Icing prevention of a gas turbine engine pressure sensing assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10030536-B2
Application number	US-201514953198-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2015
Priority date	Feb 25, 2015
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

A combination of a gas turbine pressure sensing assembly and an engine electronics unit. The pressure sensing assembly includes a pressure manifold having an air inlet and one or more air outlets. The pressure sensing assembly further includes one or more pressure sensors connected to the air outlets to sense the pressure of air entering through the air inlet. The engine electronics unit in operation produces waste heat. The pressure sensing assembly further includes a heat conduction path which thermally connects the engine electronics unit to the manifold such that the manifold acts as a sink for the waste heat. The temperature rise of the manifold produced by the waste heat preventing icing of the manifold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A combination of a gas turbine engine pressure sensing assembly and an engine electronics unit, the pressure sensing assembly having:
a pressure manifold having an air inlet and one or more air outlets; and
one or more pressure sensors connected to the air outlets for sensing the pressure of air entering through the air inlet;
wherein the engine electronics unit in operation produces waste heat; and
the pressure sensing assembly further has a heat conduction path which thermally connects the engine electronics unit to the manifold such that the manifold acts as a sink for the waste heat, the heat conduction path including a housing surrounding the manifold, the housing having a higher thermal conductivity than the manifold, and the temperature rise of the manifold produced by the waste heat preventing icing of the manifold.

2. A combination according to claim 1 , wherein the engine electronics unit is an electronic engine controller or an engine health monitoring unit.

3. A gas turbine engine having the combination of claim 1 .

4. A method of preventing icing of a pressure manifold of a gas turbine engine pressure sensing assembly, the method including:
providing the combination of claim 1 ; and
using waste heat from the engine electronics unit to raise the temperature of the manifold.

5. A combination according to claim 1 , wherein the heat conduction path includes a heat pipe extending from the engine electronics unit to the manifold.

6. A combination according to claim 1 , wherein the engine electronics unit has a power supply sub-unit which produces the waste heat.

7. A combination of a gas turbine engine pressure sensing assembly and an engine electronics unit, the pressure sensing assembly having:
a pressure manifold having an air inlet and one or more air outlets; and
one or more pressure sensors connected to the one or more air outlets for sensing the pressure of air entering through the air inlet;
wherein the engine electronics unit in operation produces waste heat;
wherein the pressure sensing assembly further has a heat conduction path which thermally connects the engine electronics unit to the manifold such that the manifold acts as a sink for the waste heat, the heat conduction path including a housing surrounding the manifold, the housing having a higher thermal conductivity than the manifold, and the temperature rise of the manifold produced by the waste heat preventing icing of the manifold; and
wherein the pressure manifold is located in a recess in the housing and contacts the housing at bottom and side surfaces of the recess.

8. A combination according to claim 7 , wherein the engine electronics unit is an electronic engine controller or an engine health monitoring unit.

9. A gas turbine engine having the combination of claim 7 .

10. A method of preventing icing of a pressure manifold of a gas turbine engine pressure sensing assembly, the method including:
providing the combination of claim 7 ; and
using waste heat from the engine electronics unit to raise the temperature of the manifold.

11. A combination according to claim 7 , wherein the heat conduction path includes a heat pipe extending from the engine electronics unit to the manifold.

12. A combination according to claim 7 , wherein the engine electronics unit has a power supply sub-unit which produces the waste heat.

13. A combination of a pressure sensing assembly and an engine electronics unit, the pressure sensing assembly having:
a pressure manifold having an air inlet and a plurality of air outlets; and
a first pressure sensor connected to a first air outlet and a second pressure sensor connected to a second air outlet, the first and second pressure sensors configured for sensing the pressure of air entering through the air inlet;
wherein the engine electronics unit in operation produces waste heat; and
wherein the pressure sensing assembly further has a heat conduction path which thermally connects the engine electronics unit to the manifold such that the manifold acts as a sink for the waste heat, the heat conduction path including a housing surrounding the manifold, the housing having a higher thermal conductivity than the manifold, and the temperature rise of the manifold produced by the waste heat preventing icing of the manifold.

14. A combination according to claim 13 , wherein the engine electronics unit is an electronic engine controller or an engine health monitoring unit.

15. A combination according to claim 13 , wherein the combination is configured in a gas turbine engine.

16. A method of preventing icing of a pressure manifold of a gas turbine engine pressure sensing assembly, the method including:
providing the combination of claim 13 ; and
using waste heat from the engine electronics unit to raise the temperature of the pressure manifold.

17. A combination according to claim 13 , wherein the heat conduction path includes a heat pipe extending from the engine electronics unit to the pressure manifold.

18. A combination according to claim 13 , wherein the engine electronics unit comprises a power supply sub-unit which produces the waste heat.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Brookes David

Classifications

• G01L19/00

  Details of, or accessories for, apparatus for measuring steady or quasi-steady pressure of a fluent medium insofar as such details or accessories are not special to particular types of pressure gauges · CPC title

• F05D2220/60

  making use of surplus or waste energy · CPC title

• F01D25/02 Primary

  De-icing means for engines having icing phenomena · CPC title

• G01L23/24

  {specially adapted} for measuring pressure in inlet or exhaust ducts of internal-combustion engines · CPC title

• F02C7/32

  Arrangement, mounting, or driving, of auxiliaries · CPC title