Patent Description:
Volcanic ash ejected into the atmosphere by explosive eruptions can have damaging effects on aircraft and their air-breathing engines. Ash particles can abrade forward-facing surfaces, including windscreens, fuselage surfaces, and compressor and fan blades. Ash contamination can also lead to failure of critical navigational and operational instruments. Moreover, the melting temperature of the glassy silicate material in an ash cloud is lower than combustion temperatures in modern aircraft engines. Consequently, ash particles sucked into an engine can melt quickly and accumulate as solidified deposits in cooler parts of the engine.

<CIT> discloses a method and system for diagnosing a condition of an engine using lubrication fluid analysis.

<NPL>" discloses volcanic ash plume analysis, trajectory from satellites, analysis of ash particles collected in cabin air heat exchanger filters and removed from the engines, and data from onboard instruments and engine conditions.

In accordance with a first aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method for diagnosing a condition of an air-breathing aircraft engine in accordance with claim <NUM>.

In an embodiment according to the previous embodiment, determining the quantity of volcanic ash per particle comprises, for each one of the particles: determining a first percentage of a surface area covered by a first material corresponding to the predetermined chemical composition for volcanic ash and at least one second percentage of the surface area covered by the at least one other material; and estimating a mass of the volcanic ash per particle based at least on the first percentage and the second percentage.

In an embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, estimating the mass of the volcanic ash per particle comprises determining a particle density based on the first percentage, the at least one second percentage, a density of the first material, and a density of the at least one other material; and estimating the mass of the first material based at least on the first percentage and the particle density.

In an embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, the method further comprises selecting the predetermined chemical composition for the volcanic ash from a plurality of predetermined chemical compositions for volcanic ash.

In an embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, the plurality of predetermined chemical compositions for volcanic ash correspond to volcanic ash found in different geographical regions, and selecting the predetermined chemical composition comprises selecting one of the geographical regions as a function of a flight history associated with the engine.

In an embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, the at least one other material comprises one second material, and wherein the first percentage and the second percentage correspond to about <NUM>% of the surface area.

In an embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, obtaining chemical composition data comprises using a scanning electron microscope to obtain the chemical composition data.

In an embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, the first material is a first alloy and the at least one other material is a second alloy.

In accordance with a second aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a system for diagnosing a condition of an air-breathing aircraft engine in accordance with claim <NUM>.

In an embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, estimating the mass of the volcanic ash per particle comprises: determining a particle density based on the first percentage, the at least one second percentage, a density of the first material, and a density of the at least one other material; and estimating the mass of the first material based at least on the first percentage and the particle density.

In an embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, the program code is further executable for selecting the predetermined chemical composition for the volcanic ash from a plurality of predetermined chemical compositions for volcanic ash.

In an embodiment according to any of the previous embodiments, obtaining chemical composition data comprises receiving the data from a scanning electron microscope.

In accordance with a third aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon program code executable by a processor for carrying out the methods described herein.

Any of the above features may be used together, in any combination.

Volcanic ash can reach high into the atmosphere and intersect airspace. Violent eruptions can reach the tropopause (at about <NUM>,<NUM> ft (about <NUM>,<NUM>)) and even penetrate into the stratosphere. Aircraft often fly just below the tropopause. Volcanic emissions remain in the atmosphere for different amounts of time, from hours to years, depending on the height they initially reach. It is estimated that <NUM> to <NUM>% of all volcanic ashes will remain in suspension in the air, with the ashes having a diameter between <NUM>-<NUM>. Therefore, aircraft that fly over certain geographical regions which comprise or are adjacent to one or more volcanos are likely to take-in varying quantities of ash through the engine. The volcanic ash that enters through the engine of an aircraft may then make its way into the lubricating fluid of the engine.

