Bleed-Off Valve Modulation Mapping for Faster Turbine Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for adjusting the modulation characteristic of a bleed-off valve in gas turbine engines require iterative procedures, increasing maintenance time and fuel consumption.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize multi-dimensional maps and adjustment factors to determine a final setpoint configuration for the bleed-off valve, reducing the number of iterative adjustments needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If iterative techniques are used to adjust the bleed-off valve setpoint, then the modulation characteristic can be achieved within specification, but maintenance time and fuel consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-calculates and stores optimal setpoint configurations in multi-dimensional maps during the design phase, covering various operating conditions. During maintenance, technicians can directly query these pre-computed maps using current engine parameters (altitude, temperature, speed, power setting) to obtain the correct setpoint configuration without iterative adjustments, thus eliminating time-consuming trial-and-error procedures while ensuring specification compliance
2Manufacturing precision
If iterative techniques are used to adjust the bleed-off valve setpoint, then the modulation characteristic can be achieved within specification, but fuel consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The optimal setpoint configurations are pre-computed and stored in multi-dimensional maps during the design phase. During maintenance operations, the system allows direct querying of these pre-computed solutions based on current engine operating conditions, eliminating the need for iterative adjustments that consume additional fuel during engine run-up and testing procedures
3Loss of time
If multi-dimensional maps are used to determine setpoint configuration, then maintenance time is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex iterative mechanical adjustment procedures with a computational approach using multi-dimensional lookup maps stored in memory. The system uses software algorithms to query pre-computed optimal setpoints based on engine operating parameters, substituting manual trial-and-error mechanical adjustments with automated information retrieval and processing, thereby reducing maintenance time while managing complexity through software rather than hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates simplified two-dimensional representations (maps) of the complex multi-dimensional setpoint configuration space. These maps are pre-computed during design and stored in memory, allowing rapid querying during maintenance without requiring complex real-time calculations or iterative procedures, thus reducing maintenance complexity and time
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods and systems for adjusting a modulation characteristic of a bleed-off valve (34, 36) of a gas turbine engine (100) are described. The method comprises obtaining a first setpoint configuration (212) associated with a first modulation characteristic of the bleed-off valve (34, 36), obtaining operating conditions (214) of the gas turbine engine (100), determining an adjustment factor (222) based on the first setpoint configuration (212) and the operating conditions (214) of the gas turbine engine (100), and adjusting the bleed-off valve (34, 36) to a second setpoint configuration (232) associated with a second modulation characteristic based on the first setpoint configuration (212) and the adjustment factor (222), the second modulation characteristic being different from the first modulation characteristic.