WINDMILL OPERATION OF A GAS TURBINE ENGINE

• US 20130098059A1
• Filed: 10/21/2011
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Suciu, Gabriel L., Merry, Brian D., Dye, Christopher M., McCune, Michael E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,978,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/783
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 15/08 Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/107 with two or more rotors connected by power transmission
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/32 Arrangement, mounting, or driving, of auxiliaries
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/16 Control of working fluid flow F02C9/48 takes precedence; control of air-intake flow F02C7/057
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/091 in particular sudden load loss

Abstract

A gas turbine engine according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes a windmill pump driven by a spool.

Claims

1. A gas turbine engine comprising:

a spool; and

a windmill pump driven by said spool.

2. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1, wherein said windmill pump is driven by said spool through a constant speed transmission.

3. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 2, wherein said constant speed transmission is driven by a towershaft geared to said spool.

4. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1, wherein said spool operates at speed excursions of up to 80% between a first condition and a second condition.

5. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 4, wherein said first condition is an idle condition and said second condition is a takeoff condition.

6. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1, wherein said spool is a low spool.

7. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1, wherein said spool drives a fan through a geared architecture.

8. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a first pump driven by said spool;

an air-oil cooler downstream of said first pump;

a second pump driven by said spool; and

an air-air precooler downstream of said second pump.

9. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 8, wherein said first pump is an axial pump.

10. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 8, wherein said second pump is a centrifugal pump.

11. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 8, wherein said air-air precooler is downstream of said air-oil cooler

12. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 8, wherein said windmill pump communicates a lubricant to a geared architecture.

13. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 8, wherein said spool is a low spool.

14. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 8, wherein said spool drives a fan through a geared architecture.

15. A method of gas turbine engine operations during a “

windmilling”

condition comprising;

driving a windmill pump with a spool during a “

windmilling”

condition; and

communicating a lubricant to a geared architecture with the windmill pump.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

driving the windmill pump through a constant speed transmission.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

driving the constant speed transmission with a towershaft geared to said spool.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

driving a first pump by the spool, an air-oil cooler downstream of the first pump.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

driving a second pump by the spool, an air-air precooler downstream of the second pump.

20. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising driving a fan with the spool through the geared architecture.