There are described herein methods and systems for determining a quantity of volcanic ash in a lubricating fluid of an air-breathing aircraft engine. These methods and systems may be used for engine diagnostics, in particular for gas turbine engines. In some embodiments, the methods and systems described herein may be used for optimizing routes taken by aircraft in certain geographical regions, to reduce and/or minimize exposure of the aircraft to volcanic ash.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a gas turbine engine <NUM> to which the methods and systems described herein may be applied. Note that while engine <NUM> is a turbofan engine, the methods and systems described herein may be applicable to turboprop, turboshaft, and other types of engines. Engine <NUM> generally comprises in serial flow communication: a fan <NUM> through which ambient air is propelled, a compressor section <NUM> for pressurizing the air, a combustor <NUM> in which the compressed air is mixed with fuel and ignited for generating an annular stream of hot combustion gases, and a turbine section <NUM> for extracting energy from the combustion gases. Axis <NUM> defines an axial direction of the engine <NUM>. In some embodiments, a low pressure spool is composed of a low pressure shaft and a low pressure turbine <NUM>. The low pressure shaft drives the fan <NUM>. A high pressure spool is composed of a high pressure turbine <NUM> attached to a high pressure shaft, which is connected to the compressor section <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the disclosed methods and systems may provide diagnostic and analytical tools based on analysis of particles in fluids, such as engine oil or other lubricants and may provide advance detection of premature wear on specific engine parts and/or detection of failure mechanisms. In some embodiments, the disclosed methods and systems may be suitable for failure prediction for gas turbine engines operating in the field. The disclosed methods and systems may be used for prediction of other wear events including prediction of events other than failure using analysis of any suitable lubricating fluid of the engine. The disclosed methods and systems may also be used to detect any abnormal behavior of an engine component in contact with a lubrication fluid system, for example.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of an exemplary system <NUM> for diagnosing a condition of an engine such as the gas turbine engine <NUM> and which uses a fluid for lubricating some of its components, such as bearings. System <NUM> comprises an engine diagnostic system <NUM> and suitable data acquisition equipment <NUM> of known or other type. The engine diagnosis system <NUM> may comprise one or more fluid analysis modules <NUM>, such as a fluid analysis module configured to determine a level of volcanic ash in a fluid sample. In some embodiments, a separate fluid analysis module <NUM> is provided to determine the level of each one of a plurality of components that may be found in a lubricating fluid.

The engine diagnosis system <NUM> and data acquisition equipment <NUM> may be considered part of a workstation <NUM>, such as for a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Accordingly, data acquisition equipment <NUM> may comprise an SEM and other related devices, although any other suitable devices/methods for extracting the relevant information from particles <NUM> filtered from lubricating fluid sample <NUM> may be used. In some embodiments, data acquisition equipment <NUM> may comprise an SEM and an X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) detector for carrying out particle analysis. For example, data acquisition equipment <NUM> may comprise an automated SEM, such as that from Aspex Corporation. In some embodiments, the automated SEM may not require the presence of a human to select the particle(s) <NUM> that will be analyzed. In some embodiments, software and/or hardware included in workstation <NUM> may automatically recognize the presence of a particle <NUM> and may then automatically move a stage and/or an electron beam to the particle(s) <NUM> on which to perform the analysis.

System <NUM> may be used to conduct analysis of particles <NUM> filtered from lubricating fluid sample <NUM>. Data acquisition equipment <NUM> may be used to analyze filtered particles <NUM> and generate input data <NUM>. Input data <NUM> may be processed using engine diagnosis system <NUM> in order to generate output data <NUM>. In some embodiments, output data <NUM> may be representative of a diagnosis of the condition of the engine and may be delivered to a user of system <NUM> or other authorized party via output device(s) <NUM> (e.g., one or more screens and/or printers) for displaying and/or otherwise providing a report of the result(s) of the diagnosis. System <NUM> may include one or more input devices (e.g., keyboard and mouse) for receiving user input, as well as one or more data ports and/or communication ports for receiving and/or transmitting data (e.g., wirelessly or through wired connections) from/to other processors, systems and/or devices. Processing of input data <NUM> by engine diagnosis system <NUM> may make use of reference data for comparison purpose. It is understood that processing of input data <NUM> may be performed using one or more processors external to workstation <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, there is illustrated a flowchart of an example method <NUM> for diagnosing a condition of an engine, such as engine <NUM>. At step <NUM>, a sample fluid is obtained. For example, a sample of used lubricating fluid is obtained from the engine under diagnosis. In the case of a fluid sample from an aircraft engine, the fluid sample may be collected by an aircraft operator. More than one sample may be obtained. The amount of fluid sample obtained (e.g., <NUM> or less) may be selected in order to obtain a certain number of particles. For example, it may be known or expected that a given engine should have a certain density of particles in the fluid after a certain number of operating hours. The volume of fluid sample obtained may thus be determined in order to obtain an optimal quantity of particles. The frequency of sampling may be determined based on the operating hours per year, the maturity of the engine, the typical behavior of the engine type and/or the history of unscheduled engine removal for that engine type, for example. Any known or other engine fluid sampling method may be used, such as but not limited to pressurized line sampling, drop tube sampling, and drain port sampling.

