Air source system control architecture for commercial aero-engine test verification

Abstract

The invention provides an air source system control framework for commercial aero-engine test verification, which comprises a first-layer control framework, a second-layer control framework and a third-layer control framework which are sequentially connected from top to bottom, the first-layer control architecture comprises an upper computer system consisting of an engineer station, at least one operator station and at least one upper computer network switch, and the upper computer system is placed in a central control room; the second layer of control architecture comprises a lower computer system consisting of a group control cabinet, at least one load distribution and performance control cabinet and at least one lower computer network switch, and the lower computer system is placed in a control room; and the third layer of control architecture comprises at least one unit instrument valve and at least one pipeline instrument valve. According to the invention, the signal processing speed is increased, the response time is prolonged, the situation that the whole gas source system cannot work due to a single fault caused by using the same control cabinet to control all units is avoided, and the reliability and usability of the system are greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of aero-engine testing and verification, and in particular to an air source system control architecture for commercial aero-engine testing and verification. Background Art

[0002] In the existing technology, the test equipment required for commercial aircraft engine testing and verification has complex and varied requirements for gas sources, including high-temperature gas sources close to 850K and pressure of 5.5MPa, normal-temperature air extraction of 12KPa, and low-temperature gas sources of 190K and pressure of 0.2MPa, involving many compressor units. When different types of units are operated in series or in parallel, the process gas source system must be fast, accurate, and stable to meet the gas needs of the test equipment.

[0003] Therefore, it is particularly important to avoid unit surge during the gas supply process, eliminate the coupling problems caused by series and parallel operation of the units, and achieve load balance and highly stable automatic control of the units.

[0004] At present, there is no case in China for load distribution and automated group control of series-parallel process air supply of large centrifugal compressor units used for commercial aviation engine test verification.

[0005] Therefore, the inventors of the present application have designed an air source system control architecture for commercial aircraft engine testing and verification in order to overcome the above-mentioned technical problems. Summary of the invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defects in the prior art that commercial aircraft engine test and verification cannot meet the demand for air source, and to provide an air source system control architecture for commercial aircraft engine test and verification.

[0007] The present invention solves the above technical problems through the following technical solutions:

[0008] A control architecture of an air source system for commercial aircraft engine test verification, characterized in that the control system of the air source system comprises: a first-layer control architecture, a second-layer control architecture and a third-layer control architecture connected in sequence from top to bottom, the first-layer control architecture comprises a host computer system composed of an engineer station, at least one operator station and at least one host computer network switch, the host computer system is placed in a central control room and is used for configuration programming of the control system and monitoring and operation of process parameters;

[0009] The second-layer control architecture includes a lower-level computer system consisting of a group control cabinet, at least one load distribution and performance control cabinet, and at least one lower-level computer network switch. The lower-level computer system is placed in the control room and is used for group control, load distribution control, and performance control of the on-site units;

[0010] The third-layer control architecture includes at least one unit instrument valve and at least one pipeline instrument valve, which are used for collecting and processing field signals.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the host computer network switches is connected to each of the engineer stations respectively, and the host computer network switches are connected to the slave computer network switches in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, each of the lower network switches is connected to each of the load distribution and performance control cabinets respectively.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the gas source system control architecture also includes at least one unit control cabinet, which is connected between the corresponding load distribution and performance control cabinet and the unit instrument valve, and the unit control cabinet, the load distribution and performance control cabinet and the unit instrument valve correspond one to one.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the pipeline instrument valve is a gas source pipeline instrument valve, which is connected to the group control cabinet.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the operator station reads historical data from the engineer station via redundant Ethernet communication to review the data.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the group control cabinet and the load distribution and performance control cabinet are configured with redundant PLCs, power modules, and communication modules to implement load distribution control and group control of the entire gas source unit.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the group control cabinet controls multiple load distribution and performance control cabinets and multiple unit control cabinets at the same time.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the load distribution and performance control cabinet obtains the signals of the air intake valve and the anti-surge valve of each unit through communication and hard-wire connection. When the group control cabinet obtains the deviation between the main pipe pressure feedback signal and the system set pressure, the balance coefficient is given to the load distribution and performance control cabinet of each unit through calculation.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the unit control cabinet is a compressor unit control cabinet, the unit instrument valve includes a compressor anti-surge valve and a compressor intake valve, the compressor unit control cabinet is connected to the load distribution and performance control cabinet, and the load distribution and performance control cabinet is connected to the compressor anti-surge valve and the compressor intake valve;

[0020] The compressor unit control cabinet implements automatic regulation of the compressor anti-surge valve and the compressor intake valve by feedback and monitoring of the unit instrument valve signal.

