Airstart Performance of a Digital Electronic Engine Control System on an F100 Engine
Burcham, Frank W. (1984) Airstart Performance of a Digital Electronic Engine Control System on an F100 Engine.
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Abstract
The ability to achieve reliable and rapid airstarts is an important feature of an engine. Engine shutdowns may occur as a result of nonrecoverable stalls or over-temperatures. The airstart logic in the engine control system meters fuel to the combuster to achieve combustor light off, and then to accelerate the compressor. If the fuel flow is too high, the compressor will stall, resulting in a hot start. If the fuel flow is too low, the compressor will not accelerate, resulting in a hung start. The allowable fuel flow range between the hot start and the hung start may be very small, particularly for turbofan engines. Most engine control systems have an open-loop airstart system in which the fuel flow is preprogrammed as a function of time. Due to the normal variations between engines, the control system tolerances, and differences in fuel characteristics, these airstarts are not always successful. The NASA Ames Research Center's Dryden Flight Research Facility (DFRF) has recently tested the digital electronic engine control (DEEC) system installed on an F100 engine in an F-15 airplane. The DEEC incorporates a closed-loop airstart feature, in which the fuel flow is modulated to achieve the desired rate of compressor acceleration. With this logic, the DEEC-equipped F100 engine is capable of achieving airstarts over a larger envelope. This paper describes the DEEC airstart logic, the test program conducted on the F-15, and the results.
| EPrint Type: | Other |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Digital control, Engine control, Flight tests, F-15 airplane, F100 engine. |
| Subjects: | (01 - 09) Aeronautics: (07) Aircraft Propulsion And Power Aircraft/Project: F-100 |
| ID Code: | 2016 |
| Deposited On: | 22 July 2009 |
| Additional Information: | 13 pages. NASA CP-2298, Paper 8, Digital Electronic Engine Control (DEEC) Flight Evaluation in an F-15 Airplane, March 1984, pp. 127-139. |
