IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,692,818
Granted Patent B2
US 12,692,818 · App. 18/953,021 · Granted Jul 28, 2026

Selecting fuel for use in multi-fuel aircraft powerplant based on operation settings of powerplant performance characteristics

Inventor: Jeffrey Weinstein (Cote St-Luc, CA)
Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
F02C9/40B64D31/04B64D37/30F05D2220/323
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,692,818
App. No.
18/953,021
Granted
Jul 28, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of operation is provided. The operating method includes: operating an aircraft powerplant with a powerplant performance characteristic at a first setting, the operating of the aircraft powerplant including combusting a first fuel in the aircraft powerplant; receiving a command to operate the aircraft powerplant with the powerplant performance characteristic at a second setting; modeling operation of the aircraft powerplant using a first fuel digital twin of the aircraft powerplant, the operation of the aircraft powerplant modeled to determine a first fuel value of a first operational parameter for the aircraft powerplant when operating the aircraft powerplant with the powerplant performance characteristic at the second setting and combusting the first fuel in the aircraft powerplant; and selecting the first fuel or a second fuel for operating the aircraft powerplant with the powerplant performance characteristic at the second setting based on the first fuel value of the first operational parameter.

Claims (30)

1 . A method of operation, comprising:

operating an aircraft powerplant with a powerplant performance characteristic at a first setting, the operating of the aircraft powerplant comprising combusting a first fuel in the aircraft powerplant;

receiving a command to operate the aircraft powerplant with the powerplant performance characteristic at a second setting;

modeling operation of the aircraft powerplant using a first fuel digital twin of the aircraft powerplant, the operation of the aircraft powerplant modeled to determine a first fuel value of a first operational parameter for the aircraft powerplant when operating the aircraft powerplant with the powerplant performance characteristic at the second setting and combusting the first fuel in the aircraft powerplant; and

selecting the first fuel or a second fuel for operating the aircraft powerplant with the powerplant performance characteristic at the second setting based on the first fuel value of the first operational parameter, wherein the second fuel is different than the first fuel.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the powerplant performance characteristic is a thrust output of the aircraft powerplant.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the powerplant performance characteristic is a shaft power output of the aircraft powerplant.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first setting is lower than the second setting.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the selecting the first fuel or the second fuel for the operating the aircraft powerplant with the powerplant performance characteristic at the second setting comprises

selecting the first fuel where the first fuel value of the first operational parameter is equal to or less than a first parameter threshold; and

selecting the second fuel where the first fuel value of the first operational parameter is greater than the first parameter threshold.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

modeling operation of the aircraft powerplant using a second fuel digital twin of the aircraft powerplant, the operation of the aircraft powerplant modeled to determine a second fuel value of the first operational parameter for the aircraft powerplant when operating the aircraft powerplant with the powerplant performance characteristic at the second setting and combusting the second fuel in the aircraft powerplant;

the selecting of the first fuel or the second fuel for operating the aircraft powerplant with the powerplant performance characteristic at the second setting further based on the second fuel value of the first operational parameter.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the selecting the first fuel or the second fuel for the operating the aircraft powerplant with the powerplant performance characteristic at the second setting comprises

selecting the first fuel where the first fuel value of the first operational parameter is equal to or less than a first parameter threshold; and

selecting the second fuel where the first fuel value of the first operational parameter is greater than the first parameter threshold and where the second fuel value of the first operational parameter is equal to or less than the first parameter threshold.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the selecting the first fuel or the second fuel for the operating the aircraft powerplant with the powerplant performance characteristic at the second setting further comprises selecting a default one of the first fuel or the second fuel where the first fuel value of the first operational parameter is greater than a first parameter threshold and where the second fuel value of the first operational parameter is greater than the first parameter threshold.

9 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the selecting the first fuel or the second fuel for the operating the aircraft powerplant with the powerplant performance characteristic at the second setting further comprises selecting a default one of the first fuel or the second fuel where the first fuel value of the first operational parameter is equal to or less than a first parameter threshold and where the second fuel value of the first operational parameter is equal to or less than the first parameter threshold.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein

the operation of the aircraft powerplant is modeled to determine a first fuel value of a second operational parameter for the aircraft powerplant when operating the aircraft powerplant with the powerplant performance characteristic at the second setting and combusting the first fuel in the aircraft powerplant; and

the selecting of the first fuel or the second fuel for operating the aircraft powerplant with the powerplant performance characteristic at the second setting is further based on the first fuel value of the second operational parameter.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the first operational parameter is indicative of a temperature within the aircraft powerplant, and the second operational parameter is indicative of a pressure within the aircraft powerplant.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first operational parameter is indicative of a temperature or a pressure within the aircraft powerplant.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first fuel is a non-hydrocarbon fuel, and the second fuel is a hydrocarbon fuel.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first fuel is a hydrocarbon fuel, and the second fuel is a non-hydrocarbon fuel.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first fuel is a non-sustainable aviation fuel, and the second fuel is a sustainable aviation fuel.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first fuel is a sustainable aviation, and the second fuel is a non-sustainable aviation fuel.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aircraft powerplant is configured as an aircraft propulsion system with a ducted propulsor rotor.

18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aircraft powerplant is configured as an aircraft propulsion system with an open propulsor rotor.