Patent ID: 8566001

Claim:
A method for controlling a gas turbine engine having a compressor, at least one combustor, a turbine, and a control system, the method comprising: providing an evaporation cooler for treating air entering the compressor; providing a first temperature sensor designed to measure a temperature of the air entering an inlet of the compressor; providing a second temperature sensor designed to measure ambient air temperature; determining whether the evaporation cooler is actively importing water content into the air entering the inlet of the compressor via a process comprising: (a) receiving the compressor-inlet air temperature from the first temperature sensor; (b) receiving the ambient air temperature from the second temperature sensor; and (c) comparing the compressor-inlet air temperature to the ambient air temperature; when a value of the ambient air temperature overcomes a value of the compressor-inlet air temperature by a predetermined threshold, recognizing that the evaporation cooler is actively importing water content into the inlet air; and when the evaporation cooler is recognized as actively importing water content into the inlet air, invoking an evaporation-cooler correction process that adjusts a fuel-flow split, the evaporation cooler correction process comprising: deriving an evaporation cooler (EC) correction factor as a function of a difference between the ambient air temperature and the compressor-inlet air temperature; performing a calculation that combines the EC correction factor and the compressor-inlet air temperature; and designating a resultant value of the combination as an inlet temperature parameter.