Shaft shear detection in a gas turbine engine
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorsZubair Ahmad, Andrew Roach
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A shaft event is detected, such as a shaft shear, a shaft decoupling, and/or a shaft failure in a gas turbine engine comprising a first spool and a second spool different from the first spool. First and second parameters indicative of the power of the first spool and a load transfer through a shaft of the second spool are obtained. A detection threshold is determined as a function of the first parameter. The second parameter is compared to the detection threshold. The shaft event is detected when the second parameter is beyond the detection threshold and then a signal indicative of the shaft event is transmitted.
Claims18
A method for detecting a shaft event in a gas turbine engine comprising a first spool and a second spool different from the first spool, the method comprising:
- obtaining a first parameter indicative of a load transfer through a shaft of the second spool, and obtaining a second parameter indicative of one of:
- a fuel flow to a combustor of the engine, or a core airflow through the first spool;
- determining a detection threshold as a function of the first parameter;
- comparing the second parameter to the detection threshold;
- and
- detecting the shaft event when the second parameter is beyond the detection threshold and then transmitting a signal indicative of the shaft event.
A system for detecting a shaft event in a gas turbine engine comprising a first spool and a second spool different from the first spool, the system comprising:
- a processing unit;
- and
- a non-transitory memory communicatively coupled to the processing unit and comprising computer-readable program instructions executable by the processing unit for:
- obtaining a first parameter indicative of a load transfer through a shaft of the second spool, and obtaining a second parameter indicative of one of:
- a fuel flow to a combustor of the engine, or a core airflow through the first spool;
- determining a detection threshold as a function of the first parameter;
- comparing the second parameter to the detection threshold;
- and
- detecting the shaft event when the second parameter is beyond the detection threshold and then transmitting a signal indicative of the shaft event.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.