Centrifugal debris pre-separator for turbine engine oil filter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11073053-B2
Application number	US-201815973808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2018
Priority date	May 8, 2018
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

A fluid filtration assembly (FFA) includes a housing having a thickness defined between an internal surface and an external surface, the housing receiving a filter and defining an outer annular flow passage between an outer surface of the filter and the internal surface of the housing; an inlet pipe communicates with the FFA and injects a fluid into the housing to impart a centrifugal force; an outlet pipe communicates with the FFA and discharges the fluid from the housing; and a collection area disposed towards an end of the outer annular flow passage collects particulate matter from the fluid; wherein a width of the outer annular flow passage increases towards the collection area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid filtration assembly, comprising:
a housing having a thickness defined between an internal surface of the housing and an external surface of the housing;
a first filter having a first radially outer surface and a first radially inner surface, the first filter disposed in the housing, the first radially outer surface and the internal surface of the housing defining an outer annular flow passage;
a cavity disposed radially inward of the first filter;
an inlet pipe in fluid communication with the outer annular flow passage;
an outlet pipe in fluid communication with the cavity to discharge the fluid from the housing;
a collection area disposed towards an end of the outer annular flow passage axially distal the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe, the collection area configured to collect particulate matter from the fluid; and
a turning vane assembly including a plurality of blades disposed proximate the inlet pipe, wherein:
the inlet pipe is configured to inject fluid into the housing and rotate the plurality of blades in response to injecting the fluid and impart a centrifugal force on the fluid,
a width of the outer annular flow passage increases towards the collection area,
the turning vane assembly is configured to spin about a centerline and distribute the fluid to the collection area,
the fluid is configured to flow radially from the outer annular flow passage through the first radially outer surface of the first filter and the first radially inner surface of the first filter into the cavity, and
the fluid is configured to flow axially from the cavity out the outlet pipe.

2. The fluid filtration assembly of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the housing decreases as the housing extends axially towards the collection area.

3. The fluid filtration assembly of claim 1 , wherein an outer diameter of the housing increases towards the collection area.

4. The fluid filtration assembly of claim 1 , wherein the width of the outer annular flow passage increases towards the collection area to augment the centrifugal force.

5. The fluid filtration assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fluid filtration assembly is an oil filtration assembly and the fluid is an oil.

6. The fluid filtration assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a drain plug proximate an end cap near the collection area.

7. The fluid filtration assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a second filter configured within the first filter.

8. A gas turbine engine, comprising:
a fan section configured to induce air from a surrounding environment into the gas turbine engine;
a compressor section in fluid communication with the fan section and configured to compress the air received from the fan section;
a combustor section in fluid communication with the compressor section and configured to ignite a fuel-air mixture to generate combustion gases;
a turbine section in fluid communication with the combustor section; and
a debris capture device to remove particulate matter from fluids associated with lubricating rotating components of the gas turbine engine, comprising:
an inlet pipe;
an outlet pipe; and
an oil filtration assembly, comprising:
a housing having a thickness defined between an internal surface of the housing and an external surface of the housing;
a first filter having a first radially outer surface and a first radially inner surface, the first filter disposed in the housing, the first radially outer surface and the internal surface of the housing defining an outer annular flow passage;
a cavity disposed radially inward of the first filter, the cavity in fluid communication with the outer annular flow passage;
a collection area disposed towards an end of the outer annular flow passage axially distal to the inlet pipe, the collection area configured to collect the particulate matter from an oil; and
a turning vane assembly including a plurality of blades disposed proximate the inlet pipe, wherein:
the inlet pipe is in fluid communication with the outer annular flow passage, the inlet pipe configured to inject the oil into the housing to impart a centrifugal force on the oil,
the outlet pipe is in fluid communication with the cavity to discharge the oil from the housing,
the thickness of the housing is decreasing as the housing extends axially towards the collection area,
the turning vane assembly is configured to spin about a centerline in response to the oil flowing tangentially to the turning vane assembly through the inlet pipe and distribute the oil to the collection area, and
the oil is configured to flow radially from the outer annular flow passage through the first radially outer surface of the first filter and the first radially inner surface of the first filter into the cavity.

9. The gas turbine engine of claim 8 , wherein an outer diameter of the housing increases towards the collection area.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 8 , wherein a width of the outer annular flow passage increases as the housing extends axially towards the collection area to augment the centrifugal force.

11. The gas turbine engine of claim 8 , further comprising a drain plug proximate an end cap near the collection area.

12. The gas turbine engine of claim 8 , wherein the oil filtration assembly further comprises a second filter configured within the first filter.

13. A method of filtering particulate matter from a fluid filtration assembly, comprising:
injecting a fluid into a housing tangentially to a radially inner surface of the housing;
imparting a centrifugal force with a turning vane assembly including a plurality of blades, the turning vane assembly configured to spin about a centerline and increase the centrifugal force;
augmenting the centrifugal force within the housing by increasing a width of an outer annular flow passage between a first outer surface of a filter and the radially inner surface of the housing;
collecting the particulate matter from the fluid in a collection area due to the augmented centrifugal force before the particulate matter impacts the filter;
flowing the fluid radially inward from the outer annular flow passage through a first radially outer surface of a first filter and a first radially inner surface of the first filter into a center cavity of the housing; and
flowing the fluid axially through an outlet pipe of the housing, the outlet pipe disposed axially opposite the collection area.

14. The method of filtering particulate matter from the fluid filtration assembly of claim 13 , further comprising discharging the fluid from the housing.

15. The method of filtering particulate matter from the fluid filtration assembly of claim 13 , wherein the fluid filtration assembly is an oil filtration assembly and the fluid is an oil.

16. The method of filtering particulate matter from the fluid filtration assembly of claim 15 , wherein the fluid filtration assembly is a component of a gas turbine engine.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp
• Raytheon Tech Corp

Inventors

• Stachowiak David Allen

Classifications

• B01D29/21

  with corrugated, folded or wound sheets · CPC title

• B01D2201/32

  Flow characteristics of the filter · CPC title

• B01D29/58

  arranged concentrically or coaxially · CPC title

• B01D29/33

  arranged for inward flow filtration · CPC title

• F01M2001/1007

  characterised by the purification means combined with other functions · CPC title