A full authority digital engine control system (FADEC) has been configured for the marine gas turbine engine being developed at the Gas Turbine Research Establishment, Bangalore, India. This paper presents the development of a prototype FADEC for this aero-derivative marine gas turbine engine. A dual-redundant architecture, with two identical digital electronic control units (DECU) in an active-standby configuration, was chosen to provide the necessary reliability, availability and maintainability. The system provides automatic control of engine fuel flow and compressor variable geometry, without exceeding parameter limits, so as to control either the speed of the gas generator or the power turbine in order to meet the power demanded. While the control units incorporate hardware and software features to detect and accommodate faults, an independent electronic trip system was included as a part of the overall control system to handle those situations resulting in uncontrolled overspeeding or safety interlock requirements. Recognizing the global trend towards the use of commercial off the shelf (COTS) technology, the system was configured with industry proven hardware and software. In addition, a hydro-mechanical backup control provides limited operational capability in the event of electronic control failure.
The identification of compressors’ pre-surge effects for use in an adaptive gas-turbine engine control system
