US 12,410,752 B2
System and method of detecting an airflow fault condition
Brandon Wayne Miller, Liberty Township, OH (US); Jeffrey Douglas Rambo, Mason, OH (US); Daniel Alan Niergarth, Norwood, OH (US); and Scott Alan Schimmels, Miamisburg, OH (US)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Evendale, OH (US)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed on Sep. 23, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/483,229.
Prior Publication US 2023/0090415 A1, Mar. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. F02C 7/18 (2006.01); F02C 9/18 (2006.01)
CPC F02C 7/185 (2013.01) [F02C 9/18 (2013.01); F05D 2260/213 (2013.01); F05D 2260/232 (2013.01); F05D 2260/606 (2013.01); F05D 2260/80 (2013.01); F05D 2270/3015 (2013.01); F05D 2270/303 (2013.01); F05D 2270/3062 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of detecting an airflow fault condition in a gas turbine engine, the method comprising:
operating the gas turbine engine with a thermal transport bus, the thermal bus including a first flow loop including a first compressor, the first flow loop configured to circulate a first intermediary heat exchange fluid flowing therethrough, wherein the first flow loop is a closed loop conduit, and a second flow loop including a second compressor, the second flow loop configured to circulate a second intermediary heat exchange fluid flowing therethrough, wherein the second flow loop is a closed loop conduit, wherein the first flow loop is fluidly isolated from and redundant to the second flow loop, wherein the first flow loop and the second flow loop are thermally coupled to a common heat source, wherein the first compressor and the second compressor are driven by a common drive system;
determining a performance characteristic of the first intermediary heat exchange fluid in the thermal transport bus is outside of a predetermined range, wherein the performance characteristic comprises a temperature, a pressure, a flowrate, or a combination thereof; and
indicating an airflow fault condition in response to determining the performance characteristic is outside of the predetermined range.