PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Fuel Controls Are Smarter Than Pilots
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Old 10th February 2006 | 16:42
  #5 (permalink)  
Shawn Coyle
 
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 1,835
Likes: 3
From: Philadelphia PA
I hate to disagree with 212man, but some Digital Engine Controls will limit the amount of power.
It depends more on the airframe manufacturer than the engine manufacturer, it seems. One engine fitted to several airframes has a torque limiter on one machine (110% per engine when both are working) but not on another. The torque limiter in this case merely limits fuel flow. For engines with 30 second ratings, most DEC will also limit the fuel flow when the first 30" limit is reached. One manufacturer put in a limit over-ride to go above the 30" limit on a one-time save-your-life basis.
Some hydro-mechanical fuel controls have limiting on N1, so this is not a completely new idea. What is new is that TOT and torque can now become limiting items as well.
It would be nice to have a 'soft' limit at takeoff power, so you could pull to that value without having to sort out which of several limits it was, and when reached, it drooped the rotor RPM as it prevented you exceeding the limit.
Since the computer records everything, what I would like to see is some logic that says "If we limit at takeoff power and droop the rotor, and the pilot is still pulling up on the collective when the rotor RPM reaches the minimum power on rotor speed, drop all the takeoff limits and give him what you can safely give him, but record it all". At least you might probably be there to defend yourself if you had to use the power.
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