iTEDS: the intelligent Turbine Engine Diagnostic System

Intelligent Automation Corporation (IAC) is developing for the Air Force a system to detect the onset of turbine engine augmentor instabilities known as “rumble” and “screech” for test cells. These combustion instabilities can be potentially harmful to the engine and are known to cause premature failures in gas turbine components. The approach developed by IAC involves using a unique combination of signal processing algorithms to extract the augmentor fault signature from the existing case mounted accelerometer data. The processing coupled with IAC's vibration data collection hardware forms a cost effective solution that enables straightforward integration into the existing test cell environment, and can be easily configured for all engine types. The approach also lends itself to on-aircraft applications for continuous in-flight health monitoring. The prototype rumble and screech detection system being developed, is called the intelligent Turbine Engine Diagnostic System (iTEDS). iTEDS builds on both software and hardware technology funded by the US Army for monitoring engines and drive trains for helicopters as well as an intelligent Machinery Diagnostics System (iMDS) Matlab toolbox being developed for the Air Force. The system includes a robust library of machinery fault detection algorithms that will be used as a general purpose diagnostic and prognostic tool for gas turbine health monitoring. The hardware system includes a web server so that interfacing with the system can be accomplished using a standard browser. Described here is the hardware system, the iMDS toolset, algorithms developed for iTEDS, and data processing examples.