General Electric Company

Ge Aviation Systems Limited

Other

Ge Avio S.r.l.

Sridhar Adibhatla

Brandon Wayne Miller

Matthew William Wiseman

Harry Kirk Mathews, Jr

Michael Thomas Gansler

David Michael Lax

Malcolm John Ashby

Daniel Alan Niergarth

Jeffrey Russell Bult

Ethan Patrick O'Connor

Mark Lawrence Darnell

Daniel Edgardo Viassolo

David Allen Gutz

Brian Francis Nestico

John Thomas Herbon

Brent Jerome Brunell

Nicholas Race Visser

Steven Edward Nolte

Harry Kirk Mathews

Thomas Ory Moniz

Emad Andarawis Andarawis

Jeffrey Donald Clements

David William Crall

Paul Robert Gemin

Alan Roy Stuart

Samhita Dasgupta

Stefan Joseph Cafaro

Arthur Vorwerk Radun

Robert Charles Hon

Scott Douglas Waun

Szabolcs Andras Borgyos

Robert Louis Ponziani

Mehdi Milani Baladi

Robert Jon McQuiston

Kevin Richard Leamy

Kiyoung Chung

R Sheldon Carpenter

William Randolph Shinkle

Deepak Manohar Kamath

Adrian M Ablett

Thomas Charles Swager

George W Bennett

James William Simunek

John William Hanify

Grant Alan Ingram

Aniello Esposito

Nicholas Adam Wagner

Daniel E Bergsten

Otto Darias

Gerhard Walter Moeller

John Thomas Lammers

Sean Hwang

Jeffrey Wayne Litzler

Steven Louis Kiebles

Christopher Daniel Holbert

Christopher Timothy Gallagher

Simon Shlomo Lis

Georges A Becus

Philip Allen Najlepszy

Kathleen K Collins

Jr Harry Kirk Matthews

Sean Sanghyun Hwang

Otto Y Darias

Jr Harry Kirk Mathews

A system and method for optimizing performance of an aircraft or boat through detection and trending of engine deterioration based on the performance of the vehicle's gas turbine. The system and method detects declines in engine power due to either of in-transit events or over the extended lifetime of the engine, the declines being due to routine engine part aging or an event. As engine power gradually or suddenly deteriorates, the system and method lowers a maximum operating line which defines the safe limits for peak engine power consumption during flight. For in-transit events, the system and method detects when actual power consumption is approaching the current maximum operating line. The controller may then automate changes to operations of entirely separate aircraft systems, such as rebalancing electrical energy consumption by various non-engine elements of the aircraft.

Aircraft performance optimization based on engine performance monitoring

A fuel delivery system for a gas turbine engine includes a fuel source; a draw pump downstream of the fuel source for generating a liquid fuel flow from the fuel source; a main fuel pump downstream of the draw pump; and a fuel oxygen reduction unit downstream of the draw pump and upstream of the main fuel pump. The fuel oxygen reduction unit includes a stripping gas line; a contactor in fluid communication with the stripping gas line and the draw pump for forming a fuel/gas mixture, wherein the contactor receives an inlet fuel flow from the draw pump; a separator in fluid communication with the contactor, the separator receives the fuel/gas mixture and separates the fuel/gas mixture into an outlet stripping gas flow and an outlet fuel flow at a location upstream of the main fuel pump; a catalyst disposed downstream of the separator, the catalyst receives and treats the outlet stripping gas flow, wherein a stripping gas stream flows out the catalyst; and a water removal component disposed between the catalyst and the contactor, wherein the water removal component removes water from the stripping gas stream.

Fuel oxygen conversion unit with integrated water removal

A computing system for an unducted rotor engine with a variable pitch vane assembly in aerodynamic relationship with an unducted rotor assembly, including a sensor-based controller configured to execute a first set of operations and a model-based controller configured to execute a second set of operations. The first set of operations includes obtaining a first signal corresponding to a commanded low spool speed; obtaining a second signal indicative of a pitch angle corresponding to thrust output from the unducted rotor assembly and variable pitch vane assembly; generating a pitch feedback signal corresponding to a commanded adjustment to the pitch angle based at least on one or both of a variable blade pitch angle or a variable vane pitch angle. The second set of operations include obtaining a desired thrust output via a throttle input; determining, at least via a power management block, a commanded thrust output signal; receiving the commanded thrust output signal; and generating an output signal.

System and method for control for unducted engine

A system and method for determining performance of an engine is provided. The system includes two or more sensors configured in operable arrangement at two or more respective positions at a flowpath. The system includes one or more computing devices configured to perform operations, the operations include acquiring, via the two or more sensors, parameter sets each corresponding to two or more engine conditions different from one another, wherein each parameter set indicates a health condition at a respective location at the engine; comparing, via the computing device, the parameter sets to determine the respective health condition corresponding to the respective location at the engine; and generating, via the computing device, a health condition prediction based on the compared parameter sets.

Method for operating a turbo machine

A method of operating a fuel oxygen reduction unit for a vehicle or a gas turbine engine of the vehicle is provided. The fuel oxygen reduction unit including a contactor and a fuel gas separator, and further defining a stripping gas flowpath in flow communication with a stripping gas inlet of the contactor and a stripping gas outlet of the fuel gas separator. The method includes receiving data indicative of a parameter of a stripping gas flow through the stripping gas flowpath or of a component in flow communication with the stripping gas flow through the stripping gas flowpath; and determining an operability condition of the fuel oxygen reduction unit, or a component operable with the fuel oxygen reduction unit, based on the data received indicative of the parameter of the stripping gas flow or of the component in flow communication with the stripping gas flow.

