An analog fuel control for a gas turbine engine was compared with several state space derived fuel controls. A single spool, simple cycle gas turbine engine was modeled using ACSL (high level simulation language based on FORTRAN). The model included an analog fuel control representative of existing commercial fuel controls. The ACSL model was stripped of non-essential states to produce an 8 state linear state space model of the engine. The A, B, and C matrices, derived from rated operating conditions, were used to obtain feedback control gains by the following methods: (1) state feedback; (2) LQR theory; (3) Bellman method; and (4) polygonal search. An off-load transient followed by an on-load transient was run for each of these fuel controls. The transient curves obtained were used to compare the state space fuel controls with the analog fuel control. The state space fuel controls did better than the analog control.

An analog fuel control for a gas turbine engine was compared with several state-space derived fuel controls. A single-spool, simple cycle gas turbine engine was modeled using ACSL (high level simulation language based on FORTRAN). The model included an analog fuel control representative of existing commercial fuel controls. The ACSL model was stripped of nonessential states to produce an eight-state linear state-space model of the engine. The A, B, and C matrices, derived from rated operating conditions, were used to obtain feedback control gains by the following methods: (1) state feedback; (2) LQR theory; (3) Bellman method; and (4) polygonal search. An off-load transient followed by an on-load transient was run for each of these fuel controls. The transient curves obtained were used to compare the state-space fuel controls with the analog fuel control. The state-space fuel controls did better than the analog control.

Analytical studies are currently being conducted by the David Taylor Naval Ship R&D Center to assess the suitability of regenerative-cycle and intercooled, regenerative-cycle gas turbines for naval applications. This paper is the second part of a two-part paper which discusses results of initial investigations to identify attractive engine concepts based on existing turbomachinery and to consider the regenerator technology required to develop these engine concepts. Part I of the paper analyzed existing and next generation engines for performance improvement. Part II includes: definitions of performance parameters such as effectiveness and pressure drop, a discussion of regenerator types, and comments on regenerator materials, life, maintenance, and fouling. Tradeoffs between size, weight, and performance of plate-fin recuperators are examined using two of the hypothetical engines from Part I as examples. Results are compared for several different recuperator matrices to illustrate the effects of air-side and gas-side fin density and plate spacing on size, weight, and performance.

A multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) controller for an advanced gas turbine has been developed and tested using a computer simulation. The engine modeled is a two-and-one half spool gas turbine with both an intercooler and a regenerator. In addition, variable stator vanes are present in the free-power turbine. This advanced engine is proposed for future naval propulsion for both mechanical drive ships and electrical drive ships. The designed controller controls free-power turbine speed and turbine inlet temperature using fuel flow and angle of the stator vanes. The controller will also have four modes of operation to deal with over temperature and over speed conditions. An eight state reduced order controller was used with pole placement and LQR to arrive at control gains. Both these methods required considerable insight into the problem. This insight was provided by previous experience with controller design for a less complicated engine, and also by use of a polyhedral search model of the gas turbine engine. The difficulty with a MIMO controller was that both inputs affect both of the control variables. The classical resolution of this problem is to have one input control one variable at a fast time constant and the other input control the other variable at a slow time constant. The “optimal” resolution of this problem is analyzed using the transient curves and basic control theory.

A two-and-one-half spool gas turbine engine was modeled using the Advanced Computer Simulation Language (ACSL), a high level simulation environment based on FORTRAN. A possible future high efficiency engine for powering naval ships is an intercooled, regenerated (ICR) gas turbine engine and these features were incorporated into the model. Utilizing sophisticated instructions available in ACSL linear state-space models for this engine were obtained. A high level engineering computational language, MATLAB, was employed to exercise these models to obtain optimal feedback controllers characterized by the following methods: (1) state feedback; (2) linear quadratic regulator (LQR) theory; and (3) polygonal search. The methods were compared by examining the transient curves for a fixed off-load, and on-load profile.