At step <NUM>, the sample of fluid is filtered to obtain a plurality of particles from the sample. Filtering may be performed using various techniques. For example, a collected fluid sample may be filtered using a very fine filter, such as a <NUM> filter, in order to filter out even very small particles (e.g., particles sized as small as <NUM> in diameter or smaller). Using such a filter, a sample of about <NUM> may produce a surface sample of about <NUM> in diameter. The particles obtained may range in size from about <NUM> to about <NUM>, for example, although smaller or larger particles may also be obtained. The volume of fluid sample filtered and the size of the sample prepared may vary, such as according to the number of particles in the fluid. The volume of fluid sample that is filtered may be determined based on the type of engine and/or the expected normal levels of particles in the fluid. In some examples, the obtained density of particles may be <NUM> particles per mm<NUM>. Other densities may also be used.

At step <NUM> chemical composition data is obtained for the particles. Each particle of the sample may be analyzed, for example, using an SEM equipped to perform x-ray spectroscopy, although any other suitable methods may also be used. A subset of the particles (e.g., <NUM>% or less) may be analyzed while ensuring a good representation of the whole sample is captured. The analysis of the subset may be normalized to reflect the result for the full sample. For an average fluid sample, about <NUM> to <NUM> particles may be analyzed. Suitable image analyzer software, such as those conventionally used with SEM, may be used to collect data about particle composition. Analysis of each particle may produce a respective set of data for that particle, for example there may be up to <NUM> data points for each particle, the data describing various features of the particle (e.g., size, shape and composition, among others).

According to the present invention, obtaining the chemical composition data comprises receiving the chemical composition data from a data acquisition device, such as the SEM. In some embodiments, obtaining the chemical composition data comprises performing the acquisition of the data using a data acquisition device, such as the SEM.

At step <NUM>, a quantity of volcanic ash in the fluid sample is determined based on the chemical composition data, the volcanic ash having associated thereto a predetermined chemical composition. Each particle is considered as composed partially of volcanic ash and partially of at least one other material, and the sample is analyzed to determine the level of volcanic ash therein.

In some embodiments, the volcanic ash is considered as a first alloy and the one or more other material making up the particle is considered as a second alloy.

In some embodiments, volcanic ash is categorized according to its silica content. Mafic ash (e.g. basalt) has a silica content between about <NUM>% and about <NUM>% and is rich in the minerals of feldspar, pyroxene, and olivine group. Felsic ash (e.g. rhyolite) has a silica content above about <NUM>% and is rich in quartz and feldspar. Intermediate ash includes, for example, andesite (about <NUM>% to about <NUM>% silica) and dacite (about <NUM>% to about <NUM>% silica). In addition to silica, volcanic ashes may be composed of several oxides, such as ferrous, aluminum, magnesium, calcium, sodium, and several trace elements.

In some embodiments, volcanic ash is categorized according to its source. Studies have shown that the basic composition of the ash from Mount St Helens consists of approximately <NUM>% SiO<NUM>, <NUM>% Al<NUM>O<NUM>, <NUM>% FetO<NUM>, <NUM>% MgO, <NUM>% CaO, <NUM>% Na<NUM>O, and <NUM>% S. This chemical composition is specific to the ash that comes from Mount St. The volcanic ash from another volcano, for example from Mount Stromboli in Italy, may therefore differ in chemical composition.

In order to determine a quantity of volcanic ash from a fluid sample, a specific volcanic ash composition of interest may be selected. In some embodiments, more than one volcanic ash composition is of interest. As such, the fluid sample may be analyzed in order to find any one of a plurality of volcanic ash compositions of interest. The various volcanic ash compositions may be predetermined and stored in one or more storage mediums, such as a memory, and accessed by the fluid analysis module <NUM>.

In some embodiments, some of the particles in the fluid sample are composed in part of volcanic ash. The overall quantity of volcanic ash is thus determined by considering what percentage of surface area of the particles are covered by volcanic ash, and extrapolating from that percentage a mass of volcanic ash in the sample of fluid. An example embodiment is illustrated in <FIG>.

