Acoustical health monitoring of gas turbine engines
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorsPeter Boyd, Andrew Ghattas
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Health monitoring systems and associated methods for gas turbine engines are provided. A health monitoring method includes using a microphone to acquire operation data indicative of acoustic energy generated in a core gas path of the gas turbine engine. The operation data is compared to reference data indicative of an acoustic signature of fluid noise associated with a non-normal condition in the core gas path of the gas turbine engine. Based on the comparing of the operation data to the reference data, the non-normal condition is determined to exist within the core gas path of the gas turbine engine. A signal indicative of the existence of the non-normal condition within the core gas path of the gas turbine engine is output.
Claims17
A method of operating a gas turbine engine, the method comprising:
- receiving reference data indicative of an acoustic signature of fluid noise associated with a non-normal condition in a core gas path of the gas turbine engine;
- during operation of the gas turbine engine, acquiring operation data indicative of acoustic energy generated in the core gas path of the gas turbine engine;
- comparing, at a controller of the gas turbine engine, the operation data to the reference data;
- determining, based on the comparing of the operation data to the reference data, an existence of the non-normal condition in the core gas path of the gas turbine engine;
- and
- in response to determining the existence of the non-normal condition, generating, at the controller of the gas turbine engine, a signal indicative of the existence of the non-normal condition in the core gas path of the gas turbine engine;
- and
- initiating, at the controller, an action to mitigate the non-normal condition.
A health monitoring system for a gas turbine engine, the health monitoring system comprising:
- a microphone operable to acquire operation data indicative of acoustic energy generated in a core gas path of the gas turbine engine during operation of the gas turbine engine;
- one or more data processors operatively coupled to the microphone;
- and
- non-transitory machine-readable memory storing:
- reference data indicative of an acoustic signature of fluid noise associated with a non-normal condition in the core gas path of the gas turbine engine;
- instructions executable by the one or more data processors and configured to cause the one or more data processors to:
- compare the operation data acquired by the microphone to the reference data;
- determine, based on the comparing of the operation data to the reference data, an existence of the non-normal condition in the core gas path of the gas turbine engine;
- and generate a signal indicative of the existence of the non-normal condition in the core gas path of the gas turbine engine, and
- a controller of the gas turbine engine, wherein:
- the controller includes the one or more data processors;
- and
- the controller is configured to:
- determine the existence of the non-normal condition when the non-normal condition is in progress;
- and
- command a change in an operating parameter of the gas turbine engine to mitigate the non-normal condition.
A method of operating a gas turbine engine, the method comprising:
- receiving reference data indicative of an acoustic signature of fluid noise associated with a non-normal condition in a core gas path of the gas turbine engine;
- during operation of the gas turbine engine, acquiring operation data indicative of acoustic energy generated in the core gas path of the gas turbine engine;
- comparing, at a controller of the gas turbine engine, the operation data to the reference data;
- determining, based on the comparing of the operation data to the reference data, an existence of the non-normal condition in the core gas path of the gas turbine engine;
- and
- in response to determining the existence of the non-normal condition, generating, at the controller of the gas turbine engine, a signal indicative of the existence of the non-normal condition in the core gas path of the gas turbine engine,
- wherein the method includes, prior to receiving the reference data, acquiring the reference data from another gas turbine engine in which the non-normal condition exists.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.