Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100300108 | STABILIZING A GAS TURBINE ENGINE VIA INCREMENTAL TUNING - An auto-tune controller and tuning process implemented thereby for measuring and tuning the combustion dynamics and emissions of a GT engine, relative to predetermined upper limits, are provided. Initially, the tuning process includes monitoring the combustion dynamics of a plurality of combustors and emissions for a plurality of conditions. Upon determination that one or more of the conditions exceeds a predetermined upper limit, a fuel flow split to a fuel circuit on all of the combustors on the engine is adjusted by a predetermined amount. The control system continues to monitor the combustion dynamics and to recursively adjust the fuel flow split by the predetermined amount until the combustion dynamics and/or emissions are operating within a prescribed range of the GT engine. | 12-02-2010 |
20110265487 | Dynamically Auto-Tuning a Gas Turbine Engine - Tuning processes implemented by an auto-tune controller are provided for measuring and adjusting the combustion dynamics and the emission composition of a gas turbine (GT) engine via a tuning process. Initially, the tuning process includes monitoring parameters, such as combustion dynamics and emission composition. Upon determining that one or more of the monitored parameters exceed a critical value, these “out-of-tune” parameters are compared to a scanning order table. Upon comparison, the first out-of-tune parameter that is matched within the scanning order table is addressed. The first out-of-tune parameter is then plotted as overlaid slopes on respective graphs, where the graph represents a fuel-flow split. Typically, the slopes are plotted as a particular out-of-tune parameter against a particular fuel-flow split. The slopes for each graph are considered together by taking into account the combined impact on each out-of-tune parameter when a fuel-flow split is selected for adjustment. | 11-03-2011 |
20110270502 | EMPLOYING FUEL PROPERTIES TO AUTO-TUNE A GAS TURBINE ENGINE - A tuning process is provided for monitoring fuel properties of a fuel being consumed by a gas turbine (GT) engine, and for dynamically tuning the GT engine as a function of changes to the monitored fuel properties. Initially, readings are taken from the GT engine during a reference calibration, or commissioning, and utilized to calculate an initial-pressure-drop reference value. The tuning process during commercial operation takes post-calibration readings from the GT engine to calculate a fuel property parameter, which represents a heating value of the fuel. Specifically, the fuel property parameter is calculated by deriving a corrected-pressure-drop dynamic value as a function of pressure and temperature readings of the fuel at a point upstream of a combustor and pressure drops across fuel nozzles that introduce the fuel into the combustor, and solving a ratio of the dynamic value and the reference value. | 11-03-2011 |
20110270503 | SELECTING AND APPLYING TO FUEL-FLOW SPLITS BIAS VALUES TO CORRECT FOR ELEVATED INLET AIR HUMIDITY - Methods for controlling a gas turbine engine are provided, where a compressor inlet temperature, ambient temperature, and relative humidity are measured. Utilizing these measurements, it is first determined whether an evaporation cooler is actively importing water content into inlet air entering the compressor. This determination is based on whether the inlet air is substantially cooler than the ambient temperature. If so, an EC correction factor is added to an inlet air temperature value (CTIM) and set as an air temperature parameter (INLETIM). Second, it is determined whether the relative humidity is greater than a predefined threshold. If so, a relative humidity (RH) correction factor is added to CTIM and set as the INLETIM. Next, the INLETIM and TTRF are located in a look-up table, and a bias value corresponding to these inputs is identified. The fuel-flow for a fuel circuit is adjusted according to the identified bias value. | 11-03-2011 |