Gas turbine engine breather exhaust oil collector
First Claim
1. A gas turbine engine oil system comprising an air-oil separator for removing air from an air/oil mixture, a breather tube connected to an exhaust of the air-oil separator for receiving hot air removed from the air/oil mixture in the air-oil separator, the hot air still carrying oil aerosol and vapour, an oil collector having an outer surface exposed to a coolant flow and an inner surface defining a cooled chamber, the breather tube extending upwardly into the cooled chamber of the oil collector, the oil collector having an internal volume for collecting oil condensate separated from the hot air discharged in the cooled chamber during engine running, the breather tube having multiple perforations distributed at different axial position along a distal end portion thereof to cause a two-way fluid exchange between the hot air inside the breather tube and cooler air in the cooled chamber outside the breather tube, an exhaust window defined in said oil collector for venting the air from the cooled chamber, and a drain in said oil collector for returning the oil condensate collected during engine running in the internal volume of the oil collector back into an engine gear box at engine shut down when air flow through the breather tube ceases.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A gas turbine engine oil system has an air-oil separator for removing air from an air/oil mixture. A breather tube is connected to an exhaust of the air-oil separator for receiving hot air removed from the air/oil mixture in the air-oil separator. The gas turbine engine oil separator exhaust is directed in a cooled oil collector to cause the oil mist remaining in the air at the exit from the engine air-oil separator to condensate. The oil condensate is returned back into the engine oil system.
43 Citations
15 Claims
- 1. A gas turbine engine oil system comprising an air-oil separator for removing air from an air/oil mixture, a breather tube connected to an exhaust of the air-oil separator for receiving hot air removed from the air/oil mixture in the air-oil separator, the hot air still carrying oil aerosol and vapour, an oil collector having an outer surface exposed to a coolant flow and an inner surface defining a cooled chamber, the breather tube extending upwardly into the cooled chamber of the oil collector, the oil collector having an internal volume for collecting oil condensate separated from the hot air discharged in the cooled chamber during engine running, the breather tube having multiple perforations distributed at different axial position along a distal end portion thereof to cause a two-way fluid exchange between the hot air inside the breather tube and cooler air in the cooled chamber outside the breather tube, an exhaust window defined in said oil collector for venting the air from the cooled chamber, and a drain in said oil collector for returning the oil condensate collected during engine running in the internal volume of the oil collector back into an engine gear box at engine shut down when air flow through the breather tube ceases.
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9. A gas turbine engine oil system comprising a breather tube connected in fluid flow communication with a gas outlet of an air-oil separator, the breather tube receiving a flow of hot air separated from the oil in the air-oil separator, and an oil collector disposed downstream of the air-oil separator for recuperating at least a portion of the oil remaining in the flow of hot air vented from the air-oil separator, the oil collector comprising a cooled enclosure mounted about a delivery end portion of the breather tube in a coolant flow passage, the cooled enclosure having a wall including opposed outer and inner surfaces in heat exchange relationship, the wall, including its inner and outer surfaces, being cooled by a flow of coolant flowing over the outer surface of the wall in the coolant passage, the coolant flowing over the cooled enclosure causing the oil carried by the hot air flowing through an outlet of the breather tube to condense in the cooled enclosure, the cooled enclosure having an oil drain and a gas exhaust;
- the outlet of the breather tube comprises a plurality of holes distributed at different axial positions along the delivery end portion of the breather tube, the plurality of holes providing a two-way fluid exchange between the hot air inside the breather tube and cooler air in the cooled enclosure outside the breather tube.
- View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
Specification