At step <NUM>, the percentage of surface area covered by a first material (the volcanic ash) and at least one other material (another alloy) are determined using : <MAT>.

S<NUM> is the percentage of volcanic ash and S<NUM> is the percentage of the other alloy making up the particle. For the purpose of the present example, it is assumed that the at least one other material corresponds to a second material. The values found for S<NUM> and S<NUM> may be measured using, for example, the data acquisition equipment <NUM> of the workstation <NUM>. In some embodiments, the surface of the particle is covered by three or more alloys, including volcanic ash and two or more other materials. In such cases, equation (<NUM>) as well as equations (<NUM>) to (<NUM>) found below may be adapted accordingly.

At step <NUM>, the particle density is determined based on the percentages of the first and second materials, and on the densities of the first and second materials: <MAT>.

D<NUM> and D<NUM> are the densities of the first and second materials, respectively, and Dp is the density of the particle. The density D<NUM> is a known value associated with the specific chemical composition for volcanic ash. The density D<NUM> may be estimated based on the chemical composition of the second material, as measured.

At step <NUM>, the mass of the volcanic ash (or first material) for the particle is determined based on the percentage of surface area of the particle it covers, the density of the particle, and the particle geometry. An estimated volume of the particle Vp may be found using: <MAT>.

The Area corresponds to the total surface area of a particle, such as <NUM> for a particle having dimensions of <NUM> × <NUM>. The smallest dimension corresponds to the smallest of the two dimensions forming the Area, for example <NUM> in the example of a particle having dimensions of <NUM> × <NUM>. With the volume (Vp) and the density (Dp) of the particle, the mass (Mp) may be found using: <MAT>.

Using the mass of the particle, the mass of volcanic ash forming the particle (M<NUM>) may be found using: <MAT>.

At step <NUM>, the quantity of volcanic ash in the sample is determined as the sum of the mass of volcanic ash for each particle: <MAT>.

Vs is the volume (in mL) of the fluid sample analyzed. Although provided in mg/L, the mass of volcanic ash may be obtained in other units, such as g/L or g/mL, as will be readily understood. In some embodiments, only a subset of the particles from the sample will comprise volcanic ash. For the other particles, the value for S<NUM> will be set to zero and the result for M<NUM> will also be zero.

Referring back to <FIG>, at step <NUM>, once the quantity of volcanic ash in the fluid sample (or per given unit of fluid) is obtained, a condition of the engine may be diagnosed. The condition may comprise a number of remaining flight hours for the engine, an expected need for engine maintenance, a level of impact of the volcanic ash on the engine, a reduction in efficiency of the engine (i.e. <NUM>%, <NUM>%, <NUM>%, etc), a reorganization of flight route, and the like.

Table <NUM> below is an example lookup table that may be used for engine diagnosis, for example by the engine diagnosis system <NUM>.

Table <NUM> below is another example lookup table that may be used for engine diagnosis.

Reference data may be used to establish the impact of the volcanic ash on the engine. For example, reference engines from a common engine family having previously been exposed to a given level of volcanic ash may be analyzed to obtain the reference data. In some embodiments, the reference data is presented as one or more averages for all reference engines. The reference engines used for the reference data may form part of a common family with the engine under analysis. An engine family may be defined by any engine characteristic, such as type, model, operating principle, configuration, use, performance, thrust, torque, speed, power, etc. An engine family may also be defined by two or more engine features. For example, a family may correspond to turboprop engines, or turboprop engines in use in aircraft, or turboprop engines in use in aircraft and weighing between <NUM> and <NUM>. In another example, a family may correspond to a specific model or series, such as the PT-<NUM> Series from Pratt & Whitney Canada. In some embodiments, a family may comprise sub-families, i.e. the family has at least one common engine characteristic and each sub-family has at least one additional common engine characteristic. Various combinations may be used.

In some embodiments, the reference data is presented as a percentage of selected engines matching one or more events. For example, out of <NUM> reference engines selected, i.e. comprising a similar level of volcanic ash per sample of lubricating fluid, the reference data may be presented as: <NUM>% operated <NUM> hours without any problems, <NUM>% operated <NUM> hours without any problems, <NUM>% operated <NUM> hours without any problems, <NUM>% operated <NUM> hours without any problems. Other events may also be used in this format.

