Starter assembly and methods for starting a combustion engine

A turbine air starter assembly, comprising:

• a housing defining an interior with an air inlet and an air outlet defining a flow path through the housing;
• a rotatable turbine located within the flow path within the interior;
• a controllable pressure valve located upstream from the rotatable turbine, wherein the controllable pressure valve includes a controllable relay valve that regulates air pressure supplied by a pressure source;
• a rotatable pinion gear rotatably coupled with the rotatable turbine, wherein the rotatable pinion gear extends exteriorly of the housing and is operably coupled to a combustion engine;
• a pressure sensor located at the air inlet for providing a pressure output indicative of the air pressure at the air inlet;
• a torque sensor located in the housing for providing a torque parameter indicative of a torque experienced by the rotatable pinion gear;
• a speed sensor located in the housing for providing a speed parameter indicative of a rotational speed of a portion of the turbine air starter assembly;
• a controller module in communication with the controllable relay valve, the pressure sensor, the torque sensor, and the speed sensor, for determining a starting sequence based on the speed parameter and the torque parameter, wherein the controller module is configured to receive the torque parameter from the torque sensor, compare the torque parameter and a predetermined torque threshold indicative of causing damage to the rotatable pinion gear, determine if the torque parameter satisfies the predetermined torque threshold, and control a rate of acceleration of the rotatable pinion gear in response to the determination of whether the torque parameter satisfies the predetermined torque threshold;
• and
• a light indicator, an audible indicator, or a relay in communication with the controller module;
• wherein when the controller module determines the torque parameter satisfies the predetermined torque threshold, a condition of the starting sequence is determined by the controller module to be indicative of probable damage to the rotatable pinion gear, and the light indicator, the audible indicator, or the relay provides an indicator via a light, a sound, or transmission of an electronic message respectively.