[0021] The positive and progressive effects of the present invention are:

[0022] The invention is a control architecture of an air source system for commercial aircraft engine testing and verification. By adopting a redundant fast-response PLC controller, a redundant UPS and a redundant network communication architecture, the safe and reliable operation of the air source system is well ensured. The fast-response PLC controller monitors the status of the on-site unit and responds to valve control, so that the control system can take rapid and effective adjustments to the disturbance changes of the air source, thereby ensuring the stability of the unit and the air source supply, thereby ensuring the smooth progress of the aircraft engine test.

[0023] At the same time, the gas source system control architecture uses a one-to-one control cabinet to collect the status signal of the unit for the centrifugal compressor unit on site, and obtains the control of the intake valve and the anti-surge valve, and calculates the load distribution and controls the unit performance through independent redundant controllers, which enhances the speed and response time of signal processing. At the same time, it also avoids the use of the same control cabinet to control all units, which causes the entire gas source system to stop working due to a single fault, greatly improving the reliability and availability of the system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The above and other features, properties and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent through the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments, in which the same reference numerals always represent the same features, wherein:

[0025] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the air source system control architecture used for commercial aircraft engine test verification of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 The present invention is a schematic diagram of load distribution control logic for two units in the air source system control architecture used for commercial aircraft engine test verification.

[0027] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of performance control and anti-surge control in the air source system control architecture used for commercial aircraft engine test verification of the present invention.

[0028] [Reference Signs]

[0029] Engineer Station 10

[0030] Operator Station 20

[0031] Host computer network switch 30

[0032] Group control cabinet 40

[0033] Load distribution and performance control cabinet 50

[0034] Lower computer network switch 60

[0035] Unit instrument valve 70

[0036] Pipeline Instrument Valve 80

[0037] Unit control cabinet 90

[0038] Compressor unit control cabinet 91

[0039] Compressor anti-surge valve 71

[0040] Compressor intake valve 72 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Reference will now be made in detail to preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to represent the same or similar parts.

[0043] Furthermore, although the terms used in the present invention are selected from well-known and commonly used terms, some terms mentioned in the present invention specification may be selected by the applicant at his or her discretion, and their detailed meanings are explained in the relevant parts of the description of this document.

[0044] Furthermore, it is required that the present invention be understood not only by the actual terms used but also by the meanings connoted by each term.

[0045] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the present invention discloses a control architecture of an air source system for commercial aircraft engine test verification, which includes: a first-layer control architecture, a second-layer control architecture, and a third-layer control architecture connected in sequence from top to bottom. The first-layer control architecture includes a host computer system composed of an engineer station 10, at least one operator station 20, and at least one host computer network switch 30. The host computer system is placed in a central control room and is used for configuration programming of the control system and monitoring and operation of process parameters.

[0046] The second-layer control architecture includes a lower-machine system consisting of a group control cabinet 40, at least one load distribution and performance control cabinet 50, and at least one lower-machine network switch 60. The lower-machine system is placed in the control room and is used for group control, load distribution control, and performance control of the on-site unit. The second-layer control architecture is used to process interface signals and communications with the unit control cabinet.

[0047] The third-layer control architecture includes at least one unit instrument valve 70 and at least one pipeline instrument valve 80, which are used for collecting and processing field signals. For example, the pipeline instrument valve 80 can be preferably a gas source pipeline instrument valve, which is connected to the group control cabinet 40. The third-layer control architecture is installed on site, used for collecting and processing field signals, and is connected to the unit control cabinet and the group control cabinet I / O card through cables according to standard signals.

[0048] Preferably, each host network switch 30 is connected to each engineer station 10, and each host network switch 30 is connected to each slave network switch 60 in a one-to-one correspondence. Each slave network switch 60 is connected to each load distribution and performance control cabinet 50.

[0049] Furthermore, the gas source system control architecture also includes at least one unit control cabinet 90, which is connected between the corresponding load distribution and performance control cabinet 50 and the unit instrument valve 70, and the unit control cabinet 90, the load distribution and performance control cabinet 50 and the unit instrument valve 70 correspond one to one.

[0050] Preferably, the operator station 10 reads historical data from the engineer station 10 through redundant Ethernet communication to review the data. The group control cabinet 40 and the load distribution and performance control cabinet 50 are equipped with redundant PLC, power supply module, and communication module to realize load distribution control and group control of the entire gas source unit.

[0051] The group control cabinet 40 here can simultaneously control multiple load distribution and performance control cabinets 50 and multiple unit control cabinets 90. The load distribution and performance control cabinet 50 obtains the signals of the air intake valve and the anti-surge valve of each unit through communication and hard-wire connection. When the group control cabinet 40 obtains the deviation between the main pipe pressure feedback signal and the system set pressure, the balance coefficient is given to the load distribution and performance control cabinet of each unit through calculation.

