ELECTRONIC ENGINE CONTROL

ELECTRONIC ENGINE CONTROL

77. As stated in para. 8, some engines utilize a system of electronic control to monitor engine performance and make necessary control inputs to maintain certain engine parameters within predeter- mined limits. The main areas of control are engine shaft speeds and exhaust gas temperature (E.G.T.) which are continuously monitored during engine operation. Some types of electronic control function as a limiter only, that is, should engine shaft speed or E.G.T. approach the limits of safe operation, then an  input is made to the fuel flow regulator (F.F.R.) to reduce the fuel flow thus maintaining shaft speed or E.G.T. at a safe level. Supervisory control systems may contain a limiter function but, basically, by using aircraft generated data, the system enables a more appropriate thrust setting to be selected quickly and accurately by the pilot. The control system then  makes small control adjustments to maintain engine thrust consistent with that pre-set by the pilot, regardless of changing atmospheric conditions. Full authority digital engine control (FAD.E.G.) takes over virtually all of the steady state and transient control intelligence and replaces most of the hydromechani-cal and pneumatic elements of the fuel system. The  fuel system is thus reduced to a pump and control valve, an independent shut-off cock and a minimum of additional features necessary to keep the engine safe in the event of extensive electronic failure.

78. Full authority fuel control (F.A.F.C.) provides full electronic control of the engine fuel system in the sameway as F.A.D.E.C., but has none of the transient control intelligence capability used to control the  compressor airflow system as the existing engine control system is used for these

A proportional flow control system.

Fig. 10-7  A proportional flow control system.

23. H.P. compressor shaft r.p.m. is governed by a hydro-mechanical governor which uses hydraulic pressure proportional to engine speed as its controlling parameter. A rotating spill valve senses the engine speed and the controlling pressure is used to limit the pump stroke and so prevent over-speeding of the H.P. shaft rotating assembly. The controlling pressure is unaffected by changes in fuelspecific gravity.

24. At low H.P. shaft speeds, the rotating spill valve is held open, but as engine speed increases, centrifugal loading moves the valve towards the closed position against the diaphragm loads. This restricts the bleed of fuel to the L.P. side of the valve until, at governed speed, the governor pressure deflects the servo control diaphragm and opens the servo spill valve to control the fuel flow and thereby the H.P. shaft speed. 

25. If the engine gas temperature attempts to exceed the maximum limitation, the current in the L.P. speed limiter and temperature control solenoid is reduced. This opens the spill valve to reduce the pressure on the pressure drop control diaphragm. The flow control spill valve then opens to reduce the pump servo pressure and fuel pump output.

26. To prevent the L.P. compressor from over-speeding, multi-spool engines usually have an L.P. compressor shaft speed governor. A signal of L.P. shaft speed and intake temperature is fed to an amplifier and solenoid valve, the valve limiting the fuel flow in the same way as the gas temperature control (para. 25).

27. The system described uses main and starting spray nozzles under the control of an H.P. shut-off valve. Two starting nozzles are fitted in the combustion chamber, each being forward of an igniter plug. When the engine has started, the fuel flow to these nozzles is cut off by the H.P. shut-off valve.

28. To ensure that a satisfactory fuel pressure to the spray nozzles is maintained at high altitudes, a back pressure valve, located downstream of the throttle valve, raises the pressure levels sufficiently to ensure satisfactory operation of the fuel 

Fuel control system

Fuel system





hydro-mechanical, and the acceleration and speed control and pressure ratio control systems, which are mechanical. With the exception of the pressure ratio control system, which uses a gear-type pump, all the systems use a variable-stroke, multi-plunger type fuel pump to supply the fuel to the spray nozzles.

8. Some engines are fitted with an electronic system of control and this generally involves the use of electronic circuits to measure and translat changing engine conditions to automatically adjust the fuel pump output. On helicopters powered by gas turbine engines using the free-power turbine principle (Part 5), additional manual and automatic controls on the engine govern the free-power turbine and, consequently, aircraft rotor speed.

AIRFLOW CONTROL - A hydraulically operated bleed valve and inlet guide vane airflow control system.

Fig. 3-15 Typical variable stator vanes.

AIRFLOW CONTROL
30. Where high pressure ratios on a single shaft are required it becomes necessary to introduce airflow control into the compressor design. This may take the form of variable inlet guide vanes for the first stage plus a number of stages incorporating variable stator vanes for the succeeding stages as the shaft pressure ratio is increased (fig. 3-15). As the compressor speed is reduced from its design value these static vanes are progressively closed in order to maintain an acceptable air angle value onto the following rotor blades. Additionally interstage bleed may be provided but its use in design is now usually limited to the provision of extra margin while the engine is being accelerated, because use at steady operating conditions is inefficient and wasteful of fuel. Three types of air bleed systems are illustrated as follows: fig. 3-16 hydraulic, fig. 3-17 pneumatic and fig. 3-18 electronic.
MATERIALS
31. Materials are chosen to achieve the most cost effective design for the components in question, in practice for aero engine design this need is usually best satisfied by the lightest design that technology allows for the given loads and temperatures prevailing.

Fig. 3-16 A hydraulically operated bleed valve and inlet guide vane airflow control system.

Fig. 3-17 A pneumatically operated bleed valve system.