Ram air turbine pump leakage control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9719367-B2
Application number	US-201514924133-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2015
Priority date	Mar 27, 2012
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

An exemplary method of controlling fluid flow in a ram air turbine assembly, includes redirecting flow moving in an axial direction against the surface of a drive shaft to flow moving in a radial direction away from the drive shaft to limit flow of the fluid from a hydraulic pump to a generator.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of controlling fluid flow in a ram air turbine assembly, comprising:
deploying a strut from a stowed position to a deployed position;
rotating a drive shaft about a drive shaft axis to directly drive a hydraulic pump and a generator when the strut is in the deployed position; and
redirecting flow moving in an axial direction against the surface of the drive shaft to flow moving in a radial direction away from the drive shaft to limit flow of the fluid from the hydraulic pump to the generator, wherein the hydraulic pump and the generator both rotate about the drive shaft axis such that the hydraulic pump, the generator, and the drive shaft are coaxially aligned.

2. The method of claim 1 , including using a radially extending feature of the drive shaft to initiate the redirecting.

3. The method of claim 1 , including driving the hydraulic pump and the generator using the drive shaft.

4. The method of claim 3 , including rotating a turbine of a ram air turbine to rotate the drive shaft.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid is a hydraulic fluid.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising supporting a turbine within the strut, the strut connected to a turbine shaft that rotates about a turbine shaft axis transverse to the drive shaft axis.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising redirecting flow moving in the axial direction to flow moving in the radial direction and into an annular cavity.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising holding at least a portion of both the hydraulic pump and the generator within a housing assembly and providing the annular cavity within the housing assembly.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising draining the fluid from the annular cavity using a conduit.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generator is axially closer to the turbine than the hydraulic pump.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising redirecting using an interruption in the drive shaft.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the interruption extends circumferentially and continuously about the entire drive shaft axis.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the interruption comprises a first rib extending radially from the drive shaft and a second rib extending radially from the drive shaft, the first rib axially spaced from the second rib.

14. A method of controlling flow in a ram air turbine, comprising:
rotating a turbine to rotate a turbine shaft about a turbine shaft axis when a ram air turbine is in a deployed position;
rotating a drive shaft about a drive shaft axis with the turbine shaft, the turbine shaft axis transverse to the drive shaft axis;
driving a hydraulic pump and a generator with the drive shaft, the hydraulic pump and the generator driven to rotate about the drive shaft axis such that the hydraulic pump, the generator, and the drive shaft are coaxially aligned; and
redirecting a fluid flowing from the hydraulic pump to the generator into an cavity provided by a housing of the ram air turbine.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the cavity is an annular cavity.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising redirecting using an interruption in the drive shaft.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising holding the hydraulic pump, the generator, or both within the housing.

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Russ David Everett

Classifications

• F05D2220/34

  in ram-air turbines ("RATS") · CPC title

• F01D15/10

  Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, electric generators · CPC title

• F01D15/08 Primary

  Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, pumps · CPC title

• Y10T137/0318

  Processes · CPC title

• B64D41/007

  Ram air turbines · CPC title