Lubrication system for gas turbine engines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10731559-B2
Application number	US-201815875179-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2018
Priority date	Apr 27, 2015
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

A lubrication system for a gas turbine engine according to an example of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a pump that moves a lubricant, a lubricant tank that stores the lubricant, a first engine component and a second engine component each requiring lubrication from the lubricant, a conduit between the lubricant tank and the first engine component and between the lubricant tank and the second engine component, a scheduling valve positioned in the conduit between the lubricant tank, and the first engine component and the second engine component, and a controller including a memory and a processor that controls the scheduling valve, wherein the memory includes an engine performance model, wherein the engine performance model includes stored relationship values between more than one condition experienced by the gas turbine engine during operation and a position of the scheduling valve, and wherein the scheduling valve varies a flow of the lubricant to the first engine component, the second engine component and the lubrication tank based on comparing the more than one condition with the engine performance model.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lubrication system for a gas turbine engine, comprising:
a pump that moves a lubricant;
a lubricant tank that stores the lubricant;
a first engine component and a second engine component each requiring lubrication from the lubricant, and wherein the first engine component is a fan drive gear system that allows a fan to rotate at a different angular speed from a spool;
a conduit between the lubricant tank and the first engine component and between the lubricant tank and the second engine component;
a scheduling valve positioned in the conduit between the lubricant tank, and the first engine component and the second engine component; and
a controller including a memory and a processor that controls the scheduling valve, wherein the memory includes stored relationship values between more than one condition experienced by the gas turbine engine during operation and a position of the scheduling valve, and wherein the controller commands the scheduling valve to vary a flow of the lubricant to the first engine component, the second engine component and the lubricant tank.

2. The lubrication system of claim 1 , wherein the scheduling valve at least partially diverts the flow of the lubricant to one of the first engine component, the second engine component and the lubricant tank.

3. The lubrication system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of sensors that each provide data about a state of the gas turbine engine that indicates one of the more than one condition.

4. The lubrication system of claim 3 , wherein the more than one condition includes two or more of: a calculated engine torque, an engine startup condition of the gas turbine engine, an altitude of the gas turbine engine, a vibration level of the gas turbine engine, a cruise condition of the gas turbine engine, a weight on wheels condition of an aircraft on which the gas turbine engine is mounted, and a burner pressure condition of a combustor.

5. The lubrication system of claim 4 , wherein the more than one condition includes the burner pressure condition.

6. The lubrication system of claim 4 , wherein the more than one condition includes the calculated engine torque, and the calculated engine torque includes a calculated torque for the fan.

7. The lubrication system of claim 4 , wherein the more than one condition includes the engine startup condition.

8. The lubrication system of claim 4 , wherein the more than one condition includes the altitude.

9. The lubrication system of claim 4 , wherein the more than one condition includes the vibration level, and the plurality of sensors includes an accelerometer located in the fan drive gear system and that is used to gather data indicating the vibration level.

10. The lubrication system of claim 9 , further comprising a de-aerator, a filter and a cooler each between the lubricant tank and the first engine component, and each between the lubricant tank and the second engine component.

11. The lubrication system of claim 4 , wherein the more than one condition includes the cruise condition, and the cruise condition includes a cruise condition for the fan.

12. The lubrication system of claim 4 , wherein the more than one condition includes the weight on wheels condition.

13. A gas turbine engine, comprising:
a fan section including a fan and an outer housing surrounding the fan to define a bypass duct;
a compressor section including a low pressure compressor and a high pressure compressor;
a combustion section including a combustor downstream of the compressor section;
a turbine section including a low pressure turbine and a high pressure turbine downstream of the combustor section;
a lubrication system including a pump that moves a lubricant;
a lubricant tank that stores the lubricant;
a first engine component and a second engine component each requiring lubrication from the lubricant, wherein the first engine component is a fan drive gear system that allows the fan to rotate at a different angular speed from a spool;
a conduit between the lubricant tank and the first engine component and between the lubricant tank and the second engine component;
a scheduling valve positioned in the conduit between the lubricant tank, and the first engine component and the second engine component; and
a controller including a memory and a processor that controls the scheduling valve, wherein the memory includes stored relationship values between more than one condition experienced by the gas turbine engine during operation and a position of the scheduling valve, and wherein the controller commands the scheduling valve to vary a flow of the lubricant to the first engine component, the second engine component and the lubricant tank.

14. The gas turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the spool is a low speed spool including a shaft that interconnects the fan, the low pressure compressor and the low pressure turbine, and wherein the shaft is connected to the fan through a geared architecture that drives the fan at a lower speed that the low speed spool.

15. The gas turbine engine of claim 14 , wherein the fan section drives air along a bypass flow path in the bypass duct, and the compressor section drives air along a core flow path for communication into the combustion section.

16. The gas turbine engine of claim 14 , further comprising a plurality of sensors that each provide data about a state of the gas turbine engine that indicates one of the more than one condition.

17. The gas turbine engine of claim 16 , wherein the fan section drives air along a bypass flow path in the bypass duct, and the compressor section drives air along a core flow path for communication into the combustion section.

18. The gas turbine engine of claim 17 , wherein the pump is driven by a rotating component of the gas turbine engine.

19. The gas turbine engine of claim 18 , wherein the more than one condition includes a calculated engine torque.

20. The gas turbine engine of claim 19 , wherein the calculated engine torque includes a calculated torque for the fan.

21. The gas turbine engine of claim 16 , wherein the more than one condition includes an altitude of the gas turbine engine.

22. The gas turbine engine of claim 21 , wherein the more than one condition includes a cruise condition for the fan.

23. The gas turbine engine of claim 16 , wherein the more than one condition includes a burner pressure condition within the combustor.

24. The gas turbine engine of claim 16 , wherein the more than one condition includes an engine startup condition of the gas turbine engine.

25. The gas turbine engine of claim 16 , wherein the more than one condition includes a vibration level of the fan drive gear system.

26. The gas turbine engine of claim 25 , wherein the plurality of sensors includes a vibration sensor located in the fan drive gear system and that is used to gather data indicating the vibration level, and the geared architecture is a planetary gear train.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp
• Raytheon Tech Corp

Inventors

• Teicholz Matthew D
• Parnin Francis
• Weiner Richard Alan
• Knapp Carney Katherine A

Classifications

• F16N2210/02

  Turbines · CPC title

• F16N2250/08

  Temperature · CPC title

• F01M2013/0472

  using heating means · CPC title

• F01D25/20

  using lubrication pumps · CPC title

• F02C3/107

  with two or more rotors connected by power transmission · CPC title