Igniter Spark-Rate Verification for Hydrogen Combustor Ignition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydrogen fuel in gas turbine engines poses challenges due to its high reactivity, requiring precise timing of ignition to avoid fuel accumulation, uncontrolled combustion, and hardware damage from pressure pulses or flame propagation.
Innovation Solution
An ignition system that determines the spark rate before fuel injection, ensuring it meets a spark rate threshold to prevent undesirable conditions by controlling ignition timing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hydrogen fuel is used in gas turbine engines, then fuel efficiency and cleanliness are improved, but ignition timing precision must be increased to prevent fuel accumulation and uncontrolled combustion
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification of igniter functionality by monitoring electrical pulses before fuel injection is initiated. The controller checks that the igniter produces adequate spark rates during a verification period, and only after successful verification does it authorize fuel injection to begin, ensuring ignition readiness precedes fuel delivery
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors electrical pulses from the igniter through sensors and transmission lines, feeding this information back to the controller. The controller uses this feedback to determine spark rates, verify igniter performance, and make real-time decisions about whether to initiate or continue fuel injection, creating a closed-loop control system
2Object-affected harmful factors
If spark rate monitoring is implemented before fuel injection, then fuel accumulation is prevented, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The igniter system monitors its own electrical pulse output through sensors and transmission lines connected to the controller. The system uses its own operational signals (electrical pulses indicating spark generation) to self-verify functionality and trigger the next operational phase (fuel injection) without requiring external verification systems
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical pulse monitoring system serves multiple functions: it verifies igniter functionality, determines spark rates, provides timing synchronization, and enables the transition to fuel injection. This single monitoring mechanism performs what would otherwise require multiple separate verification systems, reducing overall system complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Prevents fuel accumulation and hardware damage by ensuring proper ignition timing, stabilizing combustion and reducing the risk of uncontrolled combustion.
Implementation Method 1
An ignition system and method of operating a combustion engine are disclosed. The combustion engine can include a combustor including an igniter. The igniter can be configured to initiate a series of electrical pulses... each electrical pulse respectively indicative of a spark generated by the at least one igniter
Implementation Method 2
The fuel injector assembly can mix the fuel with air prior to injection in order to achieve efficient combustion
Implementation Method 3
A gas turbine engine is a combustion engine that includes a turbine driven by combustion of a combustible fuel within a combustor of the turbine engine
Data Source
AI summary
An ignition system for a combustion engine, includes a combustor having an igniter configured to receive a series of electrical current pulses, and, responsive to each electrical pulse, to generate a spark. A sensor is configured to detect each electrical pulse to provide a signal indicative of the electrical pulse to a controller. The controller is configured to determine, prior to an injection of a fuel into the combustor, a spark rate of the igniter, determine whether the spark rate satisfies a spark rate threshold, and in response to a determination that the spark rate satisfies the spark rate threshold, initiate an injection of the fuel into the combustor.