Lubrication system for a turbine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12510002-B2
Application number	US-202318517878-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2023
Priority date	Jul 12, 2023
Publication date	Dec 30, 2025
Grant date	Dec 30, 2025

Abstract

A lubrication system for a turbine engine. The turbine engine includes a fan having a fan shaft and one or more rotating components. The lubrication system includes one or more tanks that stores lubricant therein, a primary lubrication system, and an auxiliary lubrication system. The primary lubrication system supplies the lubricant from the one or more tanks to the one or more rotating components during normal operation of the turbine engine. The auxiliary lubrication system includes an auxiliary pump that is coupled to the fan shaft. The auxiliary lubrication system supplies the lubricant from the one or more tanks to the one or more rotating components based on a pressure of the lubricant in the primary lubrication system. Rotation of the fan shaft causes the auxiliary pump to pump the lubricant to the one or more rotating components.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A lubrication system for a turbine engine, the turbine engine including a fan having a fan shaft, one or more rotating components, and a turbine section having a turbine shaft that is drivingly coupled to the fan shaft, the lubrication system comprising:
one or more tanks that store lubricant therein; a primary lubrication system supplying the lubricant from the one or more tanks to the one or more rotating components during normal operation of the turbine engine; and an auxiliary lubrication system comprising an auxiliary pump that is coupled to the fan shaft via a coupling device, the auxiliary lubrication system supplying the lubricant from the one or more tanks to the one or more rotating components based on a pressure of the lubricant in the primary lubrication system, wherein (1) when the pressure of the lubricant in the primary lubrication system is greater than a primary pressure threshold, the coupling device is controlled to disengage from the fan shaft so that the auxiliary pump is disengaged and does not pump the lubricant through the auxiliary lubrication system, and (2) when the pressure of the lubricant in the primary lubrication system is less than the primary pressure threshold, the coupling device is controlled to engage with the fan shaft such that rotation of the fan shaft causes the auxiliary pump to pump the lubricant to the one or more rotating components.

2 . The lubrication system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more rotating components comprise at least one of one or more bearings, one or more shafts of a turbo-engine, or one or more gears of a gearbox assembly.

3 . The lubrication system of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary pump is a bi-directional pump that pumps the lubricant to the one or more rotating components when the fan shaft rotates in a first rotational direction and when the fan shaft rotates in a second rotational direction that is opposite the first rotational direction.

4 . The lubrication system of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary pump includes a pump shaft that is coupled to the fan shaft via the coupling device.

5 . The lubrication system of claim 1 , wherein the coupling device comprises a clutch that engages the pump shaft to operate the auxiliary pump or disengages the pump shaft to prevent operation of the auxiliary pump.

6 . The lubrication system of claim 1 , wherein the primary lubrication system includes a primary pump and a primary lubricant supply line, the primary pump pumping the lubricant from the one or more tanks to the one or more rotating components through the primary lubricant supply line.

7 . The lubrication system of claim 6 , wherein the auxiliary lubrication system includes an auxiliary lubricant supply line, the auxiliary pump pumping the lubricant from the one or more tanks to the one or more rotating components through the auxiliary lubricant supply line.

8 . The lubrication system of claim 7 , further comprising one or more valves in fluid communication with the primary lubricant supply line and the auxiliary lubricant supply line, the one or more valves comprising:
a first valve that opens to allow the lubricant to flow from the primary lubrication system to the one or more rotating components, and closes to prevent the lubricant from flowing from the primary lubrication system to the one or more rotating components; and a second valve that opens to allow the lubricant to flow from the auxiliary lubrication system to the one or more rotating components, and closes to prevent the lubricant from flowing from the auxiliary lubrication system to the one or more rotating components.

9 . A method of operating a lubrication system for a turbine engine, the turbine engine including a fan having a fan shaft, one or more rotating components, and a turbine section having a turbine shaft that is drivingly coupled to the fan shaft, the method comprising:
supplying lubricant through a primary lubrication system from one or more tanks to one or more rotating components of the turbine engine during normal operation of the turbine engine; and supplying the lubricant through an auxiliary lubrication system having an auxiliary pump that is coupled to the fan shaft via a coupling device to the one or more rotating components based on a pressure of the lubricant in the primary lubrication system by pumping the lubricant with the auxiliary pump; and controlling the coupling device to engage with the fan shaft and to disengage from the fan shaft, wherein (1) when the pressure of the lubricant in the primary lubrication system is greater than a primary pressure threshold, the coupling device is controlled to disengage from the fan shaft so that the auxiliary pump is disengaged and does not pump the lubricant through the auxiliary lubrication system, and (2) when the pressure of the lubricant in the primary lubrication system is less than the primary pressure threshold, the coupling device is controlled to engage with the fan shaft such that rotation of the fan shaft causes the auxiliary pump to pump the lubricant to the one or more rotating components.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more rotating components comprise at least one of one or more bearings, one or more shafts of a turbo-engine, or one or more gears of a gearbox assembly.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the auxiliary pump is a bi-directional pump that pumps the lubricant to the one or more rotating components when the fan shaft rotates in a first rotational direction and when the fan shaft rotates in a second rotational direction that is opposite the first rotational direction.

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the auxiliary pump includes including a pump shaft that is coupled to the fan shaft via the coupling device.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the coupling device comprises a clutch that engages the pump shaft to operate the auxiliary pump, and disengages the pump shaft to prevent operation of the auxiliary pump.

14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the primary lubrication system includes a primary pump and a primary lubricant supply line, the method further comprising pumping, with the primary pump, the lubricant from the one or more tanks to the one or more rotating components through the primary lubricant supply line.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the auxiliary lubrication system includes an auxiliary lubricant supply line, the method further comprising pumping, with the auxiliary pump, the lubricant from the one or more tanks to the one or more rotating components through the auxiliary lubricant supply line.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising one or more valves in fluid communication with the primary lubricant supply line and the auxiliary lubricant supply line, the one or more valves including a first valve and a second valve, the method further comprising:
opening the first valve to allow the lubricant to flow from the primary lubrication system to the one or more rotating components, and closing the first valve to prevent the lubricant from flowing from the primary lubrication system to the one or more rotating components; and opening the second valve to allow the lubricant to flow from the auxiliary lubrication system to the one or more rotating components, and closing the second valve to prevent the lubricant from flowing from the auxiliary lubrication system to the one or more rotating components.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Sibbach Arthur W
• Miller Brandon W
• Hudecki Andrew
• Vondrell Randy M
• Rambo Jeffrey D

Classifications

• F02C7/06 Primary

  Arrangements of bearings (bearings F16C); Lubricating ({of turbo machines F01D25/18; of machines or} engines in general F01M) · CPC title

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title

• F05D2260/98

  Lubrication · CPC title

• F01D25/20 Primary

  using lubrication pumps · CPC title