Controlling a compressor of a gas turbine engine
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsCurtis William Moeckel, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow, Peter John Wood, Eric Andrew Falk
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method of controlling a multi-stage compressor of a gas turbine engine having a front-block of stages with variable stator vanes (VSVs), a rear block of stages downstream of the front-block, and a bleed air off-take from at least one of the stages. The method includes sensing the pressure of the bleed air from the bleed air off-take and adjusting the position of the VSV for the front-block.
Claims20
A method of controlling a multi-stage high pressure compressor of a gas turbine engine having a front-block of stages with variable stator vanes (VSVs), a rear block of stages downstream of the front-block, and a bleed air off-take from at least one of the stages, the method comprising:
- sensing pressure of the bleed air from the bleed air off-take at a location between an inlet and an outlet of the high pressure compressor;
- determining a pressure ratio across a portion of the high pressure compressor based on the sensed bleed air pressure;
- comparing the determined pressure ratio to a reference pressure ratio;
- assessing when the determined pressure ratio is out of balance with the reference pressure ratio;
- and based on the comparison
- adjusting a position of the VSVs of the front-block to drive the determined pressure ratio into balance with the reference pressure ratio.
A multi-stage high pressure compressor for a gas turbine comprising:
- a front block of high pressure compressor stages having variable stator vanes (VSVs);
- a rear block of high pressure compressor stages located axially downstream of the front block of high pressure compressor stages;
- a bleed air off-take fluidly coupled to one of the stages;
- pressure sensors fluidly coupled to an inlet to the front block, an outlet to the rear block, and the bleed air off-take at a location between the inlet and the outlet, and outputting corresponding pressure signals indicative of the pressure of the fluid in the bleed air off-take, the inlet and the outlet;
- and
- a controller receiving the pressure signals as input and operably coupled to the front block and configured to adjust a position of the VSVs to maintain a pressure ratio of the bleed air pressure, relative to a reference pressure ratio.
A method of operating a multi-stage high pressure compressor of a gas turbine engine by sensing a bleed air pressure in a bleed air off-take from the high pressure compressor at a location between an inlet and an outlet of the high pressure compressor and adjusting an operating position of variable stator vanes (VSVs) to maintain a pressure ratio between the bleed air pressure, inlet pressure, and outlet pressure of the high pressure compressor;
- wherein the bleed air pressure is determined at a location downstream of the inlet pressure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.