Aircraft engine cleaning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10364048-B2
Application number	US-201715482211-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2017
Priority date	Aug 4, 2014
Publication date	Jul 30, 2019
Grant date	Jul 30, 2019

Abstract

A cleaning system for performing a cleaning cycle on a turbine engine mounted to an airframe includes a mobile supply unit. The mobile supply unit includes a cleaning agent supply that introduces cleaning agent into the turbine engine. The aircraft includes at least one valve configured to block cleaning agent from moving from the turbine engine into a passenger cabin of the aircraft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning system comprising
an aircraft including an airframe, a gas turbine engine coupled to the airframe, and a starter air supply internal to the aircraft and coupled to the airframe, the gas turbine engine including a compressor, and the starter air supply sized to constantly dry motor the gas turbine engine by providing compressed air to the gas turbine engine to cause the compressor included in the gas turbine engine to rotate without the gas turbine engine burning fuel for a predetermined starting cycle, and
a mobile supply unit movable relative to the aircraft, the mobile supply unit including a cleaning agent supply configured to store cleaning agent and provide the cleaning agent to the gas turbine engine, a cleaning air supply, a first hose coupled to the cleaning agent supply and the gas turbine engine to conduct the cleaning agent from the cleaning agent supply to the gas turbine engine to clean components internal to the gas turbine engine, and a second hose coupled to the cleaning air supply and the gas turbine engine to conduct compressed air free of cleaning agent from the cleaning air supply to the gas turbine engine to dry motor the gas turbine engine,
wherein the cleaning air supply is sized to provide enough compressed air free of cleaning agent through the second hose to the gas turbine engine to constantly dry motor the gas turbine engine to cause the compressor included in the gas turbine engine to rotate without the gas turbine engine burning fuel for a predetermined cleaning cycle to draw the cleaning agent through the gas turbine engine, the cleaning cycle being longer than the starting cycle.

2. The cleaning system of claim 1 , wherein the aircraft includes a cabin air system, a pneumatic coupling system, and a controller, the pneumatic coupling system coupled between a cabin air system and the gas turbine engine, and the controller configured to automatically adjust the pneumatic coupling system to block compressed bleed air that may contain cleaning agent moving through the gas turbine engine from moving into the cabin air system in response to receipt of an input associated with a cleaning cycle.

3. The cleaning system of claim 2 , wherein the gas turbine engine includes a cleaning agent supply connector coupled to the cleaning agent supply by the first hose and an engine core coupled to the cleaning agent supply connector to receive cleaning agent from the cleaning agent supply connector.

4. The cleaning system of claim 3 , wherein the cleaning agent supply connector is coupled to the controller and is configured to send the input associated with a cleaning cycle to the controller in response to a cleaning agent supply being coupled to the cleaning agent supply connector.

5. The aircraft of claim 4 , wherein the pneumatic coupling system coupled between the cleaning agent supply connector and the engine core and the controller is configured to automatically adjust the pneumatic coupling system to allow cleaning solution to move from the cleaning agent supply connector to the engine core in response to receipt of the input associated with a cleaning cycle.

6. The aircraft of claim 3 , wherein the pneumatic coupling system includes a user interface coupled to the controller and the user interface is configured to send the input associated with a cleaning cycle to the controller.

7. A cleaning system comprising
an aircraft including an airframe and a gas turbine engine coupled to the airframe for movement therewith, the gas turbine engine including a fan, an engine core that includes a compressor, and a cleaning agent supply connector coupled with the engine core, and
a supply unit movable relative to the aircraft, the supply unit including (i) a cleaning agent supply adapted to store cleaning agent and provide cleaning agent through a first hose to the gas turbine engine, and (ii) a cleaning air supply sized to provide enough compressed air through a second hose to the gas turbine engine to constantly dry motor the gas turbine engine for a predetermined cleaning cycle, the cleaning cycle being longer than a starting cycle typically used to start the gas turbine engine,
wherein the cleaning agent supply is coupled to the cleaning agent supply connector included in the gas turbine engine by the first hose.

8. The cleaning system of claim 7 , wherein the aircraft includes a cabin air system and a pneumatic coupling system,
wherein the pneumatic coupling system includes a valve configured to control a flow of compressed bleed air from the gas turbine engine to the cabin air system and a controller coupled to first valve, and
wherein the controller is configured to automatically close the valve and block compressed bleed air that may contain cleaning agent moving through the gas turbine engine from moving into the cabin air system in response to receipt of an input associated with a cleaning cycle.

9. The cleaning system of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined cleaning cycle is about thirty minutes to ninety minutes.

10. The cleaning system of claim 9 , wherein the cleaning air supply is sized to dry motor the gas turbine engine for the predetermined cleaning cycle without recharging.

11. The cleaning system of claim 9 , wherein the supply unit is mounted to a transport vehicle so that the supply unit is movable relative to the aircraft.

12. The cleaning system of claim 7 , further comprising a starter air supply sized to constantly dry motor the gas turbine engine for a predetermined starting cycle, the predetermined starting cycle being shorter than the predetermined cleaning cycle.

13. The cleaning air system of claim 12 , wherein the starter air supply is coupled to the airframe of the aircraft.

14. A cleaning system comprising
a gas turbine engine including a compressor, and
a mobile supply unit external to the gas turbine engine and movable relative to the gas turbine engine, the mobile supply unit including a cleaning agent supply of cleaning agent, a cleaning air supply adapted to provide compressed air free of the cleaning agent, a first hose coupled to the cleaning agent supply and configured to conduct the cleaning agent from the cleaning agent supply to the gas turbine engine to clean components internal to the gas turbine engine, and a second hose coupled between the cleaning air supply and the gas turbine engine to conduct the compressed air free of the cleaning agent to the gas turbine engine to dry motor the gas turbine engine and cause the compressor of the gas turbine engine to rotate without the gas turbine engine burning fuel for a predetermined cleaning cycle.

15. The cleaning system of claim 14 , wherein the gas turbine engine includes an engine core that includes the compressor and a cleaning agent supply connector coupled with the engine core, and the first hose is coupled to the cleaning agent supply connector and the cleaning agent supply.

16. The cleaning system of claim 14 , further comprising a starter air supply sized to constantly dry motor the gas turbine engine for a predetermined starting cycle wherein the predetermined starting cycle is shorter than the predetermined cleaning cycle.

17. The cleaning system of claim 16 , wherein the predetermined cleaning cycle is about thirty minutes to ninety minutes.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Corp

Inventors

• Griffiths George F
• Heggere Prahlad R D
• Green Jeffrey A

Classifications

• B64F5/30 Primary

  Cleaning aircraft · CPC title

• F05D2220/323

  for aircraft propulsion, e.g. jet engines · CPC title

• B64D27/10

  of gas-turbine type  (jet aircraft B64D27/16) · CPC title

• B64D13/02

  the air being pressurised · CPC title

• F01D25/002

  Cleaning of turbomachines · CPC title