[0052] Here, the unit control cabinet 90 may preferably be a compressor unit control cabinet 91, the unit instrument valve 70 preferably includes a compressor anti-surge valve 71 and a compressor intake valve 72, the compressor unit control cabinet 91 is connected to the load distribution and performance control cabinet 50, and the load distribution and performance control cabinet 50 is connected to the compressor anti-surge valve 71 and the compressor intake valve 72. The compressor unit control cabinet 91 implements automatic adjustment of the compressor anti-surge valve 71 and the compressor intake valve 72 by feedback and monitoring of the unit instrument valve signal.

[0053] All the above control cabinets use redundant fast-response 20ms PLC controllers, redundant UPS power supply and redundant network communication. For centrifugal compressor units, a one-to-one control cabinet is used to perform special load distribution calculations and performance control, and a group control cabinet is used to achieve group control and decoupling control of the unit.

[0054] According to the above structural description, the air source system control architecture for commercial aircraft engine test verification of the present invention is implemented according to the above three levels, as follows:

[0055] 1. First-level host computer system

[0056] The first-level host computer system of the medium and high pressure gas source control system is equipped with an engineer station 10 and eight operator stations 20. The engineer station 10 is equipped with a large-capacity hard disk, high memory and processor, and serves as a clock synchronization server and data server. The operator stations 20 read historical data from the engineer station through redundant Ethernet communication to review the data. Both the engineer station 10 and the operator station 20 are equipped with dual network cards to achieve redundant configuration of communication through two mutually redundant network switches, so as to achieve reliable communication of the host computer system.

[0057] 2. Second-level lower computer system

[0058] The second-level lower computer system realizes data communication with the upper computer and data redundant communication between the lower computer control cabinets through two redundant network switches. The group control cabinet 40 and the load distribution and performance control cabinet 50 are equipped with redundant PLC, power supply module and communication module to realize load distribution control and group control of the entire gas source unit.

[0059] like Figure 2 The logic principle diagram of load distribution control shown in the figure shows that the centrifugal compressor unit has an optimal performance area and needs to avoid the surge area and the blocking area during operation. In order to make the unit run more stably, save energy, and extend its service life when using multiple units (same model or different models) to supply air, and to avoid a unit running near the surge area, it is necessary to implement the load distribution function so that each unit can operate at the most appropriate operating point.

[0060] The load distribution and performance control cabinet will obtain the signals of the air intake valve and anti-surge valve of each unit through communication and hard-wire connection. When the group control cabinet obtains the deviation between the main pipe pressure feedback signal and the system set pressure, it will give the balance coefficient to the load distribution and performance control cabinet of each unit through calculation. The unit load distribution and performance control cabinet 50 will issue a new adjustment instruction to the unit according to the new coefficient, so as to achieve the stability of the unit outlet pressure through the opening adjustment of the unit intake valve and anti-surge valve combined with the unit's PID control and decoupling control between units.

[0061] The group control cabinet 40 collects, calculates and outputs data on the pressure, flow, temperature and operating conditions of the gas source network, and realizes load balancing of all operating compressor units and stabilization of the gas supply main pressure from the perspective of overall control.

[0062] 3. Local control and instrument valves of the third-level units and pipeline instrument valves

[0063] like Figure 3 As shown, the local control cabinet of the third-level unit implements automatic adjustment of the intake valve and the anti-surge valve by feedback and monitoring the unit instrument signals, so that the compressor unit can output gas supply according to the set pressure. The local control cabinet also receives control signals and coupling control signals from the load distribution and performance control cabinet, and determines the control authority of the intake valve and the anti-surge valve through logical operations, so as to achieve the pressure and flow regulation of the unit.

[0064] In addition, the protection of the compressor unit by the local control cabinet will not be interfered with in any way, and will be safely protected according to the logic of the unit design. The instruments on the pipeline are used to monitor the pressure, temperature, flow and other parameters in the main gas pipeline, among which the pressure signal is also used as the feedback signal for the closed-loop control of the gas pipeline pressure stability, valve.

[0065] As described above, the air source system control architecture used for commercial aircraft engine test verification of the present invention belongs to the field of aircraft engine ground intake test technology, and is based on a redundant fast-response controller, power supply and network configuration control architecture. The control architecture includes a process control cabinet, a load distribution control cabinet, a power distribution cabinet, a network switch, an engineer station and an operation station, etc., which can realize fast and reliable monitoring and control of on-site units, instrument sensors, valves and other air source system equipment through a one-to-one control cabinet, and combine a one-to-one load distribution operation and an overall group control method to realize safe, rapid, stable and reliable operation of the air source system, meeting the test requirements of the tester.

