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US 9,869,305 B1Granted
Pump-engine controller
AssigneeTucson Embedded Systems, Inc.
InventorsDavid Crowe, Elden Crom
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system controller manages a gas turbine engine driving a pump directly or indirectly coupled to the engine. The controller is programmed to automatically determine and adjust inputs to the gas turbine engine in order to cause the pump to produce a user-specified hydraulic output.
Claims15
A system for controlling a pump, comprising:
- a pump-engine controller configured to control the pump driven by a gas turbine engine, the pump-engine controller programmed to perform operations comprising:
- (1) using first data including measured hydraulic output of the pump to calculate a desired mechanical output of the gas turbine engine needed for the pump to provide a specified hydraulic output, and (2) transmitting a signal representing the desired mechanical output to an engine controller;
- the engine controller programmed to use second data including measured data describing engine operating characteristics to manage the gas turbine engine to achieve the desired mechanical output received from the pump-engine controller;
- where the gas turbine engine is coupled to the pump via a transmission, and the pump-engine controller further includes transmission sensor inputs configured to receive signals describing configuration and operating conditions of the transmission comprising at least vibration and acoustic noise;
- and
- one or more of the following proportional-integral-differential control loops:
- a first proportional-integral-differential control loop, wherein the pump-engine controller is programmed such that the operation of calculating the desired mechanical output of the gas turbine engine comprises applying the first data as inputs to the first proportional-integral-differential control loop, the first data comprising:
- measurements of hydraulic output of the pump, hydraulic limitations of pipe coupled to the pump;
- a second proportional-integral-differential control loop, wherein the engine controller is programmed such that the operation of managing the gas turbine engine comprises applying the second data as inputs to the second proportional-integral-differential control loop, the second data comprising:
- shaft horsepower, temperature, speed, and torque.
7 more elements
A system for controlling a pump, comprising:
- a pump-engine controller configured to control the pump driven by a gas turbine engine including calculating a desired mechanical output of the gas turbine engine needed for the pump to provide a specified hydraulic output and transmitting a signal representing the desired mechanical output to an engine controller;
- and
- the engine controller programmed to manage the gas turbine engine to achieve the desired mechanical output received from the pump-engine controller;
- where the gas turbine engine is coupled to the pump via a transmission, and the pump-engine controller further includes transmission sensor inputs configured to receive signals describing configuration and operating conditions of the transmission, comprising at least vibration and acoustic noise.
1 more element
A system for controlling a pump, comprising:
- a pump-engine controller configured calculate a desired mechanical output of the gas turbine engine needed for the pump to provide a specified hydraulic output and transmit a signal representing the desired mechanical output to an engine controller;
- the engine controller programmed to manage the gas turbine engine to achieve the desired mechanical output received from the pump-engine controller;
- multiple engine sensors coupled to the gas turbine engine and configured to measure shaft horsepower, temperature, speed, and torque;
- feedback lines coupling the engine sensors to engine sensor inputs of the engine controller;
- control lines coupling the engine controller to gas turbine engine controls;
- multiple hydraulic sensors coupled to the pump or plumbing downstream of the pump to measure pressure and flow generated by the pump;
- feedback lines coupling the pump sensors to the pump-engine controller;
- control lines coupling the pump-engine controller to the engine controller and the pump;
- and
- the pump-engine controller including transmission sensor inputs,
- transmission sensor inputs configured to receive transmission signals describing configuration and operating conditions of a transmission including at least vibration and acoustic noise.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.