Fuel oxygen reduction unit control system

A system and method for determining leakage in a fluid supply line assembly are provided. The system includes a source of pressurized fluid, a pressurized fluid load, and a fluid supply line coupled to the source and the load. The leak detection system also includes a source isolation valve configured to control a flow of fluid into the fluid supply line from the source, a load isolation valve configured to control a flow of fluid from the fluid supply line to the pressurized fluid load, and a processor communicatively coupled to a memory device. The memory device includes instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to close the load isolation valve and open the source isolation valve to supply pressurized fluid to the fluid supply line, and after a predetermined interval, determine a leakage of pressurized fluid from the fluid supply line.

Fluid supply line leakage detection system and method

A hybrid-electric propulsion system for an aircraft includes a turbomachine, the turbomachine including a first spool and a second spool. A method for operating the hybrid electric propulsion system includes operating, by one or more computing devices, the turbomachine such that the first spool mechanically drives a prime propulsor of the hybrid-electric propulsion system; and modifying, by the one or more computing devices, a speed relationship parameter defined between the first spool and second spool by providing electrical power to, or drawing electrical power from, an electric machine mechanically coupled to the first spool, the second spool, or both.

Hybrid-electric propulsion system for an aircraft

A combustion engine includes a combustion section; a fuel delivery system for providing a fuel flow to the combustion section, the fuel delivery system including an oxygen reduction unit for reducing an oxygen content of the fuel flow; a thermal management system including a heat sink heat exchanger, the heat sink heat exchanger in thermal communication with the fuel delivery system at a location downstream of the oxygen reduction unit; and a control system including a sensor operable with the fuel delivery system for sensing data indicative of an operability of the oxygen reduction unit and a controller operable with the sensor, the controller configured to initiate a corrective action based on the data sensed by the sensor indicative of the operability of the oxygen reduction unit.

Thermal management system

The present disclosure is directed to a method of control of a gas turbine engine comprising a fan section coupled to a low turbine together defining a low spool, an intermediate compressor coupled to an intermediate turbine together defining an intermediate spool, and a high compressor coupled to a high turbine together defining a high spool. The method includes providing an intermediate spool speed to low spool speed characteristic curve to a controller; providing a commanded power output to the controller; providing one or more of an environmental condition to the controller; determining, via the controller, a commanded fuel flow rate; determining, via the controller, a commanded intermediate compressor loading; and generating an actual power output of the engine, wherein the actual power output is one or more of an actual low spool speed, an actual intermediate spool speed, an actual high spool speed, and an actual engine pressure ratio.

Method of control of three spool gas turbine engine

A system and method for determining performance of a turbine engine, and operation thereof. The system and method includes a plurality of sensors and one or more computing devices executing operations including acquiring a plurality of parameter sets each corresponding to a plurality of engine conditions in which each parameter set corresponding to each engine condition indicates a health condition at a plurality of locations at the engine; comparing the plurality of parameter sets to determine a health condition corresponding to a location at the engine; and generating a health condition prediction at the engine based on the compared parameters.

A method of modulating cooling flow to an engine component based on a health of the component is provided. The method includes determining a cooling flow requirement of the engine component for each of a plurality of operating conditions and channeling the determined required flow to the engine component during each respective operating condition of the plurality of operating conditions. The method also includes assessing a health of the engine component. The method further includes modifying the determined cooling flow requirement based on the assessed health of the engine component, and supplying the modified cooling flow requirement to the engine component during each subsequent respective operating condition of the plurality of operating conditions.

Method and system for modulated turbine cooling as a function of engine health

A computer-implemented method of assessing a health of a gas turbine engine of a hybrid-electric propulsion system for an aircraft includes receiving, by one or more computing devices, data indicative of an amount of electrical power provided to, or extracted from, an electric machine. The method also includes receiving, by the one or more computing devices, data indicative of an operating parameter of the hybrid-electric propulsion system. The method also includes assessing, by the one or more computing devices, a health of the gas turbine engine based at least in part on the received data indicative of the amount of electrical power provided to, or extracted from, the electric machine and the received data indicative of the operating parameter of the hybrid electric propulsion system. The method also includes providing, by the one or more computing devices, information to a user indicative of the health of the gas turbine engine.

A method of operating a hybrid-electric propulsion system for an aircraft includes determining a flight phase parameter for the aircraft is equal to a first value, and operating the hybrid-electric propulsion system in an electric charge mode in response to determining the flight phase parameter for the aircraft is equal to the first value. The method also includes determining the flight phase parameter for the aircraft is equal to a second value different from the first value, and operating the hybrid-electric propulsion system in an electric discharge mode in response to determining the flight phase parameter for the aircraft is equal to the second value.

An example apparatus includes a parameter calculator to determine a baseline value of a set of health parameters for a turbine engine of a vehicle based on a first set of sensor measurements to estimate an initial health of turbine engine components, and determine an operational value of the set of health parameters based on a second set of sensor measurements to estimate an operational health of the turbine engine components. The apparatus further includes a difference calculator to calculate a difference between the baseline value and the operational value to assess a health of the turbine engine, a database to store the first set of sensor measurements or the initial health of the turbine engine components, and an alert generator to generate an alert when the difference satisfies a threshold, the alert including a notification to perform maintenance on the component based on the difference and the threshold.

Methods and apparatus to monitor health information of a turbine engine

Systems and methods for estimating engine and electrical machine health are provided. The systems and methods therefore include features that provide for improved health estimates of one or more engines and/or electrical machines of one or more engines having an electrical machine embedded therein or coupled thereto. In particular, the systems and methods therefore include features for utilizing sensed or measured operating parameters of the electrical machines and/or operating parameters of the prime mover to estimate the health of the prime mover and/or the electrical machines embedded therein or coupled thereto.

Engine and electrical machine health monitoring

Growing community of inventors

Glendale, OH, United States of America

Sridhar Adibhatla