Gas turbine engine lubrication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9488104-B2
Application number	US-201314109114-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

A lubrication system for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The lubrication system is configured to provide pressurized air and lubricant to a bearing sump of the gas turbine engine to cool and lubricate a bearing included in the bearing sump.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine comprising
an engine core including an inlet, a compressor, a turbine, and an exhaust,
a bearing sump arranged in the engine core, and
a non-recirculating lubrication system including a lubricant reservoir coupled to the bearing sump to provide lubricant to the bearing sump, an air system coupled to the bearing sump and configured to provide pressurized air to the bearing sump to cool a bearing included in the bearing sump and to blow lubricant onto the bearing, and a vent coupled to the bearing sump and to the atmosphere, wherein the vent is sized to conduct the lubricant provided by the lubricant reservoir and pressurized air provided by the air system to the atmosphere after the lubricant and pressurized air enter the bearing sump so that lubricant is not recirculated in the bearing sump,
wherein the air system includes a heat exchanger filled with a coolant and configured to cool pressurized air before delivery to the bearing sump, and
wherein the air system includes a vent valve coupled to the heat exchanger and configured to vent coolant to the atmosphere during operation of the gas turbine engine based on the temperature of the coolant to control pressure and phase of the coolant in the heat exchanger in order to provide a predetermined amount of cooling to pressurized air passing through the heat exchanger.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the vent is coupled to the exhaust of the engine core so that the lubricant and pressurized air conducted away from the bearing sump is deposited into an air stream exiting the gas turbine engine.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the air system includes a delivery line coupled to the bearing sump to deliver pressurized air to the bearing sump and an interstage compressor bleed line coupled to the compressor to receive pressurized air from the compressor for transportation to the bearing by the delivery line.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 3 , wherein the air system includes an inlet bleed line coupled to the inlet to receive pressurized air from the inlet for transportation to the bearing by the delivery line.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 4 , wherein the air system includes a bleed selection valve configured to selectively couple the delivery line to the interstage compressor bleed line or the inlet bleed line.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the air system includes a bypass valve configured to selectively bypass the heat exchanger to deliver uncooled pressurized air to the bearing sump.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 6 , wherein the air system includes a delivery line coupled to the bearing sump to deliver pressurized air to the bearing sump, an interstage compressor bleed line coupled to the compressor to receive pressurized air from the compressor for transportation to the bearing by the delivery line, and an inlet bleed line coupled to the inlet to receive pressurized air from the inlet for transportation to the bearing by the delivery line.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the air system includes a bleed selection valve configured to selectively couple the delivery line to the interstage compressor bleed line or the inlet bleed line.

9. A gas turbine engine comprising
an engine core including an inlet, a compressor, a turbine, and an exhaust
a bearing sump arranged in the engine core, and
an air system coupled to the bearing sump and configured to provide pressurized air to the bearing sump to cool a bearing included in the bearing sump, the air system including (i) a delivery line coupled to the bearing sump to deliver pressurized air to the bearing sump, (ii) a first bleed line coupled to the engine core to receive pressurized air from the engine core for transportation to the bearing by the delivery line, (iii) a heat exchanger filled with a coolant coupled between the delivery line and the first bleed line to cool air before delivery to the bearing sump, and (iv) a vent valve coupled to the heat exchanger, the vent valve configured to vent coolant to the atmosphere during operation of the gas turbine engine based on the temperature of the coolant to control pressure and phase of the coolant in the heat exchanger in order to provide a predetermined amount of cooling to pressurized air passing through the heat exchanger.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 9 , wherein the air system includes a bypass valve configured to selectively bypass the heat exchanger to deliver uncooled pressurized air from the engine core to the bearing sump if the air temperature at the first bleed line is below a predetermined temperature.

11. The gas turbine engine of claim 9 , wherein the air system includes a second bleed line coupled to the engine core to receive pressurized air from a different part of the engine core for transportation to the bearing by the delivery line and a bleed section valve configured to selectively couple the delivery line to the first bleed line or the second bleed line.

12. The gas turbine engine of claim 11 , wherein the heat exchanger is coupled between the delivery line and the second bleed line.

13. The gas turbine engine of claim 11 , wherein the first bleed line is coupled to the inlet of the engine core and the second bleed line is coupled to the compressor of the engine core.

14. The gas turbine engine of claim 9 , further comprising a lubrication reservoir coupled to the bearing sump to provide lubricant to the bearing sump and a vent line coupled to the bearing sump to the atmosphere to conduct lubricant from the bearing sump to the atmosphere.

15. The gas turbine engine of claim 14 , wherein the vent line is sized to conduct the lubricant from the lubricant reservoir and pressurized air from the air system to the atmosphere from the bearing sump so that lubricant is no recirculated into the bearing sump.

16. A method of operating a gas turbine engine comprising
conducting lubricant from a lubricant reservoir to a bearing sump included in the gas turbine engine,
conducting pressurized air to the bearing sump from an engine core included in the gas turbine engine to blow the lubricant onto a bearing included in the bearing sump,
venting substantially all the lubricant and pressurized air from the bearing sump to the atmosphere without recirculating the lubricant so that heat absorbed from the bearing sump by the lubricant and the pressurized air is removed from the bearing sump,
cooling the pressurized air from the engine core by passing the pressurized air through a heat exchanger filled with coolant, and
venting coolant from the heat exchanger to the atmosphere during operation of the gas turbine engine based on the temperature of the coolant to control pressure and phase of the coolant in the heat exchanger in order to provide a predetermined amount of cooling to pressurized air passing through the heat exchanger.

17. A gas turbine engine comprising
an engine core including an inlet, a compressor, a turbine, and an exhaust,
a bearing sump arranged in the engine core, and
a non-recirculating lubrication system including a lubricant reservoir coupled to the bearing sump to provide lubricant to the bearing sump, an air system coupled to the bearing sump and configured to provide pressurized air to the bearing sump to cool a bearing included in the bearing sump and to blow lubricant onto the bearing, and a vent coupled to the bearing sump and to the atmosphere, wherein the vent is sized to conduct the lubricant provided by the lubricant reservoir and pressurized air provided by the air system to

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Corp

Inventors

• Junod Larry A

Classifications

• F01D25/18

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

• F01D25/08

  Cooling (of machines or engines in general F01P); Heating; Heat-insulation (of blade-carrying members, of blades F01D5/00) · CPC title

• F16N7/32

  Mist lubrication (splash lubrication F16N7/26) · CPC title

• F02C7/12

  Cooling of plants (of component parts, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. F01D; cooling of engines in general F01P) · CPC title

• F05D2260/98

  Lubrication · CPC title