin table for the first portion of the total operating period; and determining, based on a comparison result of the comparing, the one of the second through N control tables to be selected in the selecting.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the total operating period of the gas turbine engine defines an estimated Time Before Overhaul (TBO), and the first portion of the total operating period is one of a Time Since New (TSN), a Time Since last Shop Visit (TSSV), a number of Cycles Since New (CSN), or a number of Cycles Since last Shop Visit (CSSV).

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first control table and the second through N control tables are predefined and stored in the memory.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first control table is predefined and stored in the memory, and the method further comprises:
during the controlling operating of the gas turbine engine through the first portion of the total operating period, sensing the engine operating condition of the estimated performance margin table; determining an operational performance margin of the engine operating condition for the first portion of the total operating period; the engine controller generating at least one of the second through N control tables based on the determined operational performance margin of the engine operating condition; and storing the generated at least one of the second through N control tables in the memory.

6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the controlling of the gas turbine engine through the second portion of the total operating period utilizes at least one of the generated second through N control tables stored in the memory.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , the method further comprising:
during the controlling operating of the gas turbine engine through the second portion of the total operating period, sensing the engine operating condition of the estimated performance margin table; periodically, throughout the second portion of the total operating period, determining an operational performance margin of the engine operating condition based on the sensed engine operating condition; periodically, throughout the second portion of the total operating period, updating the second control table stored in the memory based on the determined operational performance margin to obtain a periodically updated second control table; and controlling operating of the gas turbine engine throughout the second portion of the total operating period utilizing the periodically updated second control table.

8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the periodically determining comprises a period of one cycle of the engine, and the periodically updated second control table is updated after each one cycle of the engine.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the combustor includes at least one fuel nozzle/swirler assembly having a pilot mixer that receives a pilot fuel flow of fuel, and a main mixer that receives a main fuel flow of the fuel.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the operational aspect comprises a fuel split percentage for a main fuel split of the main fuel flow and a pilot fuel split of the pilot fuel flow.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein respective ones of the first control table and the second through N control tables corresponds to a respective compressor outlet/combustor inlet temperature (T3), and each of the first control table and the second through N control tables includes main fuel split percentage data and pilot fuel split percentage data at a plurality of fuel-to-air ratios at respective ones of a plurality of compressor outlet/combustor inlet pressures (P3) for the respective compressor outlet/combustor inlet temperature (T3).

12 . An engine controller for controlling operation of a gas turbine engine, the engine controller comprising:
a processing circuit; and a memory storing (a) an engine control program for controlling operation of the gas turbine engine, (b) an estimated performance margin table plotting an estimated performance margin of an engine operating condition throughout a total operating period of the gas turbine engine, (c) a first control table including first data of operational parameters for controlling an operational aspect related to the engine operating condition of the estimated performance margin table, and (d) at least one second through N control table including second through N data, respectively, of the operational parameters for controlling the operational aspect related to the engine operating condition of the estimated performance margin table, the processing circuit executing the engine control program to perform: controlling operating of the gas turbine engine through a first portion of the total operating period utilizing the first data of the first control table to control the operational aspect related to the engine operating condition of the estimated performance margin table; selecting one of the second through N control tables for operating the gas turbine engine through a second portion of the total operating period of the gas turbine engine; and controlling operating of the gas turbine engine th

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Benjamin Michael A
• Cooper Clayton S
• Patel Nayan
• Li Hejie

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

• F02C9/00

  Controlling gas-turbine plants; Controlling fuel supply in air- breathing jet-propulsion plants (controlling air intakes F02C7/057; controlling turbines F01D; controlling compressors F04D27/00; controlling in general G05) · CPC title

• F02C9/28 Primary

  Regulating systems responsive to plant or ambient parameters, e.g. temperature, pressure, rotor speed (F02C9/30 - F02C9/38, F02C9/44 take precedence) · CPC title