[0066] In summary, the air source system control architecture of the present invention for commercial aircraft engine test verification ensures the safe and reliable operation of the air source system by adopting a redundant fast-response PLC controller, redundant UPS and redundant network communication architecture. The fast-response PLC controller monitors the status of the on-site unit and responds to valve control, enabling the control system to take rapid and effective adjustments to disturbance changes in the air source, thereby ensuring the stability of the unit and air source supply, thereby ensuring the smooth progress of the aircraft engine test.

[0067] At the same time, the gas source system control architecture uses a one-to-one control cabinet to collect the status signal of the unit for the centrifugal compressor unit on site, and obtains the control of the intake valve and the anti-surge valve, and calculates the load distribution and controls the unit performance through independent redundant controllers, which enhances the speed and response time of signal processing. At the same time, it also avoids the use of the same control cabinet to control all units, which causes the entire gas source system to stop working due to a single fault, greatly improving the reliability and availability of the system.

[0068] For those skilled in the art, the above invention disclosure is only used as an example and does not constitute a limitation of the present application. Although not explicitly stated herein, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements and amendments to the present application. Such modifications, improvements and amendments are suggested in the present application, so such modifications, improvements and amendments still belong to the spirit and scope of the exemplary implementation of the present application.

[0069] At the same time, the present application uses specific words to describe the embodiments of the present application. For example, "one embodiment", "an embodiment", and / or "some embodiments" refer to a certain feature, structure or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or more in different positions in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, some features, structures or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the present application can be appropriately combined.

[0070] Although the specific embodiments of the present invention are described above, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that these are only examples, and the protection scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of the present invention, but these changes and modifications all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control architecture for an air source system used for commercial aircraft engine testing and verification, characterized in that: The gas source system control system comprises: a first-layer control architecture, a second-layer control architecture and a third-layer control architecture connected in sequence from top to bottom, wherein the first-layer control architecture comprises a host computer system composed of an engineer station, at least one operator station and at least one host computer network switch, and the host computer system is placed in a central control room and is used for configuration programming of the control system and monitoring and operation of process parameters; The second-layer control architecture includes a lower-level computer system consisting of a group control cabinet, at least one load distribution and performance control cabinet, and at least one lower-level computer network switch. The lower-level computer system is placed in the control room and is used for group control, load distribution control, and performance control of the on-site units; The third-layer control architecture includes at least one unit instrument valve and at least one pipeline instrument valve, which are used for collecting and processing field signals.

2. The air source system control architecture for commercial aircraft engine test verification according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the upper computer network switches is connected to each of the engineer stations respectively, and the upper computer network switches are connected to the lower computer network switches in a one-to-one correspondence.

3. The air source system control architecture for commercial aircraft engine test verification according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the lower-level network switches is connected to each of the load distribution and performance control cabinets respectively.

4. The air source system control architecture for commercial aircraft engine test verification as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The gas source system control architecture also includes at least one unit control cabinet, which is connected between the corresponding load distribution and performance control cabinet and the unit instrument valve, and the unit control cabinet, the load distribution and performance control cabinet and the unit instrument valve correspond to each other one by one.

5. The air source system control architecture for commercial aircraft engine test verification according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pipeline instrument valve is a gas source pipeline instrument valve, which is connected to the group control cabinet.

6. The air source system control architecture for commercial aircraft engine test verification according to claim 1, characterized in that: The operator station reads historical data from the engineer station via redundant Ethernet communication to review the data.

7. The air source system control architecture for commercial aircraft engine test verification according to claim 1, characterized in that: The group control cabinet and the load distribution and performance control cabinet are configured with redundant PLC, power supply module and communication module to realize load distribution control and group control of the entire gas source unit.

8. The air source system control architecture for commercial aircraft engine test verification as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that: The group control cabinet controls multiple load distribution and performance control cabinets and multiple unit control cabinets at the same time.

9. The air source system control architecture for commercial aircraft engine test verification as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that: The load distribution and performance control cabinet obtains the signals of the air intake valve and the anti-surge valve of each unit through communication and hard-wire connection. When the group control cabinet obtains the deviation between the main pipe pressure feedback signal and the system set pressure, the balance coefficient is given to the load distribution and performance control cabinet of each unit through calculation.

10. The air source system control architecture for commercial aircraft engine test verification according to claim 7, characterized in that: The unit control cabinet is a compressor unit control cabinet, the unit instrument valves include a compressor anti-surge valve and a compressor intake valve, the compressor unit control cabinet is connected to the load distribution and performance control cabinet, and the load distribution and performance control cabinet is connected to the compressor anti-surge valve and the compressor intake valve; The compressor unit control cabinet implements automatic regulation of the compressor anti-surge valve and the compressor intake valve by feedback and monitoring of the unit instrument valve signal.

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