The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 18, 2025
Filed:
Nov. 20, 2023
Solar Turbines Incorporated, San Diego, CA (US);
David W. Howarth, La Mesa, CA (US);
Felipe Ochoa, Murrieta, CA (US);
Terry R. Tarver, Saratoga Springs, UT (US);
Hernan Fernandez, Córdoba, AR;
Trey Taylor, Waxahachie, TX (US);
Solar Turbines Incorporated, San Diego, CA (US);
Abstract
Even if the fuel pressure to a torch for igniting an air-fuel mixture in a gas turbine engine is set to an ideal value, the actual fuel pressure supplied to the torch may differ due to modifications, drift, changes in ambient temperature or pressure, fuel composition, and/or the like. This may result in failure of the gas turbine engine to ignite. Accordingly, disclosed embodiments introduce a torch active pressure control (TAPC) system into the flow path of fuel to the torch. The TAPC system is controlled to modulate the fuel pressure of the fuel supplied to the torch, according to a modulation profile. The modulation profile may traverse a range of fuel pressures in each of one or a plurality of sinusoidal, V-shaped, stepped, or other-shaped cycles, to increase the probability that the ideal fuel pressure, and therefore, flame height, is achieved, thereby increasing the likelihood of a successful lightoff.