Pratt-Whitney Canada Corp

Gabriel Meunier

Sylvain Lamarre

Reza Pedrami

Nicolas Des Roches-Dionne

Louis Duranleau-Hendrickx

Alexandre Charest

An apparatus comprises a combustion chamber of a gas turbine engine, a primary manifold for injecting fuel into the combustion chamber via a first plurality of nozzles and a secondary manifold for injection fuel into the combustion chamber via a second plurality of nozzles. A fuel control system provides fuel flow to the primary manifold and to the secondary manifold. The fuel control system determines at least one control parameter responsive to a first point at which the fuel flow level causes the secondary manifold to start draining and a second point at which an acceleration request is made and selects one of a plurality of secondary manifold filling profiles responsive to the determined at least one control parameter.

Gas turbine adaptive secondary fuel filling profile

Methods and system for operating a gas turbine engine are described. The method comprises determining an actual engine output power based on a torque of the gas turbine engine, comparing the actual engine output power to an estimated engine output power to obtain an error, obtaining an actual engine speed and biasing the actual engine speed using the error to produce a biased engine speed, determining the estimated engine output power using a model-based estimator having the biased engine speed as input, detecting a torque-related fault based on the error and a first threshold, and accommodating the torque-related fault in response to detecting the torque-related fault.

System and method for detecting and accommodating loss of torque on gas turbine engines

Systems and methods are described for governing the speed of a propeller on a propeller-based engine in an aircraft. The method comprises obtaining a synthesized or estimated blade angle for the propeller of the engine, determining one or more gain for a controller of the propeller based on the synthesized or estimated blade angle and one or more engine or aircraft parameter, determining a difference between a reference propeller speed and an actual propeller speed, applying the one or more gain to the difference via the controller in order to generate a command signal for controlling the propeller, and governing the propeller of the engine using the command signal.

System and method for propeller speed governing

Methods and systems for governing an aircraft propeller of an engine are described. The method comprises obtaining a fluid flow command for speed control of the propeller, determining pulse parameters of a pulse width modulated valve control signal for actuating a two-position solenoid valve in accordance with the fluid flow command based on an average fluid flow through the solenoid valve and an opening and closing time of the solenoid valve, generating the valve control signal with the pulse parameters as determined, and transmitting the valve control signal to the solenoid valve for actuating the solenoid valve, thereby controlling the speed of the propeller.

System and method for aircraft propeller governing

A method and system of controlling a turboprop engine are described. The method comprises obtaining a propeller speed and a pressure-based measurement signal from a torque pressure transducer coupled to the turboprop engine, determining an output power of the turboprop engine from the pressure-based measurement and the propeller speed, calculating a gas generator speed request based on an error between the output power and a reference power, determining a fuel flow command based on the gas generator speed request, and issuing the fuel.

System and method for control of a gas turbine engine

A method for controlling an aircraft propeller is provided that comprises obtaining a measurement of a speed of the propeller, comparing the propeller speed to a first threshold, responsive to determining that the propeller speed exceeds the speed threshold, outputting a valve control signal for opening a two-position solenoid valve coupled to the propeller, the two-position solenoid valve configured for controlling fluid flow to and from the propeller to control propeller blade angle, computing a rate of change of the propeller speed, comparing the rate of change of the propeller speed to a second threshold, and responsive to determining that the rate of change of the propeller speed is below the second threshold, outputting the valve control signal for closing the two-position solenoid valve. A system for controlling an aircraft propeller and an aircraft propeller control assembly are also provided.

Method of controlling a propeller with two-position solenoid

Systems and methods for controlling a gas turbine engine are provided. The system comprises an interface to a fuel flow metering valve for controlling a fuel flow to the engine in response to a fuel flow command and a controller connected to the interface and configured for outputting the fuel flow command to the fuel flow metering valve in accordance with a required fuel flow. The controller comprises a feedforward controller configured for receiving a requested engine speed and acceleration, obtaining a steady-state fuel flow for the requested engine speed and a relationship between fuel flow and gas generator speed, and determining the required fuel flow to obtain the requested engine acceleration as a function of the requested engine speed, the steady-state fuel flow, and the relationship between fuel flow and gas generator speed.

System and method for an engine controller based on inverse dynamics of the engine

Systems and methods for regulating fuel flow to a gas turbine engine are provided. Power for the engine is governed using a control structure having an inner control loop and an outer control loop, the outer control loop comprising a feedback controller that outputs a feedback command based on a power error determined as a function of a shaft horsepower, the feedback command used to determine a gas generator speed error, the gas generator speed error used by the inner control loop for outputting a fuel flow command. The shaft horsepower is determined from a torque measurement of the engine using a torque pressure transducer. When a momentary loss of the torque measurement from the torque pressure transducer is detected, power fluctuations due to the loss of torque measurement are limited by maintaining the feedback command from the feedback controller constant during the momentary loss of torque measurement.

System and method for control of gas turbine engine

Systems and methods for controlling an gas turbine engine are provided. The method comprises receiving a requested engine speed and obtaining a shaft inertia of the engine, a steady state fuel flow for the requested engine speed, and a relationship between fuel flow and acceleration power generated by the fuel flow. A required fuel flow to obtain an engine acceleration is determined as a function of the requested engine speed, the shaft inertia of the engine, the steady state fuel flow for the requested engine speed, and the relationship between fuel flow and acceleration power generated by the fuel flow. A command to a fuel flow metering valve is output in accordance with the required fuel flow.

System and method for an engine controller based on acceleration power

Systems and methods for controlling a gas turbine engine are provided. The system comprises an interface to a fuel flow metering valve for controlling a fuel flow to the engine in response to a fuel flow command and a controller connected to the interface and configured for outputting the fuel flow command to the fuel flow metering valve in accordance with a required fuel flow. The controller comprises a feedforward controller configured for receiving a requested engine speed, obtaining a steady-state fuel flow for the requested engine speed as a function of the requested engine speed, the steady-state fuel flow, and the relationship between fuel flow and gas generator speed, and determining the required fuel flow to obtain the requested engine speed and the relationship between fuel flow and gas generator speed.

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Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Canada

Gabriel Meunier