Rotodynamic pump and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11280342-B2
Application number	US-201916376320-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2019
Priority date	Apr 5, 2019
Publication date	Mar 22, 2022
Grant date	Mar 22, 2022

Abstract

A method of controlling a delivery pressure of an aircraft engine fuel system includes operating a rotodynamic fuel pump hydraulically connected to the fuel system to pump a fluid from an inlet of the rotodynamic pump and out of an outlet of the rotodynamic pump for delivery to the fuel system. The method further includes varying an angular relationship between the inlet and the outlet of the pump to control the delivery pressure. An aircraft engine fuel system and a rotodynamic pump are also described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a delivery pressure of an aircraft engine fuel system, comprising:
operating a rotodynamic fuel pump hydraulically connected to the fuel system to pump a fluid from an inlet of the rotodynamic pump and out of an outlet of the rotodynamic pump for delivery to the fuel system, and
varying an angular relationship between the inlet and the outlet of the pump to control the delivery pressure by displacing at least one of the inlet and the outlet to vary a distance between the inlet and the outlet.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the varying the angular relationship includes, in response to the delivery pressure falling below a delivery pressure setpoint, increasing an angle between the inlet and the outlet.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the varying the angular relationship includes in response to the delivery pressure rising above the delivery pressure setpoint, decreasing the angle between the inlet and the outlet.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein varying the angular relationship includes increasing and decreasing an angle between the inlet and the outlet, and wherein:
increasing the angle includes pivoting a first part of a housing of the rotodynamic pump relative to a second part of the housing in a first direction, the first part defining one of the inlet and the outlet therein, the second part defining another one of the inlet and the outlet therein, and
decreasing the angle includes pivoting the first part relative to the second part in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the pivoting the first part relative to the second part is about a rotation axis of an impeller of the rotodynamic pump.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first part and the second part define an impeller cavity therebetween and the impeller is disposed at least in part in the impeller cavity.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the pivoting the first part relative to the second part includes actuating, by the fluid downstream of the impeller, a passive pressure regulating mechanism.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the pivoting the first part relative to the second part includes receiving a signal at a controller, the signal being indicative of the delivery pressure, and operating, by the controller, an actuator of an active pressure regulating mechanism to pivot the first part relative to the second part in response to changes in the delivery pressure to regulate the delivery pressure toward a delivery pressure setpoint.

9. An aircraft engine fuel system comprising a rotodynamic pump having an inlet and an outlet connected to the fuel system, a pressure regulating assembly operatively associated with at least one of the inlet and the outlet, and a controller configured to vary an angle between the inlet and the outlet to regulate a delivery pressure at the outlet, the controller configured to displace at least one of the inlet and the outlet to vary a distance between the inlet and the outlet.

10. The fuel system of claim 9 , wherein the pressure regulating assembly is configured to vary the angle in response to fluctuations in the delivery pressure.

11. The fuel system of claim 10 , further comprising a fluid conduit hydraulically connecting the outlet to an actuator of the pressure regulating assembly, the actuator being operatively connected to the at least one of the inlet and the outlet of the pump to vary the angle.

12. The fuel system of claim 11 , wherein the actuator is operatively connected to the at least one of the inlet and the outlet via a mechanical linkage.

13. The fuel system of claim 11 , wherein the actuator is a linear actuator biased to a neutral position by a biasing member such that the linear actuator is in the neutral position when the delivery pressure is below a delivery pressure setpoint.

14. The fuel system of claim 9 , comprising a housing having a first part and a second part movable relative to the first part, the first and second parts define an impeller cavity therebetween, an impeller being disposed at least in part in the impeller cavity, the first part defining one of the inlet and the outlet therein, the second part defining another one of the inlet and the outlet therein.

15. A rotodynamic pump, comprising
a housing defining an inlet and an outlet therein, the housing includes a first part and a second part, the first and second parts defining an impeller cavity therebetween, the first part is movable relative to the second part, the first part defines one of the inlet and the outlet, the second part defines another one of the inlet and the outlet,
an impeller disposed at least in part in the impeller cavity, and
a pressure regulating mechanism adapted to vary an angular relationship between the inlet and the outlet to control a delivery pressure at the outlet by moving the first part relative to the second part.

16. The rotodynamic pump of claim 15 , wherein the pressure regulating mechanism is adapted to vary the angular relationship by pivoting the first part relative to the second part.

17. The rotodynamic pump of claim 16 , wherein the first part is pivotable relative to the second part about a rotation axis of the impeller.

18. The rotodynamic pump of claim 17 , wherein the pressure regulating mechanism is a passive pressure regulating mechanism operable by the fluid being at the delivery pressure.

19. The rotodynamic pump of claim 17 , wherein the pressure regulating mechanism is an active pressure regulating mechanism comprising an actuator operatively connected to the first part to pivot the first part relative to the second part, and a controller operable to operate the actuator in response to a signal indicative of the delivery pressure.

Assignees

• Pratt & Whitney Canada

Inventors

• Waddleton David
• Renaud Benjamin
• Bergeron Sebastien
• Plamondon Etienne
• Gauvreau Jean-Gabriel

Classifications

• F02C7/22 Primary

  Fuel supply systems · CPC title

• F04D15/005

  the pumps being of the circumferential flow type · CPC title

• F04D27/002 Primary

  by varying geometry within the pumps, e.g. by adjusting vanes · CPC title

• F04D15/0027

  Varying behaviour or the very pump (F04D15/0055 and F04D29/46 take precedence) · CPC title

• F04D5/007

  Details of the inlet or outlet · CPC title