Air turbine starter and starting method thereof
An air turbine starter (ATS) assembly includes a rotatable pinion gear ( 72 ) wherein the rotatable pinion gear is coupled to a combustion engine ( 10 ), a speed sensor ( 78 ) measuring the rotational speed ( 302 ) of the rotatable pinion gear ( 72 ), a torque sensor ( 79 ) providing a torque output ( 304 ) indicative of a torque experienced by the pinion gear ( 72 ), and a controller module configured to operate a starting sequence for the ATS assembly such that the rotational speed ( 302 ) is controllably increased while the torque output ( 304 ) is kept below the start sequence torque threshold ( 310 ).
1. A method of starting a combustion engine started with a starter, the method comprising:
during a start sequence of the combustion engine, monitoring, by a controller module, a speed parameter indicative of a rotational speed of the starter rotationally coupled with the combustion engine and a torque parameter indicative of a torque of the starter;
determining, in the controller module, whether the monitored speed parameter exceeds a corresponding speed value included in a start sequence speed profile and whether the monitored torque parameter exceeds a predetermined torque threshold indicative of causing damage to a pinion of the starter; and
in response to determining the monitored speed parameter does not exceed the corresponding speed value of the start sequence speed profile and the monitored torque parameter does not exceed the predetermined torque threshold, controllably increasing the rotational speed of the starter by the controller module such that the increasing prevents the monitored torque parameter from satisfying the predetermined torque threshold.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the torque parameter further comprises monitoring a torque experienced by a gear train of the starter.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining whether the monitored torque experienced by the gear train exceeds a predetermined torque threshold indicative of causing damage to the gear train.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining whether the monitored speed parameter exceeds a target rotational speed prior to expiration of a target period of time.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising determining whether the monitored speed parameter exceeds the target rotational speed prior to the target period of time.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the monitoring the torque parameter of the starter includes monitoring the torque parameter of at least one of an electric starter, pneumatic starter, or hydraulic starter.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the monitoring the torque parameter of the pneumatic starter includes monitoring the torque parameter of a turbine air starter.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the controllably increasing the rotational speed of the starter includes controlling a valve to provide a pressurized air supply to the turbine air starter.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising ceasing the increasing of the rotational speed of the starter when the combustion engine attains a self-sustaining operating rotational speed.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining whether the monitored torque parameter exceeds the predetermined torque threshold.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising in response to determining the monitored torque parameter exceeds the predetermined torque threshold, at least one of: controllably decreasing the rotational speed of the starter by the controller module, controllably maintaining the rotational speed of the starter by the controller module, or ceasing the start sequence by the controller module.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining whether the monitored speed parameter exceeds the corresponding speed value included in the start sequence speed profile, where the corresponding speed value is indicative of attaining a self-sustaining operating rotational speed and ceasing the increasing of the rotational speed of the starter when the combustion engine attains the corresponding speed value.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein monitoring the torque parameter further comprises monitoring a torque experienced by a rotatable turbine of the starter.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining whether the monitored torque experienced by the rotatable turbine exceeds a predetermined torque threshold indicative of causing damage to the rotatable turbine.