Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation

Sundstrand Corporation

Gary Lester Goldberg

Jay Francisco

Edward S Blain

Malcolm J McArthur

William Dean Treece

Wendell E Reed

Gary Paul Vavrek

Paul E Hilgeman

Tarrence LaMar Mack

Sven B Sjoberg

Charles H Dutart

Sam S Navidi

Branch Crooks

Mahendra P Desai

Daniel Blaine Bedore

Jayne Lanham

Peter C Ingham

James V Rector

David E Jeorling

A fuel control system uses a fuel pump powered by a variable speed pump motor controlled by a closed loop electronic feedback system that tracks motor speed and corrects fuel pump motor speed so that the fuel pump delivers flow according to a desired flow schedule based on the pressure feedback from the manifold.

Smart fuel control system

A filter monitoring system employs a differential pressure sensor to provide a continuous signal output proportional to a pressure drop across a filter element. The differential pressure sensor communicates with a controller that provides output signals to indicate that the filter requires replacement and provides advanced warning for when the filter element will reach a predicted filter differential pressure limit value.

Filter monitoring system

A starting system and method for a gas turbine engine includes a controlled starter system and a controlled fuel system. The controlled starter motor is accelerated along an acceleration profile to a dwelling point. Concurrently with the starter motor spinning up the gas turbine engine rotor, the fuel system controller commands the pump motor to drive the fuel pump at a speed which fills the fuel line volumes and establishes adequate pressure for fuel atomization at light off. As the fuel pump motor and starter motor are independently controlled and coordinated the starter motor maintains the gas turbine engine at the predetermined dwelling point until ignition occurs. The starter motor also provides a controlled amount of assisting torque during acceleration of the gas turbine to minimize thermal transients which thereby increased the gas turbine engine operational life.

Controlled starting system for a gas turbine engine

An engine starting system ( ) includes a starter ( ) coupled to an engine ( ) through a rotational energy storage device ( ) such as spiral spring ( ). When electrical power is applied to the starter ( ), the rotational energy produced by the starter ( ) is stored in the rotational energy storage device ( ) allowing the starter ( ) to rotate which reduces electrical currents in the starter and stress on system components. The rotational energy is gradually transferred to the engine ( ) until the engine ( ) is rotationally self-sustaining.

System and method for starting an engine

A self actuating valve (10) including a housing (12) and a flow control member (14), and magnetic material (16, 17) integral with the housing (12) and the flow control member (14), respectively, with at least one of the magnetic material (16, 17) being permanently magnetized. The housing (12) includes a flow control chamber (18) and first, second, and third ports (20, 22, 24) connected to the chamber (18). The flow control member (14) is mounted in the chamber (18) for movement between first and second positions. In the first position, the member (14) blocks flow between the first and second ports (20, 22), blocks flow between the first and third ports (20, 24) and allows flow between the second and third ports (22, 24). In the second position, the member (14) allows flow between the first and second ports (20, 22) and blocks flow to the third port (24) from both the first port (20) and the second port (22). The magnetic material (16, 17) generates a magnetic force between the housing (12) and the flow control member (14) that is greater with the flow control member (14) in the first position than with the flow control member (14) in the second position.

Magnetic actuated valve

In a power transmission or generation apparatus having a source of heated pressurized air, the problem of achieving rapid controlled engagement of a hydraulically actuated clutch at low ambient temperatures is solved by utilizing a portion of that heated pressurized air for heating only that small control volume of hydraulic fluid within a clutch control circuit needed to achieve rapid actuation and stable control of the hydraulic clutch. Our invention is thus particularly applicable in a power transmission or generation apparatus having a gas turbine engine, or a turbocharged piston engine as the prime mover. With gas turbine engine powered units, our invention contemplates the use of compressor discharge air, rather than exhaust products for heating the hydraulic fluid. Similarly, for piston engines our invention contemplates the use of turbocharger discharge air rather than exhaust products. In one embodiment a clutch and a control circuit are provided in which the fluid volume of the control circuit is minimized, and fluid removal features are provided to effectively drain all residual fluid from a portion of the control circuit following disengagement of the clutch. On subsequent start-up from cold ambient temperatures, the drained portion of the control circuit is filled with pre-heated fluid prior to engagement of the clutch thus eliminating problems of slow response and controllability encountered due to cold viscous fluid in prior clutch control circuits.

Hydraulic control and lubrication system with compressed air pre-heat

A method of starting a gas turbine (10) having a combustor (12) and a fuel supply system (14) supplying fuel to the combustor in accordance with the invention includes turning on a fuel valve (40) to control fuel flow to the combustor for combustion after a first starting condition (100) is reached; and cyclically turning (116) the main fuel valve on and off when a sensed exhaust gas temperature (114) initially reaches a first set temperature and continuing to cyclically turn the main fuel valve on and off until the sensed exhaust gas temperature falls to a second set temperature (118) lower than the first set temperature or until a second starting condition (102) is reached.

Process for starting a gas turbine and gas turbine

In order to control fuel flow at a fuel delivery point for auxiliary power units, and for other low fuel flow applications, an altitude-sensitive fuel flow control device (10) includes a fuel inlet (12) in communication with a fuel source and a fuel outlet (14) in communication with a fuel combustor. The device (10) includes an axially extending rod (16) having a metering surface (22) intermediate the ends (24, 26) thereof which may be located in various positions relative to a fuel flow path (18a, 18b, 18c, 18d, 18e) extending from the fuel inlet (12) to the fuel outlet (14) by axial movement of the rod (16) which varies fuel flow within a preselected range of altitude-dependent fuel flow rates. In order to move the axially extending rod (16) to variously position the metering surface (22) relative to the fuel flow path (18a, 18b, 18c, 18d, 18e), an aneroid bellows (28) movable responsive to changes in ambient pressure is interconnected with the axially extending rod (16) and a differential pressure regulaator (52) is in communication with the fuel flow path (18a, 18b, 18c, 18d, 18e) upstream and downstream of the metering surface (22) for maintaining a constant pressure drop independently of altitude.

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Gary Lester Goldberg