Goodrich Pump & Engine Control Systems, Inc.

Chandler Evans Inc.

Coltec Industries, Inc.

United Technologies Corporation

Pratt-whitney Canada Corp

Colt Industries Inc.

Cnandler Evans Inc.

Raymond D Zagranski

James J Howlett

William H Dalton

Albert H White

Jack G Sundberg

Frank M Amazeen

Mihir C Desai

Roger Lapointe

Martin T Books

Nicholas D Lappos

George L Bennett

Cristina Crainic

John Mannarino

Gary M McBrien

Terry Morrison

Robert E Peck

Bernard J Bisson

Jeffrey S Mattice

Robert D Niebanck

Francis Tokarski

Steven Gallant

Robert Peck

Kenneth W Devins

A method from discriminating between spurious and genuine surges in a gas turbine engine is provided which includes the steps of receiving an engine speed signal over a global engine surge investigation region that includes a plurality of operating regions (e.g. speed bands) in which engine surges can occur, identifying a specific operating region in which an engine surge event occurs, incrementing a surge counter corresponding to the operating region in which the engine surge event occurred, identifying the operating regions in which no engine surge event occurred, decrementing a surge counter corresponding to each operating region in which no engine surge event occurred; enabling a surge avoidance signal when the magnitude of the surge counter for a particular operating region has reached a predetermined value; and adapting an engine acceleration schedule in the operating region corresponds to the surge avoidance signal.

Method of engine surge discrimination

Fuel control systems for use with a gas turbine engines which accounts for real-time thermodynamic engine effects when attempting to match or track the NDOTrate to the NDOTrate. The fuel control system includes a mechanism for measuring several engine operating parameters and a mechanism for determining an initial engine fuel demand based on the measured engine operating parameters. The control system further includes a mechanism for estimating, during engine operation and based on the measured operating parameters, the amount of heat transferred between fuel combustion gases and the engine metal and estimating an effective fuel flow adjustment based therefrom. The control system disclosed herein also includes a mechanism for determining a final engine fuel demand based on the initial predicted engine fuel demand and the estimated effective fuel flow adjustment.

Fuel control system for gas turbine engines

A fuel metering unit for controlling a variable displacement pump including a main metering valve in fluid communication with the pump for metering an output of the pump, a pressure regulator in fluid communication with the metering valve to create a spill return and a control valve in fluid communication with the pressure regulator and the pump for regulating the spill return flow so the spill return flow is maintained substantially constant at a low level to minimize the heat generated by recirculation by setting a displacement of the pump.

Constant bypass flow controller for a variable displacement pump

A system for performing feed-forward anticipation of rotor torque demand on a helicopter engine is disclosed which includes a flight control computer adapted and configured to predict the total torque required at the main and tail rotors of the helicopter, and an engine fuel control system adapted and configured to compute the rate of change of the total torque, convert the rate of change of the total torque to an engine acceleration/deceleration rate, and obtain a demanded engine acceleration/deceleration rate therefrom.

Rotor torque anticipator

Disclosed herein is a 'real time' Time Limited Dispatch (TLD) fault management system and method for evaluating the operational suitability of an engine's electronic control system. The TLD system disclosed herein uses a software algorithm to compute or predict the probability of mission success for a given upcoming mission length (e.g., two hours) and the time remaining to repair control system faults before dispatch is disallowed or the flight suspended, regardless of the probability of success.

Fault management system for gas turbine engines

A fuel metering unit including a pump having a rotor with a plurality of slots. The pump also includes a pivotally movable cam ring coaxially arranged with respect to the rotor. Vanes are slideably disposed in the slots for maintaining contact with the cam ring during movement thereof. A servovalve has a motor and nozzles operatively connected to the pump such that increased flow through the first nozzle pivots the ring of the pump toward maximum while increased flow through the second nozzle pivots the ring toward minimum. An arm extends between the nozzles for varying fluid flow therethrough. The arm couples to the motor such that the motor moves the arm. A flow meter connects to the pump and an end of the arm for applying a force against the arm to assist in maintaining position of the arm.

Flow meter

Fuel metering unit

The subject invention is directed to a new and useful method of detecting in-range engine sensor faults for a gas turbine engine associated with a helicopter. The method includes the steps of computing engine shaft horsepower for a plurality of engine sensor, computing a first mean horsepower from the plurality of engine sensors, computing the horsepower deviation from the first mean horsepower for each engine sensor, computing a horsepower deviation ratio for each engine sensor relative to all other engine sensors, disabling the engine sensor with the largest deviation from the first mean horsepower, computing a second mean horsepower, computing the horsepower deviation from the second mean horsepower for each engine sensor, re-computing the horsepower deviation ratio for each engine sensor relative to all other engine sensors, comparing the horsepower deviation ratios to predefined limits, and declaring a sensor fault if the horsepower deviation ratio for an engine sensor exceeds a predefined limit.

