Gas turbine engine condition monitoring and management

A system comprising:

• a memory comprising computer readable instructions;
• and
• a processing device for executing the computer readable instructions, the computer readable instructions controlling the processing device to perform operations comprising:
• performing an automated scan of a database for engine removal, by a processing system comprising at least a processing device communicatively coupled to a system memory;
• performing a deterioration and recovery analysis on a per-engine basis, based on the automated scan of the database, by the processing system, by:
• obtaining engine data associated with an engine, by the processing system via an engine controller for the engine;
• analyzing the engine data to determine a number of engine on-wing performance analyses to perform and a number of engine shop visit performance analyses to perform, the on-wing performance indicating an operational performance of the engine while installed on the wing of the aircraft, and the engine shop visit performance analyses indicating an operational performance of the engine obtained during testing of the engine while removed from the wing of the aircraft;
• performing post processing on the engine data subsequent to analyzing the engine data;
• performing an engine on-wing performance analysis;
• performing an engine shop visit performance analysis;
• performing a workscope analysis to generate a recommendation, the workscope analysis indicating at least one of a maintenance task, inspection, and repair to be performed on an aircraft engine;
• and
• transmitting the recommendation to be implemented to service the engine for servicing the engine to one or more recipients, by the processing system,
• wherein performing the post processing comprises determining a plurality of delta values, wherein the plurality of delta values represent differences in the engine data from a first time to a second time, and
• wherein an optimization solver of the processing device is input with the plurality of delta values along with translation inputs including coupling factors that account for interdependencies between components, constraints that maintain physical and operational relationships between variables, bounds that define acceptable parameter ranges, and limits that establish thresholds, and
• wherein the optimization solver applies the translation inputs to the plurality of delta values and outputs a resulting deterioration value that quantifies the operational degradation of the engine over time.

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

• performing an automated scan of a database for engine removal, by a processing system comprising at least a processing device communicatively coupled to a system memory;
• performing a deterioration and recovery analysis on a per-engine basis, based on the automated scan of the database, by the processing system, by:
• obtaining engine data associated with an engine, by the processing system via an engine controller for the engine;
• analyzing the engine data to determine a number of engine on-wing performance analyses to perform and a number of engine shop visit performance analyses to perform, the on-wing performance indicating an operational performance of the engine while installed on the wing of the aircraft, the on-wing performance indicating an operational performance of the engine while installed on the wing of the aircraft, and the engine shop visit performance analyses a indicating an operational performance of the engine obtained during testing of the engine while removed from the wing of the aircraft;
• performing post processing on the engine data subsequent to analyzing the engine data;
• performing an engine on-wing performance analysis;
• performing an engine shop visit performance analysis;
• performing a workscope analysis to generate a recommendation, the workscope analysis indicating at least one of a maintenance task, inspection, and repair to be performed on an aircraft engine;
• and
• transmitting the recommendation for servicing the engine to one or more recipients, by the processing system, wherein transmitting the recommendation comprises:
• performing, by the processing system, a time-on-wing projection analysis that combines the resulting deterioration value with a calculated potential recovery, projects remaining time-on-wing to at least one of a pull-margin limit and a life-limited-part limit, and generates a projected removal date at both nominal and 90% lower-sided confidence levels;
• and
• storing the projected removal date together with the recommendation in a fleet-maintenance database to facilitate engine-removal planning and shop-visit load-leveling across the operator's fleet,
• wherein performing the post processing comprises determining a plurality of delta values, wherein the plurality of delta values represent differences in the engine data from a first time to a second time, and
• wherein an optimization solver of the processing device is input with the plurality of delta values along with translation inputs including coupling factors that account for interdependencies between components, constraints that maintain physical and operational relationships between variables, bounds that define acceptable parameter ranges, and limits that establish thresholds, and
• wherein the optimization solver applies the translation inputs to the plurality of delta values and outputs a resulting deterioration value that quantifies the operational degradation of the engine over time.