Dynamic tuning of a gas turbine engine to detect and prevent lean blowout

A system for automatically tuning a combustor of a gas turbine engine based on one or more monitored operating conditions, the system comprising:

• an acquisition component for receiving values associated with the one or more operating conditions of the gas turbine engine, wherein the one or more operating conditions include, at least, a low frequency tone, a high frequency tone, and a ratio of the low frequency tone to the high frequency tone;
• a processing component for determining that a value associated with the ratio of the low frequency tone to the high frequency tone is not within a first predefined normal range, and for determining that a value associated with the high frequency tone is within a second predefined normal range;
• and
• an adjustment component for adjusting a fuel-flow split to the combustor of the gas turbine engine in order to avoid a lean blowout, based on the determining steps performed by the processing component.

One or more computer-readable media that, when invoked by computer-executable instructions, perform a method for tuning a combustor of a gas turbine engine based on one or more monitored operating conditions, the method comprising:

• monitoring the one or more operating conditions of the gas turbine engine, wherein the one or more operating conditions include, at least, a low frequency tone, a high frequency tone, and a ratio of the low frequency tone to the high frequency tone;
• determining whether the ratio of the low frequency tone to the high frequency tone is within a first predefined normal range;
• determining whether the high frequency tone is within a second predefined normal range;
• if the ratio of the low frequency tone to the high frequency tone is not within the first predefined normal range but the high frequency tone is far outside the second predefined normal range such that its value is artificially low, determining to not tune the combustor based on the one or more monitored operating conditions;
• and
• if the ratio of the low frequency tone to the high frequency tone is not within the first predefined normal range and the high frequency tone is within the second predefined normal range, initiating tuning of the combustor such that the ratio of the low frequency tone to the high frequency tone not being within the predefined normal range indicates susceptibility of a particular can to lean blowout.