Fuel System for Heat Engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020200098-A1
Application number	US-201816225457-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 19, 2018
Priority date	Dec 19, 2018
Publication date	Jun 25, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fuel metering system for a combustion section of a turbo machine is provided. The turbo machine includes a main fuel line configured to provide a flow of fuel and a zone fuel line split from the main fuel line through which at least a portion of the flow of fuel is provided. A fuel valve is disposed at the zone fuel line and is configured to obtain and receive a present fuel valve area value and a present valve position value. A first pressure sensor is disposed upstream of the fuel valve, in which the first pressure sensor is configured to obtain a first pressure value. A second pressure sensor is disposed downstream of the fuel valve, in which the second pressure sensor is configured to obtain a second pressure value. A flow meter is disposed downstream of the fuel valve. A controller is configured to perform operations, in which the operations include determining a demanded fuel valve actuator position based at least on an estimated fuel valve actuator position and a demanded fuel flow; comparing the demanded fuel flow and a present fuel flow; determining an actual fuel valve actuator position based at least on the demanded fuel valve actuator position and the compared demanded fuel flow and present fuel flow; and generating an valve effective area at the fuel valve based at least on the actual fuel valve actuator position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A turbo machine comprising a metering system for a combustion section, the turbo machine comprising:
a main fuel line configured to provide a flow of fuel; a zone fuel line split from the main fuel line through which at least a portion of the flow of fuel is provided; a fuel valve disposed at the zone fuel line, wherein the fuel valve is configured to obtain and receive a present fuel valve area value and a present valve position value; a first pressure sensor disposed upstream of the fuel valve, wherein the first pressure sensor is configured to obtain a first pressure value; a second pressure sensor disposed downstream of the fuel valve, wherein the second pressure sensor is configured to obtain a second pressure value; a flow meter disposed downstream of the fuel valve; and a controller configured to perform operations, the operations comprising:
determining a demanded fuel valve actuator position based at least on an estimated fuel valve actuator position and a demanded fuel flow;
comparing the demanded fuel flow and a present fuel flow;
determining an actual fuel valve actuator position based at least on the demanded fuel valve actuator position and the compared demanded fuel flow and present fuel flow; and
generating an valve effective area at the fuel valve based at least on the actual fuel valve actuator position.

2 . The turbo machine of claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining, via the first pressure sensor, the first pressure value upstream of the fuel valve; and obtaining, via the second pressure sensor, the second pressure value downstream of the fuel valve.

3 . The turbo machine of claim 2 , wherein determining the demanded fuel valve actuator position is further based on a delta pressure across the fuel valve.

4 . The turbo machine of claim 2 , wherein obtaining the first pressure value upstream of the fuel valve is at the main fuel line.

5 . The turbo machine of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:
obtaining a compressor discharge pressure value.

6 . The turbo machine of claim 5 , wherein determining the demanded fuel valve actuator position is further based on the compressor discharge pressure value.

7 . The turbo machine of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:
determining a physical area at the fuel valve based at least on a function of a physical property of the fuel valve and the valve effective area.

8 . The turbo machine of claim 7 , wherein the physical property of the fuel valve comprises one or more of a slope, contour, or area of at the fuel valve.

9 . The turbo machine of claim 7 , wherein determining the physical area at the fuel valve is further based on a delta pressure across the fuel valve based at least on a difference between the first pressure value and the second pressure value.

10 . The turbo machine of claim 7 , wherein determining the physical area at the fuel valve is further based on a compressor discharge pressure.

11 . The turbo machine of claim 1 , wherein generating the valve effective area at the fuel valve is further based at least on the actual actuator position at the fuel valve and a function of physical property of the fuel valve and delta pressure across the fuel valve.

12 . The turbo machine of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:
operating the fuel valve based on the valve effective area.

13 . The turbo machine of claim 12 , the operations further comprising:
operating the fuel valve based on the valve effective area and further based on one or more of the specific gravity and the discharge coefficient of the fluid at the metering system.

14 . A method for operating a combustion system of a turbo machine, the method comprising:
determining a demanded fuel valve actuator position based at least on an estimated fuel valve actuator position and a demanded fuel flow; comparing the demanded fuel flow and a present fuel flow; determining an actual fuel valve actuator position based at least on the demanded fuel valve actuator position and the compared demanded fuel flow and present fuel flow; and generating an valve effective area at the fuel valve based at least on the actual fuel valve actuator position.

15 . The method of claim 14 , the method further comprising:
obtaining a first pressure value upstream of a fuel valve at a zone fuel line; obtaining a second pressure value downstream of the fuel valve; and determining the demanded fuel valve actuator position is further based on a delta pressure across the fuel valve.

16 . The method of claim 14 , the method further comprising:
obtaining a compressor discharge pressure value; and determining the demanded fuel valve actuator position is further based on the compressor discharge pressure value.

17 . The method of claim 14 , the method further comprising:
determining a physical area at the fuel valve based at least on a function of a physical property of the fuel valve and the valve effective area.

18 . The method of claim 17 , determining the physical area at the fuel valve is further based on a delta pressure across the fuel valve based at least on a difference between the first pressure value and the second pressure value.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein determining the physical area at the fuel valve is further based on a compressor discharge pressure.

20 . A fuel metering system, the system comprising:
a main fuel line configured to provide a flow of fuel; a plurality of zone fuel lines each split from the main fuel line through which at least a portion of the flow of fuel is provided; a fuel valve disposed at each zone fuel line, wherein the fuel valve is configured to obtain and receive a present fuel valve area value and a present valve position value; a first pressure sensor disposed upstream of the fuel valve at the main fuel line, wherein the first pressure sensor is configured to obtain a first pressure value; a second pressure sensor disposed downstream of each fuel valve, wherein the second pressure sensor is configured to obtain a second pressure value at each zone fuel line; and a flow meter disposed downstream of the fuel valve at each zone fuel line.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Carpenter R Sheldon
• Lu Manxue
• Mailander William James
• Moster David Anthony
• Li Guoxin

Classifications

• F02C9/263 Primary

  by means of fuel metering valves · CPC title

• F02C7/22

  Fuel supply systems · CPC title

• F02C7/232

  Fuel valves {(control of fuel supply by means of fuel metering valves F02C9/263)}; Draining valves or systems (valves in general F16K) · CPC title

• F02C9/266

  specially adapted for gas turbines with intermittent fuel injection · CPC title

• F02C9/32

  characterised by throttling of fuel (F02C9/38 takes precedence) · CPC title