Gearbox assembly with lubricant extraction volume ratio

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12553381-B2
Application number	US-202519223862-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2025
Priority date	Jun 22, 2022
Publication date	Feb 17, 2026
Grant date	Feb 17, 2026

Abstract

A gas turbine engine includes a gearbox assembly that includes a gearbox and a gutter for collecting a gearbox lubricant scavenge flow from the gearbox. The gutter is characterized by a lubricant extraction volume ratio between 0.01 and 0.3, inclusive of the endpoints. The lubricant extraction volume ratio defined by:
V G V G ⁢ B .
V G is a gutter volume of the gutter and V GB is a gearbox volume. The gas turbine engine includes a lubricant flow control system that includes a variable flow lubricant pump that generates a pump variable flow of lubricant to the gearbox assembly. The gearbox assembly has a variable consumption demand for delivery of lubricant. A lubricant flow controller is configured to generate a pump control command for the variable flow lubricant pump to produce the pump variable flow of lubricant based on the variable consumption demand.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A gas turbine engine comprising:
a fan having a fan shaft;
a turbo-engine including a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section, the turbine section having a low-pressure shaft drivingly coupled to the compressor section;
a gearbox assembly, the fan shaft coupled to the low-pressure shaft through the gearbox assembly, wherein the gearbox assembly comprises:
a gearbox having a gearbox volume defined by an outer diameter of the gearbox and a gearbox length of the gearbox; and
a gutter for collecting a gearbox lubricant scavenge flow from the gearbox, the gutter having a gutter volume defined by an inner surface of a gutter wall of the gutter and being characterized by a lubricant extraction volume ratio between 0.01 and 0.3, inclusive of the endpoints, for a maximum gearbox power greater than 35 kHP and less than or equal to 90 kHP, or the lubrication extraction volume ratio is between 0.03 to 0.3, inclusive of the endpoints, for a maximum gearbox power less than or equal to 35 kHP, the lubricant extraction volume ratio defined by:

V
G

V

G
⁢
B

,

wherein V G is the gutter volume of the gutter and V GB is the gearbox volume; and
a lubricant flow control system comprising:
a variable flow lubricant pump that generates a pump variable flow of lubricant to the gearbox assembly during operation of the gas turbine engine, the gearbox assembly having a variable consumption demand for delivery of lubricant; and
a lubricant flow controller configured to generate a pump control command for the variable flow lubricant pump to produce the pump variable flow of lubricant based on the variable consumption demand of the gearbox assembly.

2 . The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the lubricant flow control system includes a lubricant tank in fluid communication with the variable flow lubricant pump and a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the variable flow lubricant pump.

3 . The gas turbine engine of claim 2 , wherein the heat exchanger is in downstream fluid communication with the variable flow lubricant pump and upstream fluid communication with the gearbox assembly.

4 . The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the lubricant flow control system includes a lubricant flow control valve in fluid communication with the variable flow lubricant pump, the lubricant flow control valve configured to change the pump variable flow of lubricant to a valve variable flow of lubricant through operation of the lubricant flow control valve, and the gearbox assembly is configured to receive the valve variable flow of lubricant.

5 . The gas turbine engine of claim 4 , wherein the lubricant flow controller is configured to generate a valve command for the lubricant flow control valve based on the variable consumption demand of the gearbox assembly.

6 . The gas turbine engine of claim 5 , wherein the lubricant flow control system includes a flow rate sensor in fluid communication with the gearbox assembly, the flow rate sensor configured to generate flow rate data indicative of the valve variable flow of lubricant to the gearbox assembly.

7 . The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the lubricant flow control system includes a plurality of lubricant consumers including the gearbox assembly.

8 . The gas turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of lubricant consumers including a variable consumption demand, and during operation of the plurality of lubricant consumers, the lubricant flow controller determines the pump control command based on an aggregate of the variable consumption demand of the plurality of lubricant consumers.

9 . The gas turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of lubricant consumers is arranged in a parallel lubricant flow arrangement with each other.

10 . The gas turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of lubricant consumers includes at least one of an engine bearing, an accessory, or an electrical generator.

11 . The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the lubricant flow control system includes a first flow rate sensor in fluid communication with the gearbox assembly, the first flow rate sensor configured to generate first flow rate data indicative of a rate of lubricant to the gearbox assembly.

12 . The gas turbine engine of claim 11 , wherein the lubricant flow controller is configured to generate the pump control command for the variable flow lubricant pump based on the first flow rate data from the first flow rate sensor.

13 . The gas turbine engine of claim 11 , wherein the lubricant flow control system includes a second flow rate sensor positioned downstream of the gearbox assembly configured to generate second flow rate data indicative of a rate of lubricant from the gearbox assembly.

14 . The gas turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the lubricant flow controller is configured to generate the pump control command for the variable flow lubricant pump based on the second flow rate data from the second flow rate sensor.

15 . A gas turbine engine comprising:
a fan having a fan shaft; a turbo-engine including a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section, the turbine section having a low-pressure shaft drivingly coupled to the compressor section; a gearbox assembly, the fan shaft coupled to the low-pressure shaft through the gearbox assembly, wherein the gearbox assembly comprises:
a gearbox having a gearbox volume defined by an outer diameter of the gearbox and a gearbox length of the gearbox; and
a gutter for collecting a gearbox lubricant scavenge flow from the gearbox, the gutter having a gutter volume defined by an inner surface of a gutter wall of the gutter and being characterized by a lubricant extraction volume ratio between 0.01 and 0.3, inclusive of the endpoints, for a maximum gearbox power greater than 35 kHP and less than or equal to 90 kHP, or the lubrication extraction volume ratio is between 0.03 to 0.3, inclusive of the endpoints, for a maximum gearbox power less than or equal to 35 kHP, the lubricant extraction volume ratio defined by:

V
G

V

G
⁢
B

,

wherein V G is the gutter volume of the gutter and V GB is the gearbox volume; and
a lubricant flow control system comprising:
a variable flow lubricant pump that generates a pump variable flow of lubricant during operation of the gas turbine engine;
a lubricant flow control valve in fluid communication with the variable flow lubricant pump, the lubricant flow control valve configured to change the pump variable flow of lubricant to a valve variable flow of lubricant through operation of the lubricant flow control valve, wherein the gearbox assembly is configured to receive the valve variable flow of lubricant, the gearbox assembly having a variable consumption demand for delivery of the lubricant; and
a lubricant flow controlle

Assignees

• Gen Electric
• Ge Avio Srl

Inventors

• Ertas Bugra H
• Zhang Xiaohua
• Manzoni Miriam
• Turi Flavia
• Piazza Andrea
• Sibbach Arthur W
• Miller Brandon W

Classifications

• F16N7/38 Primary

  with a separate pump; Central lubrication systems · CPC title

• F16N2210/02

  Turbines · CPC title

• F05D2260/98

  Lubrication · CPC title

• F16N2250/40

  Flow · CPC title

• F16H57/0434

  relating to lubrication supply, e.g. pumps; Pressure control · CPC title