Aircraft Piston Engine Fault Detection Based on Uniformity of Cylinder Head, Exhaust Gas and Turbochargers Temperatures

Piston engines are effective solution for providing general aviation aircrafts with a small power at acceptable operating and maintenance costs. However, they lack the reliability of turbine engines. Graphic engine monitors may increase operational reliability of piston engines by providing necessary data for the proper engine operation and maintenance. They display and record numerous engine parameters including cylinder head temperatures (CHTs), exhaust gas temperatures (EGTs) and Turbine Inlet Temperatures (TITs). It is difficult to devise an adequate fault detection method due to lack of sufficient number of examples of faulty engine data. Piston engine, aside from common elements, is composed of several cylinders that contribute uniformly to engine operation. When engine is operating correctly large degree of uniformity is present among values of CHTs, EGTs and TITs (if two turbochargers are present). Method suitable for detection of engine problems is presented that exploits this uniformity and detects departure from it.