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US 10,520,035 B2Granted
Variable volume bearing compartment
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsKevin Duffy, Anthony Spagnoletti
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bearing compartment assembly includes a bearing compartment with a bearing and a plenum, a buffer system that supplies pressure to an exterior of the bearing compartment, and a reactive volume vessel connected to the bearing compartment. The reactive volume vessel has a displaceable member that is movable between two positions, one of which adds additional volume to the bearing compartment.
Claims12
A bearing compartment assembly comprising:
- a bearing compartment comprising:
- a bearing;
- a plenum surrounding the bearing, the plenum having a plenum volume;
- a buffer system that supplies pressurized air to an exterior of the bearing compartment to provide a buffer pressure that discourages leakage of oil from the bearing compartment when the buffer pressure exceeds a bearing compartment pressure within the bearing compartment;
- and
- a reactive volume vessel that is in fluid communication with the plenum and with the buffer system, the reactive volume vessel comprising a housing with a cavity and a displaceable member that is movable within the cavity between a standard volume position and a maximum additional volume position in response to a pressure differential between the buffer pressure and the bearing compartment pressure to define a variable additional volume that is in fluid communication with the plenum volume, wherein, during a transition period when buffer pressure is decreasing, the displaceable member moves so that the reactive volume vessel adds the variable additional volume to the plenum volume to decrease bearing compartment pressure at a rate that is similar to or faster than a rate of decrease of the buffer pressure and thereby maintains the pressure differential positive during the transition period.
3 more elements
A reactive volume vessel comprising:
- a housing with a cavity comprising:
- a first port configured to be in fluid communication with a bearing compartment of a gas turbine engine;
- and
- a second port configured to be in fluid communication with a buffer system of the gas turbine engine;
- a displaceable member positioned in the cavity, the displaceable member being positionable, based upon a pressure differential between a bearing compartment pressure at the first port and a buffer pressure at the second port, between a standard volume position and a maximum additional volume position to define a variable additional volume that augments a volume of the bearing compartment;
- wherein during a transition period when the buffer pressure is decreasing, the displaceable member moves so that the reactive volume vessel adds the variable additional volume to the volume of the bearing compartment to decrease bearing compartment pressure at a rate that is similar to or faster than a rate of decrease of the buffer pressure and thereby maintains the pressure differential positive during the transition period;
- and
- an elastic member that biases the displaceable member in the additional volume position.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.