LOW LOSS BEARING DRAIN

• US 20160090871A1
• Filed: 04/21/2014
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Olsen, David R., Miner, Frederic G., Dolman, Paul H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,695,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/16 Arrangement of bearings; Supporting or mounting bearings in casings bearings per se F16C
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/162 Bearing supports
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/18 Lubricating arrangements of machines or engines in general F01M
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/183 Sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/32 Collecting of condensation water; Drainage ; Removing solid particles
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/02 Blade-carrying members, e.g. rotors rotors of non-bladed type F01D1/34; stators F01D9/00 ; selecting particular materials F01D5/28
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/12 Blades specially adapted for radial flow machines or engines F01D5/04; blade roots F01D5/30; rotors with blades adjustable in operation F01D7/00; stator blades F01D9/02
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/06 Arrangements of bearings bearings F16C; Lubricating of turbo machines F01D25/18; of machines or engines in general F01M
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/30 in turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/54 Radial bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/60 Shafts
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/602 Drainage
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/98 Lubrication
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2360/23 Gas turbine engines
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/6637 with liquid lubricant
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/6659 Details of supply of the liquid to the bearing, e.g. passages or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/6685 Details of collecting or draining, e.g. returning the liquid to a sump

Abstract

A turbine module comprises a turbine shaft, a rotor assembly secured to the shaft, a bearing assembly rotatably supporting the turbine shaft, and a bearing housing containing the bearing assembly. The bearing housing includes a gutter at least partially circumscribing the bearing assembly, and a drain disposed proximate a base of the gutter. The gutter includes a first sloped floor portion circumferentially adjacent to the drain.

Claims

1. A turbine module comprising:

a turbine shaft rotatable about a center line of the turbine module;

a rotor assembly secured to the turbine shaft, the rotor assembly including a plurality of airfoils circumferentially distributed around a rotor disk;

a bearing assembly including a plurality of bearings rotatably supporting the turbine shaft; and

a bearing housing containing the bearing assembly, the bearing housing including a gutter at least partially circumscribing the bearing assembly, and a drain disposed proximate a base of the gutter, the gutter including a first sloped floor portion circumferentially adjacent to the drain.

2. The turbine module of claim 1, wherein the first sloped floor portion is tangential to an upper floor portion at a clockwise or counterclockwise angular location relative to a center of the drain.

3. The turbine module of claim 2, wherein the gutter also includes a second sloped floor portion circumferentially adjacent to the drain.

4. The turbine module of claim 3, wherein the second sloped floor portion is tangential to the upper floor portion at an opposite angular location from the first sloped floor portion with respect to the center of the drain.

5. The turbine module of claim 2, wherein the upper floor portion is generally circular and circumscribes the bearing assembly between the clockwise angular location and the counterclockwise angular location.

6. The turbine module of claim 2, wherein at least one of the clockwise angular location and the counterclockwise angular location is spaced more than 40°

, and less than about 50°

, from the center of the drain.

7. The turbine module of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of bearing assemblies contained in the bearing housing, each of the plurality of bearing assemblies including a plurality of bearings rotatably supporting the turbine shaft; and

a plurality of gutters recessed into the bearing housing inner surface, each of the plurality of gutters at least partially circumscribing corresponding ones of the plurality of bearing assemblies and each gutter including a first sloped floor portion circumferentially adjacent to a drain disposed proximate a base of each gutter.

8. The turbine module of claim 1, further comprising:

a bearing compartment including a longitudinal exit passage in communication with the drain.

9. The turbine module of claim 8, wherein the exit passage comprises an open pathway between the drain and a lubricant return line.

10. The turbine module of claim 1, wherein an outer diameter of the bearing housing proximate the bearing assembly measures at least about 1.0 m (39 inches).

11. The turbine module of claim 10, wherein a lubricant flow rate capacity of the bearing assembly is at least about 3.8 liters/second (about 1.0 gal/second).

12. A turbomachine bearing system comprising:

a bearing housing including at least one portion adapted to be in communication with a lubricant supply passage;

a drain disposed at a base of the bearing housing; and

a gutter in communication with the drain and at least partially circumscribing the at least one portion of the bearing housing, the gutter including a floor with at least one sloped portion in communication with, and circumferentially adjacent to the drain.

13. The turbomachine bearing system of claim 12, wherein the gutter includes a first sloped floor portion extending between the drain and a first angular location of the gutter relative to a center of the drain.

14. The turbomachine bearing system of claim 13, wherein the gutter also includes a second sloped floor portion extending between the drain and a second angular location of the gutter relative to the center of the drain.

15. The turbomachine bearing system of claim 14, wherein the first floor portion and the second sloped floor portion are each tangential to an upper floor portion of the gutter.

16. The turbomachine bearing system of claim 15, wherein the upper floor portion is generally circular and circumscribes the at least one portion of the bearing housing between the first angular location and the second angular location.

17. The turbomachine bearing system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first angular location and the second angular location is spaced more than 40°

, and less than about 50°

, from the center of the drain.

18. The turbomachine bearing system of claim 12, further comprising:

a plurality of bearing assemblies contained in the bearing housing; and

a plurality of gutters at least partially circumscribing corresponding ones of the plurality of bearing assemblies, and each gutter including a first sloped floor portion circumferentially adjacent to a corresponding plurality of drains disposed proximate a base of each gutter.

19. The turbomachine bearing system of claim 18, further comprising:

a longitudinal exit duct in communication with one or more of the plurality of drains.

20. The turbomachine bearing system of claim 19, wherein the exit passage comprises an open pathway between the one or more drains and a lubricant return line.