Ram air turbine with high power density generator and self-contained fluid cooling loop
First Claim
1. A ram air turbine system for generating supplementary electrical power in an aircraft when the system is deployed into a air stream;
- the system comprising;
a turbine having blades in said air stream for rotating a first shaft;
a generator having a second shaft;
a gearbox having a plurality of gears responsive to rotation of said first shaft for rotating said second shaft at a rate that is greater than the rate of rotation of said first shaft;
said gearbox having an oil sump that is at least partially filled with oil;
a pump in fluid communication with said oil sump and a conduit connected to said pump for conveying said oil to said generator for cooling said generator, wherein a heat exchanger deployed in said airstreams for removing heat from said oil and returning the oil to the pump, a cooling jacket in contact with said generator, said cooling jacket having a conduit for carrying said cooling oil, a trough in said gearbox, said trough being at least partially submerged in said oil in said sump for channeling oil to said pump.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A ram air turbine system provides liquid cooling of its generator by employing a closed loop liquid cooling line originating from a pump in the gearbox of the system. In the preferred embodiment the pump may be a pitot pump to which gearbox lubricating oil may be channeled along a trough that is located in the gearbox. At least a portion of the trough is immersed in the oil which travels along the trough toward the pump in response to turbine shaft rotation. The oil is directed into a cooling jacket which is integral to the generator and then to a heat exchanger exposed to airflow. The oil is then returned to the gearbox.
43 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A ram air turbine system for generating supplementary electrical power in an aircraft when the system is deployed into a air stream;
- the system comprising;
a turbine having blades in said air stream for rotating a first shaft;
a generator having a second shaft;
a gearbox having a plurality of gears responsive to rotation of said first shaft for rotating said second shaft at a rate that is greater than the rate of rotation of said first shaft;
said gearbox having an oil sump that is at least partially filled with oil;
a pump in fluid communication with said oil sump and a conduit connected to said pump for conveying said oil to said generator for cooling said generator, wherein a heat exchanger deployed in said airstreams for removing heat from said oil and returning the oil to the pump, a cooling jacket in contact with said generator, said cooling jacket having a conduit for carrying said cooling oil, a trough in said gearbox, said trough being at least partially submerged in said oil in said sump for channeling oil to said pump. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
- the system comprising;
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7. A ram air turbine system for selective deployment from an aircraft into an adjacent airstream for generating electrical power for use in the aircraft;
- the system comprising;
a turbine for rotating a first shaft in response to said airstream;
a sealed generator having a second shaft;
a gearbox connected between said turbine and said generator for rotating said second shaft;
a pump connected to a closed loop line for transferring a cooling fluid to said generator; and
a strut interconnecting said generator and said gearbox and substantially enclosing said closed loop line. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- the system comprising;
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15. A ram air turbine system for generating supplementary electrical power in an aircraft when the system is deployed into the airstream;
- the system comprising;
a turbine having blades in said airstream for rotating a first shaft;
a generator having a second shaft;
a gearbox having a plurality of gears responsive to rotation of said first shaft for rotating said second shaft at a rate that is greater than the rate of rotation of said first shaft;
said gearbox having an oil sump that is at least partially filled with oil;
a pump in fluid communication with said oil sump and a conduit connected to said pump for conveying said oil to said generator for cooling said generator;
a cooling jacket in contact with said generator, said cooling jacket having a tube for carrying said cooling oil;
a trough in said gearbox, said trough being at least partially submerged in said oil in said sump for channeling oil to said pump; and
a strut interconnecting said gearbox and said generator and enclosing said conduit. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
- the system comprising;
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19. A ram air turbine system for deployment from an aircraft to generate electrical power for the aircraft from the airstream adjacent the aircraft;
- the system comprising;
a turbine for producing regulated mechanical energy from said airstream;
a generator for producing said electrical power from said mechanical energy; and
a liquid cooling apparatus activated by said turbine for cooling said generator.
- the system comprising;
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20. A method for cooling a sealed generator of a ram air turbine system, the system having a deployable turbine and the generator for producing electrical power for an aircraft in response to airstream flow adjacent the aircraft;
- the method comprising the steps of;
a) providing a cooling fluid source;
b) pumping the cooling fluid through a conduit;
c) placing the conduit in contact with the generator;
d) passing the conduit through a heat exchanger exposed to said airstream; and
e) returning said cooling fluid to said source. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
locating said source between said turbine and said generator.
- the method comprising the steps of;
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22. The method recited in claim 21, comprising the step of using said turbine to carry out said pumping step.
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23. The method recited in claim 22, comprising the steps of:
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providing a gearbox between said turbine and said generator; and
integrating said source into said gearbox.
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24. The method recited in claim 23, further comprising the step of locating a pump in said gearbox to carry out said pumping step.
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25. The method recited in claim 24, further comprising the step of using said cooling fluid as lubrication in said gearbox.
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26. The method recited in claim 20, wherein step c) comprises the further step of wrapping said conduit around said generator as an integral cooling jacket.
Specification