Lubricant valve monitoring method and assembly
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorFrancis Parnin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An exemplary method of monitoring a position of a lubricant valve in a gas turbine engine includes monitoring a position of a lubricant valve using a first auxiliary pressure reading and a second auxiliary pressure reading. The first auxiliary pressure reading is taken when a primary lubrication circuit is at a first pressure. The second auxiliary pressure reading is taken when the primary lubrication circuit is at a second pressure. An exemplary assembly that detects transitions of a lubricant valve in a gas turbine engine includes a controller that uses readings of the primary pressure and readings of the auxiliary pressure to detect a position of a lubricant valve.
Claims19
A method of monitoring a position of a lubricant valve in a gas turbine engine, comprising:
- monitoring a position of a lubricant valve using a first primary pressure reading, a second primary pressure reading, a first auxiliary pressure reading and a second auxiliary pressure reading, the first auxiliary pressure reading taken when a primary lubrication circuit is at a first pressure obtained by the first primary pressure reading, the second auxiliary pressure reading taken when the primary lubrication circuit is at a second pressure obtained by the second primary pressure reading, wherein the first primary pressure reading and the second primary reading are readings of pressure in the primary lubricant circuit, the first auxiliary pressure reading and the second auxiliary pressure reading are readings of pressure in an auxiliary lubrication circuit, and the lubricant valve includes a first inlet and a second inlet.
An assembly that detects transitions of a lubricant valve in a gas turbine engine, comprising:
- a primary sensor that monitors a primary pressure in a primary lubrication circuit extending from a primary source to a gearbox;
- an auxiliary sensor that monitors an auxiliary pressure in an auxiliary lubrication circuit extending from an auxiliary source to the gearbox;
- a controller that uses readings of the primary pressure and readings of the auxiliary pressure to detect a position of a lubricant valve;
- and
- wherein the controller is configured to compare a first auxiliary pressure reading taken when the primary pressure is at a first value obtained by a first primary pressure reading and to a second auxiliary pressure reading taken when the primary pressure is at a second value obtained by a second primary pressure reading.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.