COMPRESSOR WATER-WASH ADVISORY

A compressor water-wash advisory system (302) generates compressor water-wash notifications or initiates on-line water-wash cycles for a gas turbine or turbofan jet engine based on monitored health parameters of the engine. A high-fidelity model of engine compressor performance defines nominal expected values of engine performance parameters, such as compressor efficiency and air flow, as a function of current operating conditions. A tracking filter component (308) compares the modeled performance parameters with actual calculated performance parameters obtained from sensor data, and maintains a separate actual model of engine performance that modifies the nominal performance parameter values to match the calculated parameter values using parameter modifiers. A health index is derived (1112) as a function of the parameter modifiers, and a water-wash notification is generated (1118) when the health index is indicative of a significant loss of fuel efficiency due to dirt accumulation in the engine's compressor.