Direct feedback regarding metered flow of fuel system
AssigneeWoodward, Inc.
InventorMichael Hahn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure describes a fuel system for an engine. The fuel system includes a fuel metering valve, a flow measuring system, and a controller in communication with the fuel metering valve and the flow measuring system. The fuel metering valve is operable to meter a flow rate of fuel based on a stroke of the fuel metering valve. The flow measuring system is configured to measure a mass flow rate of the fuel leaving the fuel system at a bandwidth greater than 20 Hz. The controller is configured to dynamically adjust the stroke of the fuel measuring system based on the mass flow rate of the fuel measured by the flow measuring system to change the flow rate of the fuel.
Claims21
A metered fuel flow feedback system for a fuel system of a turbine engine, the metered fuel flow feedback system comprising:
- a fuel metering valve operable to meter a flow rate of fuel based on a stroke of the fuel metering valve;
- a flow measuring system comprising a flow meter configured to measure a mass flow rate of the fuel leaving the fuel system at a bandwidth greater than 20 Hz, wherein the flow meter is at least one of an ultrasonic flow meter, a turbine flow meter, a target flow meter, an optical meter, or a Coriolis flow meter;
- a controller in communication with the fuel metering valve and the flow measuring system, wherein the controller is configured to dynamically adjust the stroke of the fuel metering valve based on the mass flow rate of the fuel measured by the flow measuring system to control the flow rate metered by the fuel metering valve and to reject disturbances in the fuel system.
A fuel system for an engine, the fuel system comprising:
- a fuel metering valve operable to meter a flow rate of fuel based on a stroke of the fuel metering valve;
- a flow sensing valve, downstream of the fuel metering valve, configured to measure a mass flow rate of the fuel leaving the fuel system at a bandwidth greater than 20 Hz by limiting a spring rate of a loading spring of the flow sensing valve to less than 25% of a preload of the loading spring;
- a controller in communication with the fuel metering valve and the flow sensing valve, wherein the controller is configured to dynamically adjust the stroke of the fuel metering valve based on the mass flow rate of the fuel measured by the flow sensing valve to change the flow rate of the fuel.
A method for controlling a flow rate of fuel in a fuel system, comprising:
- feeding the fuel from a fuel source into a pump in the fuel system;
- pumping the fuel from the pump to a fuel metering valve in the fuel system;
- measuring, by a flow measuring system comprising a flow meter that is at least one of a flow sensing valve, an ultrasonic flow meter, a turbine flow meter, a target flow meter, an optical meter, or a Coriolis flow meter, a mass flow rate of the fuel in the fuel system, the flow meter operating at a bandwidth greater than 20 Hz;
- discharging the fuel from the fuel system;
- and
- dynamically adjusting, by a controller communicatively coupled to the flow measuring system and the fuel metering valve, the flow rate through the fuel metering valve based on the mass flow rate of the fuel measured by the flow measuring system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.