Lubricant cooling systems for high speed turbomachines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10087777-B2
Application number	US-201615142452-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2016
Priority date	Apr 29, 2016
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

A system for cooling lubricant in a turbomachine includes a lubricant circuit for circulating a turbomachine lubricant, an air/oil cooler disposed in thermal communication with the lubricant circuit and configured to cool a turbomachine lubricant in the lubricant circuit by passing air over the air/oil cooler, and a compressor air circuit in fluid communication with the air/oil cooler and configured to supply air from a compressor of the turbomachine to the air/oil cooler. The compressor air circuit can include an expansion section to expand and cool air before effusing air to the air/oil cooler.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for cooling lubricant in a turbomachine, comprising:
a lubricant circuit for circulating a turbomachine lubricant;
an air/oil cooler disposed in thermal communication with the lubricant circuit and configured to cool a turbomachine lubricant in the lubricant circuit by passing air over the air/oil cooler; and
a compressor air circuit in fluid communication with the air/oil cooler and configured to supply air from a compressor of the turbomachine to the air/oil cooler, wherein the compressor air circuit includes an expansion section to expand and cool air before effusing air to the air/oil cooler.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a fuel/oil cooler configured to cool a turbomachine lubricant.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the fuel/oil cooler is disposed upstream of the air/oil cooler relative to a direction of flow of the turbomachine lubricant in the lubricant circuit.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a ram air inlet in fluid communication with the air/oil cooler for routing ram air over the air/oil cooler.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an oil pump is configured to pump the turbomachine lubricant in the lubricant circuit.

6. A method for cooling turbomachine lubricant in a lubricant circuit, comprising:
providing cooled air to an air/oil cooler of the turbomachine which includes bleeding compressor air from a compressor of the turbomachine and cooling the compressor air to create the cooled air,
wherein cooling the compressor air further includes expanding the compressor air in an expander section of a compressor air circuit before effusing fuel to the air/oil cooler to cool the compressor air to provide the cooled air.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
providing fuel to an fuel/oil cooler, the fuel/oil cooler disposed in the lubricant circuit upstream of the air/oil cooler relative to a direction of flow of the turbomachine lubricant in the lubricant circuit.

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Lee Vincent

Classifications

• F01D25/20

  using lubrication pumps · CPC title

• F02C7/185

  Cooling means for reducing the temperature of the cooling air or gas · CPC title

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title

• F02C7/14

  of fluids in the plant {, e.g. lubricant or fuel (F02C7/185 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• F05D2260/213

  by the provision of a heat exchanger within the cooling circuit · CPC title