Patent ID: 7654092

Claim:
A fuel modulation system for a can-annular turbine engine, comprising: at least one overall stage control valve positioned upstream from a turbine fuel manifold in a turbine engine fuel system; a plurality of fuel nozzles in fluid communication with the at least one overall stage control valve and down stream of the turbine fuel manifold, wherein the plurality of nozzles are positioned in the fuel system to inject fuel into a plurality of can-annular combustor baskets; a plurality of inline modulation valves, wherein one such inline modulation valve is positioned upstream of one of the plurality of fuel nozzles for controlling the fuel flow to each of the fuel nozzles; a control module for controlling the inline modulation valves and configured to control opening the inline modulation valves to a substantially fully opened position, modulating the at least one overall stage control valve during startup of the can-annular turbine engine, once the can-annular turbine engine is operating at a load set point, the inline modulation valves are closed at a regulated rate until the inline modulation valves reach a desired nominal position, calculating a peak dynamic pressure level for each of the combustor baskets during a timed period, calculating an average peak dynamic pressure level for all of the combustor baskets, determining whether a combustor basket having a peak dynamic pressure level other than the average peak dynamic pressure level, if the peak dynamic pressure level is greater than the average peak dynamic pressure level for the fuel nozzle, then opening the inline modulation valve for the fuel nozzle until the peak dynamic pressure level is substantially equal to the average peak dynamic pressure level, and if the peak dynamic pressure level is less than the average peak dynamic pressure level for the fuel nozzle, then closing the inline modulation valve for the fuel nozzle until the peak dynamic pressure level is substantially equal to the average peak dynamic pressure level.