System and method for turbine engine adaptive control for mitigation of instabilities

A method for reducing combustion instabilities in a turbine engine, the method comprising the steps of

• receiving sensor data from a combustor in the turbine engine:
• adjusting a phase of a modulated fuel flow to the combustor responsive to the sensor data to reduce combustion instabilities in the combustor in the turbine engine;
• and
• adjusting a magnitude of the modulated fuel flow to the combustor responsive to the sensor data to reduce the combustion instabilities in the combustor in the turbine engine.

An adaptive combustion controller for a turbine engine, the adaptive combustion controller comprising:

• a variation detector, the variation detector receiving the sensor data from a combustor in the turbine engine and determining a sensor data variation;
• a cost generator, the cost generator receiving the sensor data variation and generating a cost, the cost comprising a measure of combustion instabilities in the turbine engine;
• valve control logic, the valve control logic modulating fuel flow to the combustor in the turbine engine,
• a fuel flow phase determination mechanism coupled to the valve control logic, the fuel flow phase determination mechanism dynamically increasing delay in the phase of the modulated fuel flow, dynamically decreasing the delay in the phase of the modulated fuel flow, and comparing a cost at a current delay, a cost at the increased delay, and a cost at the decreased delay, the fuel flow phase determination adjusting the phase of the modulated fuel flow based on the cost comparing;
• and
• a fuel flow magnitude determination mechanism coupled to the valve control logic, the fuel flow magnitude determination mechanism dynamically increasing a magnitude of the modulated fuel flow, dynamically decreasing the magnitude of the modulated fuel flow, and comparing a cost at a current magnitude, a cost at the increased magnitude, and a cost at the decreased magnitude, the fuel flow magnitude determination adjusting the magnitude of the modulated fuel flow based on the cost comparing.