Lubricant valve monitoring method and assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016376949-A1
Application number	US-201514747214-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 23, 2015
Priority date	Jun 23, 2015
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An exemplary method of monitoring a position of a lubricant valve in a gas turbine engine includes monitoring a position of a lubricant valve using a first auxiliary pressure reading and a second auxiliary pressure reading. The first auxiliary pressure reading is taken when a primary lubrication circuit is at a first pressure. The second auxiliary pressure reading is taken when the primary lubrication circuit is at a second pressure. An exemplary assembly that detects transitions of a lubricant valve in a gas turbine engine includes a controller that uses readings of the primary pressure and readings of the auxiliary pressure to detect a position of a lubricant valve.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of monitoring a position of a lubricant valve in a gas turbine engine, comprising:
monitoring a position of a lubricant valve using a first auxiliary pressure reading and a second auxiliary pressure reading, the first auxiliary pressure reading taken when a primary lubrication circuit is at a first pressure, the second auxiliary pressure reading taken when the primary lubrication circuit is at a second pressure.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first pressure is different than the second pressure.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first auxiliary pressure reading and the second auxiliary pressure reading are readings of pressure in an auxiliary lubrication circuit.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the lubricant valve is moveable from a primary position and to an auxiliary position, and moveable from the auxiliary position to the primary position, the lubricant valve in the primary position permitting a fluid to communicate along the primary lubrication circuit to a gearbox, the lubricant valve in the auxiliary position permitting a fluid to communicate along the auxiliary lubrication circuit to the gearbox.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein a difference between the first auxiliary pressure reading and the second auxiliary pressure reading that meets or exceeds a threshold value indicates that the lubricant valve has moved from the primary position to the auxiliary position, or from the auxiliary position to the primary position.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the lubricant valve in the primary position blocks the fluid from communicating along the auxiliary lubrication circuit to the gearbox, and the lubricant valve in the auxiliary position blocks the fluid from communicating along the primary lubrication circuit to the gearbox.

7 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising using a pressure differential to transition the lubricant valve from the primary position to the auxiliary position, and from the auxiliary position to the primary position.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising selectively lubricating a portion of a geared architecture of a gas turbine engine using fluid communicated along the primary lubrication circuit or an auxiliary lubrication circuit.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the portion of the geared architecture comprises bearing surfaces of journal bearings within the geared architecture.

10 . An assembly that detects transitions of a lubricant valve in a gas turbine engine, comprising:
a primary sensor that monitors a primary pressure in a primary lubrication circuit extending from a primary source to a gearbox; an auxiliary sensor that monitors an auxiliary pressure in an auxiliary lubrication circuit extending from an auxiliary source to the gearbox; and a controller that uses readings of the primary pressure and readings of the auxiliary pressure to detect a position of a lubricant valve.

11 . The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the lubricant valve is a shuttle valve.

12 . The assembly of claim 11 , wherein the lubricant valve is moveable back and forth between a primary position and an auxiliary position, the lubricant valve in the primary position permitting a fluid to communicate along the primary lubrication circuit to the gearbox, the lubricant valve in the auxiliary position permitting a fluid to communicate along the auxiliary lubrication circuit to the gearbox.

13 . The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the lubricant valve is configured to transition back and forth between a primary position and a secondary position in response to a pressure in the primary lubrication circuit.

14 . The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the primary lubrication circuit and the auxiliary lubrication circuit selectively communicate a lubricant to a portion of a gas turbine engine.

15 . The assembly of claim 14 , wherein the portion is within a geared architecture.

16 . The assembly of claim 15 , wherein the portion comprises bearing surfaces of journal bearings.

17 . The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the controller uses readings of the primary pressure and readings of the auxiliary pressure to detect whether the lubricant valve has transitioned to a primary position that permits flow along the primary lubrication circuit to a geared architecture or to a secondary position that permits flow along the auxiliary lubrication circuit to the geared architecture.

18 . The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to compare a first auxiliary pressure reading taken when the primary pressure is at a first value to a second auxiliary pressure reading taken when the primary pressure is at a second value.

19 . The assembly of claim 18 , wherein the controller is configured to infer that the valve has transitioned between a primary position and a secondary position based on a difference between the first auxiliary pressure reading and the second auxiliary pressure reading.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Parnin Francis

Classifications

• G01M15/14

  Testing gas-turbine engines or jet-propulsion engines · CPC title

• F01M11/10 Primary

  Indicating devices; Other safety devices · CPC title

• F01D25/18 Primary

  Lubricating arrangements (of machines or engines in general F01M) · CPC title

• F02C7/06

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

• F01D17/20

  Devices dealing with sensing elements or final actuators or transmitting means between them, e.g. power-assisted (sensing elements alone F01D17/02; final actuators alone F01D17/10) · CPC title