Gas Turbine Air Mass Flow Measuring System and Methods for Measuring Air Mass Flow in a Gas Turbine Inlet Duct
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsSanji Ekanayake, Alston Ilford Scipio, Rex Allen Morgan, Sascha Schieke, Thomas C. Billheimer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system for measuring a mass flow rate in a portion of a flow path in an inlet duct of a gas turbine engine is provided. The system includes a sensor assembly attached to the inlet duct. The sensor assembly includes a tube with a longitudinal axis disposed in a substantially laminar flow region of the inlet duct, and a flow conditioner disposed in the tube. A hot wire sensor disposed in the tube is also provided.
Claims20
A system for measuring a mass flow in an inlet duct of a turbine engine, comprising:
- a sensor assembly attached to the inlet duct, the sensor assembly comprising:
- a tube with a longitudinal axis disposed in a substantially laminar flow region of the inlet duct;
- a flow conditioner disposed in the tube;
- and
- a hot wire sensor disposed in the tube.
A method for measuring a mass flow in a flow path of an inlet duct of a turbine engine, the method comprising;
- passing a portion of the mass flow through a tube aligned in a direction of the mass flow;
- conditioning the mass flow in the tube to provide a conditioned mass flow;
- exposing a wire to the conditioned mass flow;
- sensing a physical change in the wire generating a signal based on the physical change;
- and
- converting the signal into a flow measurement.
A turbine engine comprising:
- an inlet duct that defines a flow path for an air flow;
- a compressor;
- a combustor;
- a turbine;
- a sensor assembly disposed in the inlet duct, the sensor assembly comprising:
- a tube adapted to entrain a portion of the air flow;
- a hot wire sensor disposed inside the tube;
- and
- a flow conditioner disposed in the tube upstream from the hot wire sensor;
- and
- a controller that converts signals from the hot wire sensor to mass flow measurements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.