In some embodiments, diagnosing a condition of the engine, as per step <NUM>, comprises assigning a rating to the engine. Various types of engine rating systems may be used, and comprise any number of rating levels, such as two, three, four, and more. The ratings may be associated with an expected time until maintenance, or an expected time until breakdown. The rating may be determined using only the reference data of the reference engines, or a combination of reference data of the reference engines and historical/current data of the engine under analysis. For example, if the expected time until maintenance is <NUM> hours, the probability of achievement will be <NUM>% based on the reference engines. Other rating systems may readily apply.

In some embodiments, the condition of the engine is used to determine whether an aircraft having a given engine should be deployed or not for a mission. In some embodiments, the condition of the engine is used to determine the route to use for a given mission. In some embodiments, the method <NUM> further comprises a step of taking a maintenance action based on the diagnosing, such as but not limited to issuing a report on the level of volcanic ash in the engine, setting a flag indicating a need for inspection, performing further inspection of the engine, and the like.

<FIG> is an example embodiment of a computing device <NUM> for implementing the engine diagnosis system <NUM> and/or the fluid analysis module <NUM> described above. The processing unit <NUM> may comprise any suitable devices configured to cause a series of steps to be performed such that instructions <NUM>, when executed by the computing device <NUM> or other programmable apparatus, may cause the functions/acts/steps specified in the methods described herein to be executed. The processing unit <NUM> may comprise, for example, any type of general-purpose microprocessor or microcontroller, a digital signal processing (DSP) processor, a CPU, an integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a reconfigurable processor, other suitably programmed or programmable logic circuits, or any combination thereof.

The memory <NUM> may include a suitable combination of any type of computer memory that is located either internally or externally to device, for example random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electro-optical memory, magneto-optical memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), and electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM) or the like. In some embodiments, the memory <NUM> stores one or more specific chemical composition for volcanic ash. In some embodiments, the memory <NUM> stores reference data from reference engines, and/or one or more lookup tables associating various levels of volcanic ash with corresponding engine conditions.

The methods and systems for diagnosing a condition of an engine and/or for determining a level of volcanic ash in a fluid sample as described herein may be implemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programming or scripting language, or a combination thereof, to communicate with or assist in the operation of a computer system, for example the computing device <NUM>. Alternatively, the methods and systems for diagnosing a condition of an engine and/or for determining a level of volcanic ash in a fluid sample may be implemented in assembly or machine language. The language may be a compiled or interpreted language. Program code for implementing the methods and systems for diagnosing a condition of an engine and/or for determining a level of volcanic ash in a fluid sample may be stored on a storage media or a device, for example a ROM, a magnetic disk, an optical disc, a flash drive, or any other suitable storage media or device. The program code may be readable by a general or special-purpose programmable computer for configuring and operating the computer when the storage media or device is read by the computer to perform the procedures described herein. Embodiments of the methods and systems for diagnosing a condition of an engine and/or for determining a level of volcanic ash in a fluid sample may also be considered to be implemented by way of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. The computer program may comprise computer-readable instructions which cause a computer, or more specifically the processing unit <NUM> of the computing device <NUM>, to operate in a specific and predefined manner to perform the functions described herein.

The above description is meant to be exemplary only, and one skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed. Still other modifications which fall within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of a review of this disclosure.

Claim 1:
A method (<NUM>) for diagnosing a condition of an air-breathing aircraft engine (<NUM>), the method (<NUM>) comprising:
obtaining a sample of lubricating fluid (<NUM>) from the engine (<NUM>);
filtering the sample (<NUM>) to obtain a plurality of particles (<NUM>) from the lubricating fluid; and
obtaining chemical composition data (<NUM>) for the plurality of particles (<NUM>), characterized in that the method further comprises:
determining a quantity of volcanic ash in the lubricating fluid (<NUM>) by considering each one of the particles (<NUM>) as composed partially of volcanic ash and partially of at least one other material, analyzing the chemical composition data (<NUM>), the volcanic ash having associated thereto a predetermined chemical composition, determining the quantity of volcanic ash per particle (<NUM>), and summing the quantity of volcanic ash per particle (<NUM>) to obtain the quantity of volcanic ash in the lubricating fluid (<NUM>); and
diagnosing a condition of the engine (<NUM>) based on the quantity of volcanic ash found in the lubricating fluid (<NUM>).