System and method for calibrating hydraulic starters for turbomachines

A method for calibrating a hydraulic starter for a turbomachine, a hydraulic fluid source being operable to supply a fluid at a high pressure or at a low pressure for rotatably driving the hydraulic starter, a flow rate valve being fluidly coupled between the hydraulic fluid source and the hydraulic starter, the flow rate valve being movable between a plurality of positions including a fully closed position and a fully opened position to adjust a flow rate of the fluid supplied from the hydraulic fluid source to the hydraulic starter, the flow rate being a lowest rate when the flow rate valve is in the fully closed position, the flow rate being a highest rate when the flow rate valve is in the fully opened position, the method comprising:

• receiving, by a computing system, a request to perform an automatic diagnostic run of the hydraulic starter;
• controlling, automatically by the computing system, the hydraulic fluid source and operation of the flow rate valve to perform the automatic diagnostic run based at least in part on the request, the automatic diagnostic run comprising sequentially performing a plurality of base modes, the flow rate valve being in either the fully closed position or the fully opened position in the plurality of base modes, the plurality of base modes including at least one standby mode test and at least one crank speed mode test, the flow rate valve being in the fully closed position for each of the at least one standby mode test, the flow rate valve being in the fully opened position for each of the at least one crank speed mode test;
• and
• monitoring, by the computing system, a rotational speed of the turbomachine detected by a speed sensor during each of the plurality of base modes.

A method for calibrating a hydraulic starter for a turbomachine, a hydraulic fluid source being operable to supply a fluid at a high pressure or at a low pressure for rotatably driving the hydraulic starter, a flow rate valve being fluidly coupled between the hydraulic fluid source and the hydraulic starter, the flow rate valve being movable to adjust a flow rate of the fluid supplied from the hydraulic fluid source to the hydraulic starter, the flow rate being a lowest rate when the flow rate valve is in a fully closed position, the flow rate being a highest rate when the flow rate valve is in a fully opened position, the method comprising:

• controlling, automatically by a computing system, the hydraulic fluid source and operation of the flow rate valve to sequentially perform a standby mode test and a crank speed mode test, the flow rate valve being in the fully closed position for the standby mode test, the flow rate valve being in the fully opened position for the crank speed mode test;
• monitoring, by the computing system, a standby rotational speed of the turbomachine during the standby mode test and a crank rotational speed of the turbomachine during the crank speed mode test;
• and
• controlling, automatically by the computing system, when the standby rotational speed is within a standby speed range and the crank rotational speed is within a crank speed range, the hydraulic fluid source and the operation of the flow rate valve to perform a medium-speed crank calibration to determine a medium-speed crank position of the flow rate valve, a rotational speed of the turbomachine being within a medium-speed range when the hydraulic fluid source supplies the fluid at the high pressure and the flow rate valve is in the medium-speed crank position.