Adaptive Hydraulic Flow Control for Multi-Effector Pump Limits
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Solution Overview
Problem
In complex hydromechanical systems like gas turbine engines, managing hydraulic fluid flow to prevent overburdening of pumps and ensuring coordinated operation among interacting components is challenging, often requiring oversized components and excessive design margins to handle worst-case scenarios.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive model-based control system that uses a controller to manage fluid demand for electrohydraulic effectors by receiving requests, updating model data, generating control commands, and commanding effectors based on current and previous states, utilizing quadratic programming for optimizing fluid flow, and employing weightings to prioritize system operations, thereby reducing fluid flow requirements below threshold levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pump system is sized to handle the worst case flow requirements of all systems actuating at one time, then the system can handle peak demand without failure, but the pump size and weight increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic coordination of multiple hydraulic systems through a centralized controller that actively manages fluid flow distribution in real-time. Instead of sizing the pump for worst-case static conditions, the system dynamically prioritizes and coordinates actuator operations, allowing the pump to handle actual instantaneous demands rather than peak theoretical demands. This dynamic approach reduces the required pump capacity while maintaining system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operating parameters of hydraulic actuators by coordinating their activation sequences and flow rates. The controller adjusts flow distribution parameters dynamically, prioritizing critical systems during peak demand periods and throttling non-critical systems. This parameter management allows the pump to operate within reduced capacity limits while still meeting all system requirements through intelligent scheduling.
2Productivity
If multiple hydraulic systems are allowed to operate at full rate simultaneously, then each system achieves optimal performance, but the cumulative fluid flow exceeds pump capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by allowing only the most critical hydraulic systems to operate at full performance rate while limiting or throttling non-critical systems. The controller continuously prioritizes systems based on operational importance, ensuring that essential functions receive full fluid flow while secondary functions receive reduced flow or are delayed. This selective partial operation keeps cumulative flow within pump capacity while maintaining overall system productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous useful action by implementing intelligent scheduling and coordination of hydraulic actuators. Rather than allowing all systems to operate simultaneously at full rate, the controller sequences operations and manages flow distribution continuously, ensuring that critical functions are always served while non-critical functions are coordinated to fit within available capacity. This continuous management maintains high overall productivity without exceeding pump limits.
3Quantity of substance
If one subsystem is stopped or slowed while another operates at full rate, then fluid flow limits are respected, but coordinated management becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control of multiple independent hydraulic systems into a single centralized coordination framework. Instead of managing each system separately with individual flow control mechanisms, the invention combines all hydraulic actuator controls under one unified system that allocates fluid flow based on priority and current operational needs. This merging reduces the overall control complexity by eliminating redundant control loops and providing a single point of flow management.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized controller serves multiple functions simultaneously: it monitors all hydraulic systems, prioritizes actuators based on operational importance, allocates fluid flow dynamically, and coordinates activation sequences. This universal control mechanism handles all aspects of hydraulic flow management through a single multi-functional system, reducing the need for multiple specialized control devices and simplifying the overall control architecture.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for controlling a plurality of hydraulic effectors (114) operably connected to an engine (20) to control engine parameters. The system also includes a plurality of sensors (108) operably connected to measure a state or parameter of each effector, a pump (130) configured to supply fluid to the plurality of effectors, and a controller (106) operably connected to the plurality of sensors, the plurality of effectors, and the pump. The controller executes a method for an adaptive model-based control (150, 200) for controlling each effector. The method includes receiving a request (505) indicative of a desired state for each effector, receiving (505) a weighting associated each request, obtaining (510) information about a current state of each effector, and updating (515) an adaptive model based control (MBC) based upon the information. The method also includes generating (520) a control command for an effector based upon the adaptive MBC and commanding (525) the effector based upon the control command.