Solar Turbines Inc.

Felipe Ochoa

Terry R Tarver

Trey Taylor

David W Howarth

Hernan Fernandez

Even if the fuel pressure to a torch for igniting an air-fuel mixture in a gas turbine engine is set to an ideal value, the actual fuel pressure supplied to the torch may differ due to modifications, drift, changes in ambient temperature or pressure, fuel composition, and/or the like. This may result in failure of the gas turbine engine to ignite. Accordingly, disclosed embodiments introduce a torch active pressure control (TAPC) system into the flow path of fuel to the torch. The TAPC system is controlled to modulate the fuel pressure of the fuel supplied to the torch, according to a modulation profile. The modulation profile may traverse a range of fuel pressures in each of one or a plurality of sinusoidal, V-shaped, stepped, or other-shaped cycles, to increase the probability that the ideal fuel pressure, and therefore, flame height, is achieved, thereby increasing the likelihood of a successful lightoff.

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Murrieta, CA, United States of America

Felipe Ochoa