Method of detecting in-range engine sensor faults

Fuel control systems for use with a gas turbine engines which accounts for real-time thermodynamic engine effects when attempting to match or track the NDOT rate to the NDOT rate. The fuel control system includes a mechanism for measuring several engine operating parameters and a mechanism for determining an initial engine fuel demand based on the measured engine operating parameters. The control system further includes a mechanism for estimating, during engine operation and based on the measured operating parameters, the amount of heat transferred between fuel combustion gases and the engine metal and estimating an effective fuel flow adjustment based therefrom. The control system disclosed herein also includes a mechanism for determining a final engine fuel demand based on the initial predicted engine fuel demand and the estimated effective fuel flow adjustment.

A system is disclosed for draining residual fuel from the engine manifold of a gas turbine which includes an ejector having an inlet port for receiving high pressure fuel from a main fuel pump at engine shut-down, an outlet port and a suction port. The ejector defines a nozzle that extends between the inlet port and the outlet port for increasing the velocity of high pressure fuel flowing therethrough at engine shut-down so as to create suction at the suction port. A motive valve controls the flow of high pressure fuel between the main fuel pump and the inlet port of the ejector. The motive valve is configured for movement between a first position wherein high pressure fuel is directed from the main fuel pump to the engine manifold during engine start-up and operation, and a second position wherein high pressure fuel is directed from the main fuel pump to the inlet port of the ejector at engine shut-down. A drain valve controls the flow of residual fuel between the engine manifold and the suction port of the ejector. The drain valve is configured for movement between a closed position and an open position as the motive valve moves between the first position and the second position, such that residual fuel is drawn from the engine manifold under suction to the inlet port of the ejector. A fuel recycle conduit is provided for delivering the residual fuel from the outlet port of the ejector to the fuel tank.

Manifold drain system for gas turbine

A variable displacement vane pump includes a pump housing having a cylindrical interior chamber, a cylindrical rotor member mounted for rotational movement within the interior chamber of the pump housing, a cam member mounted for pivotal movement within the interior chamber of the pump housing about a fulcrum aligned with the vertical centerline of the interior chamber, the cam member defining a cam body having a circular bore extending therethrough for receiving the rotor member, the cam body having lateral sealing lands formed thereon, the sealing lands having arcuate sealing surfaces defining segments of a cam arc through which the cam member pivots, and static cam seals supported within the interior chamber of the pump housing and oriented on each end of a chord of the cam arc, each cam seal biased into a continuous contact position with an adjacent sealing surface of the cam member.

Static cam seal for variable displacement vane pump

A bearing for supporting a rotating shaft receiving a transverse load, wherein the bearing supports the shaft along a load line and wherein the bearing is closest to the rotating shaft at a running line. The bearing includes a circumferential inner surface, and a lubricant bay defined in the inner surface. The lubricant bay is axially and circumferentially offset from the load line such that a resulting pressure pad of lubricant within the bay provides a hydrostatic force that forces the running line to a location substantially perpendicular to the load line. Load capabilities of a bearing according to the present disclosure, therefore, are substantially insensitive to shaft bending and do not deteriorate in response to the shaft bending.

Hybrid bearing

Variable-displacement, single-acting vane pumps in which the cylindrical cam member is adjustably supported within an outer annular cam housing to enable the cam member to be adjustably-rotated relative to the housing to adjust the geometric center of the cam chamber relative to the center of the rotor member and thereby adjust the displacement capacity of the pump between zero-flow maximum flow values. The annular housing for the cam member comprises a roller bearing assembly between its inner race surface and the cylindrical outer surface of the cam member, which minimizes the friction when the cam member is rotated during adjustment and enables the adjustment to be actuated remotely, such as by means of a small motor gear assembly.

Variable displacement vane pump adjustable by low actuation loads

A variable displacement vane pump comprising a durable rotor member having journal ends at each side of a larger diameter central vane section comprising vane slots having well areas which slidably-engage a mating vane element. The present vane pump comprises an outer cylindrical cam enclosure or spacer loaded against ring seal elements to support the faces of the seal elements closely spaced from the cam faces and reduce the actuation force required for adjustment of the displacement capacity of the pump. The cam faces include a biased segment seal in the high pressure discharge arc area. The seal elements include first fuel inlet passages in the inlet arc segment thereof, and fuel discharge passages in the discharge arc segment thereof, both of said passages being open to the vane slot extensions and to the cam chamber for the continuous supply and pressure discharge of fuel.

Growing community of inventors

Somers, CT, United States of America

Raymond D Zagranski