Abstract:
In a humid air gas turbine cycle the compressed air is humidified prior to introduction to the combustor. Compressed air (A) before humidification is used to cool the first turbine stage rotor blades. Humidified air (C) is used to cool the first turbine stage stationary vanes.
Abstract:
A helicopter engine fuel control anticipates sudden changes in engine power demand during yaw inputs to thereby minimize engine and main rotor speed droop and overspeed during yaw maneuvers. The rate (121, 123) of yaw control (107) position change generates (10) a yaw component (104) of a helicopter fuel control (52) fuel command signal (70). The magnitude of the yaw component is also dependent upon the rate of yaw control position change (703). The fuel command signal yaw component (104) is overriden (113, 115) when rotor decay rate (209, 217) has been arrested during a sharp left hover turn (216); when the yaw component is removing fuel (239) during rotor droop (238); and when the yaw component is adding fuel (228) during rotor overspeed (227).
Abstract:
A pitch change actuation system is disclosed for adjusting the pitch of a variable pitch propeller blade (120) operatively connected for pitch change to a pitch change actuator piston (140). A pitch change control system (10) is operatively connected to the pitch change actuator piston (140) for selectively pressuring the pitch change actuator piston to effectuate a desired change in the pitch of the propeller blades (120). The pitch change control system (10) comprises a primary electrohydraulic valve (30), a protection valve (60), an electronic controller (20) and a protection solenoid (50). During normal operation, the primary electrohydraulic valve (30) is modulated under control of the electronic controller (20) to effect pitch change. In the event of failure of the electronic controller (20), the protection solenoid (50) is operative to activate the protection valve (60) to assume pitch change authority over the primary electrohydraulic valve (30) thereby providing emergency feathering capability, overspeed protection, low pitch stop limit protection, and in place pitchlock despite failure of the electronic controller.
Abstract:
A signal selection system has input thereto a plurality of redundant input signals (A, B, C, D) having varying values along with signals indicative of the validity of the plurality of input signals, comparison logic (42-52) compares all possible pairwise combinations of the input signals to determine which input signal in each of the input signal pairs has the greater value or to determine if the input signals in each pair have equal values. Selection logic (80) determines which one or more of the values of the input signals from the plurality of valid input signals are to be used to determine the output signal according to a predetermined criterion. The selection logic (80) has a plurality of combinational logic elements arranged to execute predetermined Boolean logic equations in determining which one or more of the values of the input signals from the plurality of valid inputs are to be used to determine the output signal (MID) according to the predetermined selection criterion.
Abstract:
A catalyst for oxidizing aqueous organic contaminants includes about 5 wt% to about 20 wt% noble metal crystallites selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, ruthenium, iridium, and combinations thereof deposited on a high surface area catalyst support. The crystallites are about 100 Å or smaller. A system for catalytically oxidizing aqueous organic contaminants has a catalyst bed containing such a catalyst, means for heating a reactor feed stream to a desired reaction temperature, means oxygenating the feed stream, and a phase separator for separating gaseous reaction products from a reactor effluent stream.
Abstract:
A flow directing element (such as a rotor blade (34) or a stator vane (44)) for the turbine section (16) of a rotary machine is disclosed. Various construction details are developed which increase the aerodynamic efficiency of the flow directing element. In one embodiment, the flow directing element is a rotor blade (34) having a roughened surface which approximates the critical roughness characteristic of the airfoil. In one particular embodiment, the roughness average of the surface lies between 120 to 200 AA microinches.
Abstract:
A thrust vectoring exhaust nozzle (10) includes a plurality of flaps (16-22) and seals (24-28) positioned by a unison ring (52) and flap links (54-60).
Abstract:
In an air cycle environmental control system, a condenser (46) removes water vapor from compressed, ambient, supply air (9) before it is expanded in a first turbine (24). The chilled outlet air (49) from the first turbine (24) is then used as coolant in the condenser (46), absorbing there the heat of vaporization of the condensed water vapor. After passing through the condenser (46), the warmed coolant is then expanded in a second turbine (26). Should the pressure of the supply air fall below predetermined levels, portions of the cycle that degrade performance or become unnecessary are bypassed.
Abstract:
A Qualitative Reasoning System performs machine failure isolation by generating a plurality of pending hypotheses (108) which assume the failure of one or more machine components and by testing each of the hypotheses by propagating actual values for machine parameters through confluence equations for the hypothesis being tested. Variables associated with hypotheses of a qualitative physics model are grouped into type I variables and type II variables, wherein any possible value measured for a type I variable is guaranteed to render at least one hypothesis inconsistent and some, but not all, possible values measured for a type II variable will render at least one hypothesis inconsistent. A set of confluences is deemed to be inconsistent by determining that there is no set of values which can be assigned to all unknown variables of the confluences which result in a consistent set of predictions. The value of an unknown variable is determined by iteratively setting the variable to each of its possible values and, for each iteration, propagating the known variables and the value of the unknown variable through confluences of the model. A model instantiator converts computer workstation user input into usable model information and provides other optimizations which reduce the number of confluences and variables of the model.
Abstract:
A fiber optic rotation sensor includes a fiber optic coil with light beams counterpropagating therein where the beams are phase modulated with a squarewave carrier at the coil eigenfrequency. The beams recombine at the coil output with a resultant optical intensity which is a measure of the change in sensor rotation rate. The recombined signal also contains an error component due to squarewave carrier imperfections which cause high frequency spikes in the modulated rate signal resulting in rotational rate bias errors. The rotational rate bias errors are reduced by demodulating the modulated rate signal with a demodulator reference signal uniformly phase dithered about the carrier signal.