General Electric Company

William Lee Barrow

Michael Richard Durling

Steven Keith Handelsman

Richard B Hook

Ravi Rajamani

Avinash Vinayak Taware

Eric John Kress

Andrew Todd Lehmann

John Bolton

Peter Thomas Harrison

Kenneth Paul Meiners

James David Rackmales

Teeporn Paul Tanpitukpongse

Mark Stephen Lipton

Robert John Pearson

Richard Bradford Hook

A mapping device maps each burner mode at various bleed settings to generate control schedules for a combustion controller that ensure combustion dynamic (acoustic) pressures, and emissions limits and ring flame temperatures are within operational limits. In general, a method of combustor mapping involves adjusting the bulk ring flame temperature to meet emissions and acoustic requirements. The dome (ring) ring flame temperature is then adjusted to determine maximum and minimum ring flame temperature boundary limits. At both the maximum and minimum ring flame temperatures, the emissions levels and acoustic pressures are checked to see that they are within specification limits. If they are not, the bulk ring flame temperature is adjusted, and the entire process is repeated for that bleed setting and burner mode. If the emissions levels and acoustic pressures are within specification limits, then the power is increased to a different mode and bleed setting combination, and the process is again repeated. During each of these steps, mapping data are recorded.

Automatic mapping logic for a combustor in a gas turbine engine

A method of monitoring a physical parameter comprises receiving a sensor signal representative of an actual value from each of a plurality of sensors. The method further comprises calculating confidence value for each sensed value and a weighted average of actual values of the sensor signal by weighting each sensed value by the respective confidence value. The weighted average is used to determine a corresponding value of the sensed parameter.

System and method for sensor validation and fusion

Methods and apparatus for operating a gas turbine engine without sustained detrimental levels of dynamic pressure are provided. The engine includes a combustor. The method includes determining the combustor acoustic level amplitude, comparing the acoustic level to a predetermined upper acoustic limit, and adjusting a fuel flow distribution to the combustor using a closed loop controller to facilitate reducing the acoustic level to a predetermined lower acoustic limit that is less than the upper acoustic limit.

Method and apparatus for reduction of combustor dynamic pressure during operation of gas turbine engines

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Kings Mills, OH, United States of America

William Lee Barrow