Centrifugal separator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10729992-B2
Application number	US-201715687901-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2017
Priority date	Oct 31, 2016
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

A centrifugal separator for separating gas and liquid from a gas-liquid mixture, the centrifugal separator comprising: a housing having a cavity and a gas-liquid mixture inlet leading tangentially into the cavity along an inlet path to form a vortex therein, a separated gas outlet and a separated liquid outlet; and a rotor rotatably mounted to the housing inside the cavity in a manner to be freely rotatable around a rotation axis, the rotor having a hub extending axially along said axis, the rotor having a plurality of vanes extending radially from the hub inside the cavity, the vanes being disposed in the inlet path in a manner so that the rotor is rotated by the gas-liquid mixture during use.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine comprising in serial flow a compressor for compressing air, a combustor in which the compressed air is mixed with fuel and ignited for generating an annular stream of hot combustion gases, and a turbine for extracting energy from the combustion gases, said compressor and said turbine being rotatably mounted to a case via bearings; the gas turbine engine further comprising, an oil source, an oil supply system for feeding oil from the oil source to said bearings during use, and a scavenging system for scavenging used oil from the bearings during use; the scavenging system having a scavenge pump, and a centrifugal separator having a housing having a central axis, a cavity, a gas-liquid mixture inlet leading tangentially into the cavity at a circumference of the housing to form a vortex therein, a separated gas outlet, and a separated liquid outlet; the centrifugal separator further having a rotor rotatably mounted within the housing in a manner to be freely rotatable around the central axis of the housing, the rotor having a hub extending axially, and a plurality of vanes extending radially from the hub inside the cavity in a manner for the rotor to be drivable into rotation by the velocity of the gas-liquid mixture during use, the plurality of vanes having radial panels leading radially-outwardly from the hub to circumferential panels, the radial panels and circumferential panels extending axially along the hub, and the plurality of vanes forming T-shaped cross-sections in a plane transverse to the central axis, wherein the gas-liquid mixture inlet is connected to receive used oil from the scavenging system.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 wherein a first end of the hub is mounted to a corresponding end of the housing via a ball bearing, the separated gas outlet being provided across the ball bearing, the hub further having an internal gas passage extending axially therein, the internal gas passage communicating with the cavity to receive separated gas therefrom and guiding the separated gas through the separated gas outlet across the ball bearing.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 wherein the cavity is cylindrical, the plurality of vanes extend along a rotor portion of the cavity, the gas-liquid mixture inlet being at a first end of the cavity, in the rotor portion, the separated liquid outlet being at a second end of the cavity, opposite the first end.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 3 wherein the separated liquid outlet has a plurality of apertures extending radially across the housing.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 3 wherein the rotor has a radially-extending disc at an intermediary axial location between the first end of the cavity and the second end of the cavity, the disc having a journal at a periphery thereof, the journal being engaged with a corresponding portion of the housing and forming a journal bearing therewith.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 5 wherein the disc has a plurality of spokes extending radially between the hub and the journal, and a plurality of apertures circumferentially interspaced between corresponding ones of the plurality of spokes, the plurality of apertures allowing axial fluid flow communication across the disc.

7. A centrifugal separator for separating gas and liquid from a gas-liquid mixture comprising:
a housing having a central axis, a cavity, a gas-liquid mixture inlet leading tangentially into the cavity at a circumference of the housing to form a vortex therein, a separated gas outlet, and a separated liquid outlet;
a rotor rotatably mounted to within the housing in a manner to be freely rotatable around the central axis of the housing, the rotor having a hub extending axially, and a plurality of vanes extending radially from the hub inside the cavity in a manner for the rotor to be drivable into rotation by the velocity of the gas-liquid mixture during use, wherein the plurality of vanes have radial panels leading radially-outwardly from the hub to circumferential panels, the radial panels and circumferential panels extending axially along the hub, and the plurality of vanes forming T-shaped cross-sections in a plane transverse to the central axis.

8. The centrifugal separator of claim 7 wherein a first end of the hub is mounted to a corresponding end of the housing via a ball bearing, the separated gas outlet being provided across the ball bearing, the hub further having an internal gas passage extending axially therein, the internal gas passage communicating with the cavity to receive separated gas therefrom and guiding the separated gas through the separated gas outlet across the ball bearing.

9. The centrifugal separator of claim 7 wherein the cavity is cylindrical, the plurality of vanes extend along a rotor portion of the cavity, the gas-liquid mixture inlet being at a first end of the cavity, in the rotor portion, the separated liquid outlet being at a second end of the cavity, opposite the first end of the cavity.

10. The centrifugal separator of claim 9 wherein the separated liquid outlet has a plurality of apertures extending radially across the housing.

11. The centrifugal separator of claim 9 wherein the rotor has a radially-extending disc at an intermediary axial location between the first end of the cavity and the second end of the cavity, the disc having a journal at a periphery thereof, the journal being engaged with a corresponding portion of the housing and forming a journal bearing therewith.

12. The centrifugal separator of claim 11 wherein the disc has a plurality of spokes extending radially between the hub and the journal, and a plurality of apertures circumferentially interspaced between corresponding ones of the plurality of spokes, the plurality of apertures allowing axial fluid flow communication across the disc.

13. The centrifugal separator of claim 12 wherein the plurality of spokes are flat members extending in the plane transverse to the central axis, are circumferentially broader than the plurality of vanes, and each spoke provides axial termination to a corresponding one of the plurality of vanes.

14. The centrifugal separator of claim 13 , further comprising a plurality of journal bearing feed conduits each extending from an inlet located in a corresponding one of the plurality of spokes, proximate to both of a corresponding one of the radial panels and a corresponding one of the circumferential panels of the plurality of vanes, to an outlet located on a radially-outer face of the journal.

15. The centrifugal separator of claim 7 further comprising an annular spacing between the housing and the circumferential panels of the plurality of vanes.

16. The centrifugal separator of claim 15 wherein each of the circumferential panels extends circumferentially from two opposite sides of a radially distal end of a corresponding one of the radial panels, and has a plurality of axially distributed through apertures on both of said sides providing radial fluid flow communication across the circumferential panels.

17. A centrifugal separator for separating gas and liquid from a gas-liquid mixture comprising:
a housing having a central axis, a cavity being cylindrical, a gas-liquid mixture inlet leading tangentially into the cavity at a circumference of the housing to form a vortex therein, a separated gas outlet, and a separated liquid outlet, the gas-liquid mixture inlet located at a first end of the cavity, the separated liquid outlet located at a second end of the cavity, opposite the first end of the cavity;
a rotor rotatably mounted within the housin

Assignees

• Pratt & Whitney Canada

Inventors

• Pulter Filip
• Mazur Krystian

Classifications

• B01D19/0052 Primary

  in rotating vessels, vessels containing movable parts or in which centrifugal movement is caused (B01D19/0026 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B01D19/0026

  in rotating vessels or in vessels containing movable parts · CPC title

• B01D45/14

  generated by rotating vanes, discs, drums or brushes · CPC title

• B04B9/06

  Fluid drive · CPC title

• F05D2260/98

  Lubrication · CPC title