# US 11,994,257 B2 · Centrifugal de-aerator for aircraft engine

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- Number: US 11,994,257 B2
- Document ID: US11994257B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/931,032
- Filed: 2020-05-13
- Published: 2021-11-18
- Granted: 2024-05-28
- Earliest claimed: 2020-05-13
- Assignees: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
- Applicants: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
- Inventors: Marion Daniel; Pierre Gauvin; Adam Logan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11994257B2

## CPC

- F16N 39/002: {by deaeration (degasification of liquids B01D19/00)}
- B01D 19/0052: {in rotating vessels, vessels containing movable parts or in which centrifugal movement is caused (B01D19/0026 takes precedence)}
- F01D 25/18: Lubricating arrangements (of machines or engines in general F01M)
- F01D 25/20: using lubrication pumps
- F16N 7/40: in a closed circulation system
- F02C 7/32: Arrangement, mounting, or driving, of auxiliaries
- F05D 2220/323: for aircraft propulsion, e.g. jet engines
- F05D 2260/60: Fluid transfer
- F05D 2260/602: Drainage
- F05D 2260/6022: of leakage having past a seal
- F05D 2260/609: Deoiling or demisting
- F05D 2260/98: Lubrication
- F16N 2210/02: Turbines
- F16N 2210/08: Aircraft
- F16N: LUBRICATING
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)
- F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D)
- F02C: GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (construction of turbines F01D; jet-propulsion plants F02K; construction of compressors or fans F04; generating combustion products of high pressure or high velocity F23R; using gas turbines in compression refrigeration plants F25B11/00)
- F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS

## Abstract

A de-aerator for a lubrication system, has: a housing defining an air-oil inlet, an oil outlet, and an air outlet of the de-aerator; a rotor received within the housing and rotatable relative to the housing about a central axis, the rotor having blades distributed about the central axis and extending at least partially radially relative to the central axis, flow passages extending between the blades, the rotor having a hub circumferentially extending around the central axis and around the blades, the hub having a peripheral wall oriented radially inwardly and defining a fore opening leading to the flow passages; and a gap between the housing and the hub of the rotor, a portion of the housing received within the fore opening and axially overlapping the peripheral wall of the hub, the gap having a fore gap inlet between the portion of the housing and the peripheral wall of the hub.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A de-aerator for a lubrication system of an aircraft engine, comprising:
a housing defining an air-oil inlet, an oil outlet, and an air outlet of the de-aerator;
a rotor received within the housing and rotatable relative to the housing about a central axis, the rotor having blades circumferentially distributed about the central axis and extending at least partially radially relative to the central axis, flow passages extending between the blades, the rotor having a hub circumferentially extending around the central axis and around the blades, the blades extending radially inwardly from the hub towards the central axis, the hub having a peripheral wall oriented radially inwardly and defining a fore opening leading to the flow passages; and
a gap between the housing and a peripheral outer face of the hub of the rotor, the peripheral outer face extending all around the central axis, a portion of the housing received within the fore opening and axially overlapping the peripheral wall of the hub, the gap having a fore gap inlet between the portion of the housing and the peripheral wall of the hub.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The de-aerator of claim 1, wherein the portion of the housing is a fore annular shoulder on an inlet side of the de-aerator, proximate the air-oil inlet, and oriented radially outwardly relative to the central axis.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The de-aerator of claim 2, wherein the peripheral wall of the fore opening extends axially from a fore edge to an aft edge, the fore annular shoulder of the housing extending axially beyond the aft edge of the peripheral wall.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The de-aerator of claim 1, wherein the housing defines an aft annular shoulder on an outlet side of the de-aerator and oriented radially outwardly relative to the central axis, the aft annular shoulder axially overlapping and facing an aft shoulder of the hub.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The de-aerator of claim 4, wherein the hub has an aft peripheral wall oriented radially inwardly relative to the central axis and defining an aft opening communicating with the flow passages, the hub having an annular face extending radially from the aft opening to the aft shoulder, the annular face radially overlapping the housing, the gap having an aft gap inlet defined between the housing and the annular face of the hub.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The de-aerator of claim 5, wherein the oil outlet is defined by the housing and is radially offset from the central axis.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The de-aerator of claim 1, further comprising a blow conduit having a blow inlet for receiving compressed air and a blow outlet hydraulically connected to the gap between the fore gap inlet of the gap on an inlet side of the de-aerator and an aft gap inlet on an outlet side of the de-aerator.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The de-aerator of claim 1, further comprising a drain conduit having a drain inlet hydraulically connected to the gap between the fore gap inlet and an aft gap inlet, and a drain outlet hydraulically connected to the air-oil inlet and/or to the air outlet of the de-aerator.

### Claim 9

A de-aerator for a lubrication system of an aircraft engine, comprising:
a housing defining an air-oil inlet, an oil outlet, and an air outlet of the de-aerator;
a rotor received within the housing and rotatable relative to the housing about a central axis, the rotor having blades circumferentially distributed about the central axis and extending at least partially radially relative to the central axis, the rotor having a hub circumferentially extending around the central axis and around the blades, the blades extending radially inwardly from the hub towards the central axis, the hub extending all around the central axis, the rotor having flow passages defined between the blades, the flow passages having passage inlets having a radial component oriented away from the central axis; and
a gap between the hub of the rotor and the housing, the gap having a fore gap inlet on an inlet side of the de-aerator, the gap at the fore gap inlet facing a direction being mainly axial relative to the central axis.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The de-aerator of claim 9, wherein the flow passages have passage outlets having a radial component oriented toward the central axis, the gap having and an aft gap inlet on an outlet side of the de-aerator, the aft gap inlet having a radial component extending away from the central axis.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The de-aerator of claim 10, wherein the rotor includes an aft annular flange extending circumferentially around the central axis, a portion of the blades curving around a radially outer edge of the aft annular flange, the passage outlets defined axially between the hub and the aft annular flange and circumferentially between the blades.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The de-aerator of claim 9, wherein the rotor has a fore annular flange, the passage inlets defined circumferentially between the blades and axially between the hub and the fore annular flange.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The de-aerator of claim 9, wherein the housing defines a fore annular shoulder on the inlet side of the de-aerator and oriented radially outwardly relative to the central axis and facing the hub, the fore gap inlet defined radially between the fore annular shoulder of the housing and the hub of the rotor.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The de-aerator of claim 9, further comprising a drain conduit having a drain inlet hydraulically connected to the gap between the fore gap inlet and an aft gap inlet on an outlet side of the de-aerator.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The de-aerator of claim 14, wherein a drain outlet of the drain conduit is hydraulically connected to the air-oil inlet.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The de-aerator of claim 14, wherein a drain outlet of the drain conduit is hydraulically connected to the air outlet.

### Claim 17 (depends on 9)

The de-aerator of claim 9, further comprising a blow conduit having a blow inlet for receiving compressed air and a blow outlet hydraulically connected to the gap between the fore gap inlet and the aft gap inlet.

### Claim 18 (depends on 9)

The de-aerator of claim 9, wherein the rotor has a shaft rotatably received within the housing, the hub of the rotor defining a fore opening leading to the flow passages and radially between the hub and the shaft, a portion of the housing received within the fore opening, the fore gap inlet defined between the hub at the fore opening and the portion of the housing.