Nonlinear Control of Turbofan Engines: An Active Set-Based Method for Performance Optimization

Abstract

The inherent nonlinear nature of engine dynamics necessitates advanced design techniques for transient control. Conventional design methodologies are either not ready to apply to large flight envelope control or failing to provide protection over a variety of physical limits. This paper proposes an active set-based method for performance optimization over large envelope while providing limit protection over all sorts of constraints. Detailed design procedures are provided, and extensive numerical investigations are presented with both robustness and implantation issues discussed. Comparisons with both conventional schedule-based control and an advanced nonlinear generalized minimum variance-based (NGMV) control are conducted to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.