High pressure, multiple metering zone gas turbine engine fuel supply system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9353688-B2
Application number	US-201313828199-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2013
Priority date	Jan 17, 2013
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

A gas turbine engine fuel supply system includes a primary gear pump, a secondary gear pump, and a pump bypass valve. The primary gear pump always actively delivers fuel to the downstream fuel system, and is sized to supply 100% of the burn flow needed at a select low demand condition. The secondary gear pump is sized to make up the remainder of the flow at high demand conditions, and actively delivers fuel to the downstream fuel system only during those conditions. To supply discharge fuel pressures in excess of gear pump capability, a supercharger pump is disposed upstream of the primary and secondary gear pumps. The pump bypass valve is configured to regulate fuel pressure at the primary gear pump outlet to one of a plurality of preset differential pressures above one of a plurality of fuel load pressures and prevents reverse pressurization of the gear pumps.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine fuel supply system, comprising:
a primary gear pump having a primary gear pump inlet and a primary gear pump outlet, the primary gear pump adapted to receive a drive torque and configured, upon receipt thereof, to draw fuel into the primary gear pump inlet and discharge the fuel from the primary gear pump outlet;
a secondary gear pump having a secondary gear pump inlet and a secondary gear pump outlet, the secondary gear pump adapted to receive a drive torque and configured, upon receipt thereof, to draw fuel into the secondary gear pump inlet and discharge the fuel from the secondary gear pump outlet;
a supercharger pump having a supercharger pump inlet and a supercharger pump outlet, the supercharger pump adapted to receive a drive torque and configured, upon receipt thereof, to draw fuel into the supercharger pump inlet and discharge the fuel from the supercharger pump outlet;
a pump control valve configured to selectively (i) fluidly isolate the supercharger pump from the primary and secondary gear pumps, and fluidly isolate the primary gear pump outlet from the secondary gear pump outlet, and (ii) fluidly communicate the supercharger pump outlet with the primary gear pump inlet and the secondary gear pump inlet, and fluidly communicate the primary gear pump outlet and the secondary gear pump outlet; and
a pump bypass valve in fluid communication with the primary gear pump outlet and configured to regulate fuel pressure at the primary gear pump outlet to one of a plurality of preset differential pressures above one of a plurality of fuel load pressures.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of fuel metering subsystems, each fuel metering subsystem in fluid communication with the primary gear pump outlet and adapted to receive commands, each fuel metering subsystem configured, in response to the commands it receives, to meter fuel to a fuel load.

3. The system of claim 2 , further comprising:
a plurality of select-high valves, each select-high valve disposed downstream of and in fluid communication with one of the fuel metering subsystems, each select-high valve additionally in fluid communication with the bypass valve.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pump bypass valve comprises:
a valve body; and
a valve element disposed within the valve body and movable therein to regulate the fuel pressure at the primary gear pump outlet.

5. The system of claim 4 , further comprising:
a main supply line coupled to the primary gear pump outlet and the pump bypass valve;
a fuel supply line coupled to the primary gear pump inlet and in fluid communication with the pump control valve, the fuel supply line adapted to couple to a fuel supply source;
a check valve disposed in the fuel supply line upstream of the primary gear pump inlet; and
a select-high line coupled to receive fuel at a plurality of different fuel pressures and in fluid communication with the pump bypass valve body.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein:
the valve body includes a main supply line port, a select-high pressure port, a return port, a first setpoint reference port, and a second setpoint reference port, the main supply line port in fluid communication with the main supply line, the select-high pressure port in fluid communication with the select-high line, the return port in fluid communication with the fuel supply line upstream of the check valve, the first setpoint reference port in fluid communication with the fuel supply line upstream of the check valve, the second setpoint reference port in fluid communication with the fuel supply line downstream of the check valve; and
the valve element is configured to regulate the fuel pressure in the main supply line to one of two differential pressure levels above the fuel pressure in the select-high line.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein:
the valve element includes an increased diameter section having a first side and a second side;
fuel pressure acting on the first side of the increased diameter section is fuel pressure in the fuel supply line upstream of the check valve; and
fuel pressure acting on the second side of this increased diameter section is fuel pressure in the fuel supply line downstream of the check valve.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein when the pump control valve is in the second control position and the supercharger pump is discharging fuel from the supercharger pump outlet:
fuel pressure at the second setpoint reference port is higher than when the pump control valve is in the first control position;
fuel pressure at the first and second setpoint reference ports are substantially equivalent; and the valve element moves to regulate fuel pressure at the primary gear pump outlet to a higher differential pressure level above the fuel pressure in the select-high line.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a boost pump having a boost pump inlet and a boost pump outlet, the boost pump outlet in fluid communication with the at least the pump control valve, the boost pump adapted to receive a drive torque and configured, upon receipt thereof, to draw fuel into the boost pump inlet and discharge the fuel from the boost pump outlet.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein:
the pump control valve is movable between a first position and a second position;
in the first position, the pump control valve (i) fluidly isolates the supercharger pump from the boost pump, the primary gear pump, and the secondary gear pump and (ii) fluidly isolates the primary gear pump outlet from the secondary gear pump outlet; and
in the second position, the pump control valve fluidly communicates the supercharger pump inlet with the boost pump outlet, fluidly communicates the supercharger pump outlet with the primary gear pump inlet and the secondary gear pump inlet, and fluidly communicates the primary gear pump outlet and the secondary gear pump outlet.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the pump control valve is coupled to receive a control signal and is configured, in response thereto, to selectively move between the first position and the second position.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising:
a control signal source configured to supply the control signal to the pump control valve.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein:
the control signal is a hydraulic signal; and
the control signal source comprises a controllable pump control pilot valve.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the pump control pilot valve comprises:
a pump control pilot valve body including a low-pressure supply port, a supercharger feed inlet port, a supercharger feed outlet port, a control pressure inlet port, and a control pressure outlet port; the low-pressure supply port in fluid communication with the boost pump outlet, the supercharger feed inlet port in fluid communication with the primary gear pump outlet, and the supercharger feed outlet port in fluid communication with the supercharger pump inlet, the control pressure inlet port in fluid communication with the primary gear pump outlet, the control pressure outlet port in fluid communication with the pump control valve;
a pump control pilot valve element movably disposed within the pump control valve body, and is movable between a first pilot position and a second pilot position,
wherein:
in the first pilot position the pilot valve element dead-heads the low-pressure supply port, fluidly isolates the supercharger feed inlet port from the supercharger feed outlet port, and fluidly couples the control pressure inlet port to the control pressure outlet port, and
in the second pilot posit

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Futa Paul W
• Zielinski Edward
• Portolese Larry
• Tuttle David

Classifications

• F02C7/22 Primary

  Fuel supply systems · CPC title

• F02C7/236

  Fuel delivery systems comprising two or more pumps · CPC title