Real time linearization of a component-level gas turbine engine model for model-based control

A method for model-based control of a gas turbine engine comprising a plurality of connected components, the method comprising:

• collecting a plurality of measured parameters from sensors situated on and near the gas turbine engine;
• calculating an engine operating point based on the measured parameters, using a nonlinear component-level analytic engine model;
• generating a first order perturbational approximation of the non-linear component-level analytic engine model for each of the plurality of connected components;
• combining the first-order perturbational approximations for each of the plurality of connected components into a first combined model;
• reducing the order of the first combined model to produce a reduced-order linear model;
• inverting the reduced-order linear model to form a matrix expression of external engine inputs in terms of external engine outputs;
• and
• computing control commands for actuators of the gas turbine engine from target parameters, the measured parameters, and the inverted third linear model.

A gas turbine engine system comprising:

• a gas turbine engine with a plurality of distinct but connected components and a plurality of actuators;
• a model-based control system which issues control commands to the plurality of actuators based on measured parameters, target parameters, and a linear model of each connected component, the model-based control system comprising:
• an engine model block configured to determine an engine operating point from the measured parameters and a non-linear model;
• a real time linearization block configured to produce a linear model by analytically linearizing the non-linear model on a component level and matching boundary conditions between connected components of the gas turbine engine;
• a model-based control block configured to produce the control commands from the target parameters and the measured parameters using an inversion of the linear model.