Combustor Ignition Plug Position Detection for Start-Up Fault Diagnosis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ignition plugs in gas turbine combustors that are movable may fail to move to the ignition position, preventing fuel ignition and leading to repeated start-up failures if the cause is unknown.
Innovation Solution
An abnormality detection system with a sensor to detect the position of the ignition plug and a diagnostic unit to diagnose issues based on this detection, including an insertion time and amount calculation to identify abnormalities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the ignition plug is made movable between insertion and retracted positions to enable proper ignition, then the ignition functionality is improved, but the risk of failure increases when the plug cannot move to the insertion position due to unknown causes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the feedback principle by introducing a sensor that detects the ignition plug's position and provides this information back to the control unit. The control unit then uses this feedback to determine whether the ignition plug has reached the insertion position and can generate a spark. This feedback mechanism resolves the technical contradiction by enabling reliable detection of the ignition plug's status, allowing the system to identify abnormalities when the plug fails to reach the insertion position, thus maintaining both ignition functionality and detectability of failures.
2Device complexity
If no detection system is implemented for the ignition plug position, then the device complexity is reduced, but the loss of time increases due to repeated wasteful restarts when ignition fails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the preliminary action principle by implementing a detection system that checks the ignition plug's position before attempting to ignite the fuel. The sensor detects whether the ignition plug has reached the insertion position, and the control unit uses this information to determine whether to proceed with ignition or to diagnose an abnormality first. This preliminary detection action prevents wasted time by identifying issues before they cause ignition failures and repeated restarts, while the added complexity is justified by the time savings.
3Ease of operation
If the ignition plug is disposed movably between positions to enable ignition, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates when the plug cannot move to the insertion position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses feedback to monitor the ignition plug's position and provide information to the control unit, which then determines whether the plug has successfully reached the insertion position. This feedback mechanism maintains the ease of operation by allowing the ignition system to function automatically while improving reliability by enabling the system to detect and respond to failures when the plug cannot reach the insertion position, thus resolving the contradiction between operational ease and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
An abnormality detection system for a combustor for a gas turbine, includes: a sensor for detecting whether an ignition plug is located at an insertion position in a combustion tube of the combustor, the ignition plug being disposed movably between the insertion position and a retracted position retracted from the combustion tube; and a diagnostic unit configured to diagnose an abnormality in an ignition device including the ignition plug, based on a detection result by the sensor.