Optical monitoring system for a gas turbine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9329102-B2
Application number	US-201313925476-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2013
Priority date	Jun 24, 2013
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

A system for optically monitoring a gas turbine engine includes a viewport having an opening disposed within a casing of the gas turbine engine. The opening extends from an interior side of the casing to an exterior side of the casing, and the viewport is configured to receive an image from inside the casing. The system also includes an optical connection positioned outside the casing and optically coupled to the viewport. The optical connection is configured to convey the image from the viewport to a detector array, and the optical connection includes multiple optical fibers fused to one another to form a unitary substantially rigid fiber bundle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for optically monitoring a gas turbine engine, comprising:
a viewport having an opening disposed within a casing of the gas turbine engine, wherein the opening extends from an interior side of the casing to an exterior side of the casing, and the viewport is configured to receive an image from inside the casing; and
an optical connection positioned outside the casing and optically coupled to the viewport, wherein the optical connection is configured to convey the image from the viewport to a detector array, and the optical connection comprises a plurality of optical fibers fused to one another to form a unitary substantially rigid fiber bundle.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first bending stiffness, a first flexural rigidity, or a combination thereof, of the substantially rigid fiber bundle is at least five times greater than a second bending stiffness, a second flexural rigidity, or a combination thereof, of a flexible optical cable.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein each optical fiber comprises a core and a cladding disposed about the core, and a first refractive index of each core is greater than a second refractive index of each cladding.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein optical fibers of the plurality of optical fibers are substantially aligned with one another to establish a coherent fiber bundle.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical connection comprises at least one preformed bend.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the at least one preformed bend is formed by heating the optical connection and bending the optical connection to a desired angle prior to optically coupling the optical connection to the viewport.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the casing comprises a combustor casing or a turbine casing.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to monitor the gas turbine engine while the gas turbine engine is in operation.

9. The system of claim 1 , comprising an infrared camera having the detector array, wherein the detector array is configured to detect short-wave infrared images, mid-wave infrared images, or a combination thereof.

10. A system for optically monitoring a gas turbine engine, comprising:
a viewport having an opening disposed within a casing of the gas turbine engine, wherein the opening extends from an interior side of the casing to an exterior side of the casing, and the viewport is configured to receive an image from inside the casing while the gas turbine engine is in operation;
an optical connection positioned outside the casing and optically coupled to the viewport, wherein the optical connection is configured to receive the image from the viewport, and the optical connection comprises a plurality of optical fibers fused to one another to form a unitary substantially rigid fiber bundle; and
a detector array in optical communication with the optical connection, wherein the detector array is configured to receive the image from the optical connection and to output signals indicative of a two-dimensional intensity map of the image.

11. The system of claim 10 , comprising a controller communicatively coupled to the detector array, wherein the controller is configured to generate a two-dimensional temperature map of a surface inside the casing based on the signals.

12. The system of claim 10 , comprising an infrared camera having the detector array, wherein the detector array is configured to detect short-wave infrared images, mid-wave infrared images, or a combination thereof.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein two or more optical fibers of the plurality of optical fibers are configured to optically couple to a detection element of the detector array.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the optical connection comprises at least one preformed bend.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the casing comprises a combustor casing or a turbine casing.

16. A method of manufacturing an optical monitoring system for a gas turbine engine, comprising:
optically coupling an optical connection to a viewport having an opening disposed within a casing of the gas turbine engine, wherein the opening extends from an interior side of the casing to an exterior side of the casing, the viewport is configured to receive an image from inside the casing, the optical connection is positioned outside the casing, the optical connection is configured to convey the image from the viewport to a detector array, and the optical connection comprises a plurality of optical fibers fused to one another to form a unitary substantially rigid fiber bundle.

17. The method of claim 16 , comprising forming at least one bend in the optical connection prior to optically coupling the optical connection to the viewport.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein forming the at least one bend comprises heating the optical connection and applying a force to the optical connection to bend the optical connection to a desired angle.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein each optical fiber is configured to optically couple to a plurality of detection elements of the detector array.

20. The method of claim 16 , comprising forming the opening within the casing of a combustor, or forming the opening within the casing of a turbine.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Hwang Wontae
• Challener William Albert
• Karp Jason Harris

Classifications

• G01M15/14 Primary

  Testing gas-turbine engines or jet-propulsion engines · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title