Deoiler shaft vortex separator

• US 6,033,450 A
• Filed: 12/21/1995
• Issued: 03/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Harris, J. Wesley Jr., Krul, Allan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): RYAN, PATRICK J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schwartz, Iurie A.
• Application Number:
  US08/576,735
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 55/414, 55/409, 55/413, 55/410, 55/345, 55/438, 96/190
• US Class Current: 55/345
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 45/14 generated by rotating vanes, discs, drums or brushes
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 13/04 having means for purifying air before leaving crankcase, e.g. removing oil
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 2013/0422 Separating oil and gas with a centrifuge device

Abstract

The pressure drop through a passageway that flows a compressible fluid that flows axially with a vortex component is reduced by dividing the passageway into smaller parallel passageways. The vortex separator is combined with a deoiler that includes a rotatable inducer and porous media disk(s) in a lubrication system for removing the oil from the air where the oil is contaminated in the bearing compartments and gear boxes of a gas turbine engine.

Claims

1. In combination, a deoiler for separating and removing oil and air from an air/oil mixture, said deoiler comprising a rotatable hollow shaft, a rotatable inducer mounted on said hollow shaft, a rotatable porous media disk mounted on said hollow shaft and being disposed downstream from said rotatable inducer, a rotatable housing mounted on said shaft and rotatable therewith and defining a cavity for encapsulating said rotatable porous media disk for centrifuging the oil out of the air/mixture, an opening is said housing fluidly connecting said hollow shaft for flowing the air from said housing, said hollow shaft defining a passageway for flowing the centrifuged air axially through said hollow shaft, a baffle including a plate extending longitudinally in said hollow shaft and diametrically extending across said passageway for dividing said passageway into at least two parallel passages, whereby the pressure losses through said passageway is reduced.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said baffle includes a cross member extending from and intersecting said plate and being coextensive therewith and extending diametrically across said passageway to divide said passageway into four equal passages.

3. A deoiler for removing the air and oil from an air/oil mixture from a lubrication system contaminated in the bearing compartments and gear boxes of a gas turbine engine in combination with a vortex separator, said deoiler comprising a rotatable hollow shaft, a rotatable inducer mounted on said hollow shaft, a rotatable porous media disk mounted on said hollow shaft and being disposed downstream from said rotatable inducer, a rotatable housing mounted on said shaft and rotatable therewith and defining a cavity for encapsulating said rotatable porous media disk for centrifuging the oil out of the air/mixture, an opening in said housing fluidly connecting said hollow shaft for flowing the air from said housing, said hollow shaft defining a passageway for flowing the centrifuged air axially through said hollow shaft, said vortex separator including a baffle having a plate extending longitudinally in said hollow shaft and diametrically extending across said passageway for dividing said passageway into at least two parallel passages, whereby the pressure losses through said passageway is reduced.

4. A deoiler as claimed in claim 3 wherein said baffle includes a cross plate member extending from and intersecting said plate and being coextensive therewith and extending diametrically across said passageway to divide said passageway into four equal passages.

5. A deoiler as claimed in claim 3 wherein said baffle includes an annular portion formed on one end of said plate and threads formed on said annular portion for engaging complementary threads formed on the inner diameter of said hollow shaft, whereby said baffle is an insert capable of being installed into pre-existing hollow shafts.

7. A deoiler as claimed in claim 3 wherein said baffle includes a cross plate member extending from and intersecting said plate and being coextensive therewith and extending diametrically across said passageway to divide said passageway into four equal passages.

8. A deoiler as claimed in claim 7 wherein said porous media disk means includes a plurality of disks mounted in side-by-side axially alignment.

9. A deoiler as claimed in claim 8 wherein the porosity of each of the porous media disk means decreases in the adjacent disks of said plurality of disks in a direction located downstream relative to the flow of said air/oil mixture.

10. A deoiler as claimed in claim 8 wherein said baffle includes an annular portion formed on one end of said plate and threads formed on said annular portion for engaging complementary threads formed on the inner diameter of said hollow shaft, whereby said baffle is an insert capable of being installed into pre-existing hollow shafts of the deoiler.

6. A deoiler for removing the air and oil from an air/oil mixture from a lubrication system contaminated in the bearing compartments and gear boxes of a gas turbine engine in combination with a vortex separator, said deoiler comprising a rotatable hollow shaft, a rotatable inducer mounted on said hollow shaft and a fixed member having a generally W-shaped cross section and being disposed adjacent to said rotatable inducer and having a surface complementing the surface of said inducer for centrifuging out a portion of said oil of said oil/air mixture before said oil/air mixture enters said housing, a porous media disk means mounted on said hollow shaft and rotatable therewith and being disposed downstream from said rotatable inducer, a rotatable housing mounted on said shaft and rotatable therewith and defining a cavity for encapsulating said porous media disk means for centrifuging the remaining portion of the oil out of the air/mixture, an opening in said housing fluidly connecting said hollow shaft for flowing the air from said housing, said hollow shaft defining a passageway for flowing the centrifuged air axially through said hollow shaft, said vortex separator including a baffle having a plate extending longitudinally in said hollow shaft and diametrically extending across said passageway for dividing said passageway into at least two parallel passages, whereby the pressure losses through said passageway is reduced.