Bearing scavenge pump incorporated into turbine disk cover plate
AssigneeRtx Corporation
InventorPaul R. Hanrahan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bearing scavenge pump incorporated into a disk cover plate including a rotor disk having a rear surface and an axis; the disk cover plate attached to the rotor disk, the disk cover plate including fins extending into a gap formed between a rear surface of the rotor disk and the disk cover plate, the disk cover plate including anti-vortex features located axially distal from the fins relative to the axis; an inverted bearing located in a bearing compartment proximate the disk cover plate and disk; and a liquid fuel lubricant contacting the inverted bearing.
Claims13
A bearing scavenge pump incorporated into a disk cover plate comprising:
- a rotor disk having a rear surface and an axis;
- the disk cover plate attached to the rotor disk, the disk cover plate including anti-vortex features extending into a gap formed between the rear surface of the rotor disk and the disk cover plate;
- an inverted bearing located in a bearing compartment proximate and upstream of the disk cover plate and the rotor disk, wherein the inverted bearing includes a static inner race and dynamic outer race configured to spin and a sump configured to spin;
- and
- a liquid fuel lubricant contacting the inverted bearing, wherein the liquid fuel lubricant is introduced into a cooling air upstream of the inverted bearing, entrained in the cooling air and provided to lubricate the inverted bearing and where at least a portion of the cooling air is scavenged with the liquid fuel lubricant;
- wherein an excess liquid fuel lubricant is carried with the cooling air and pumped away from the inverted bearing after providing lubrication, impelled by a pumping action induced by rotation of the rotor disk and cover plate downstream of the inverted bearing.
An attritable gas turbine engine turbine section with a bearing scavenge pump incorporated into a disk cover plate comprising:
- turbine rotors including a rotor disk, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced turbine blades, the rotor disk having a rear surface and an axis;
- the disk cover plate attached to the rotor disk, the disk cover plate including anti-vortex features extending into a gap formed between the rear surface of the rotor disk and the disk cover plate;
- an inverted bearing located in a bearing compartment proximate and upstream of the disk cover plate and the rotor disk, wherein the inverted bearing includes a static inner race and dynamic outer race configured to spin and sump configured to spin;
- and
- a fuel tank configured to provide a liquid fuel lubricant to the inverted bearing, wherein the liquid fuel lubricant is introduced into a cooling air upstream of the inverted bearing, where at least a portion of the cooling air is scavenged with the liquid fuel lubricant;
- wherein an excess liquid fuel lubricant is carried with the cooling air and pumped away from the inverted bearing after providing lubrication, impelled by a pumping action induced by rotation of the rotor disk and cover plate downstream of the inverted bearing.
A process for lubricating an attritable gas turbine engine turbine section with a bearing scavenge pump incorporated into a disk cover plate comprising:
- providing turbine rotors including a rotor disk, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced turbine blades, the rotor disk having a rear surface and an axis;
- attaching the disk cover plate to the rotor disk, the disk cover plate including anti-vortex features extending into a gap formed between the rear surface of the rotor disk and the disk cover plate;
- locating an inverted bearing in a bearing compartment proximate and upstream of the disk cover plate and the rotor disk, wherein the inverted bearing includes a static inner race and dynamic outer race configured to spin and sump configured to spin;
- and
- contacting the inverted bearing with a liquid fuel lubricant;
- introducing the liquid fuel lubricant into a cooling air upstream of the inverted bearing, entrained in the cooling air and provided to lubricate the inverted bearing;
- scavenging at least a portion of the cooling air with the liquid fuel lubricant;
- carrying the liquid fuel lubricant with the cooling air;
- and
- pumping the liquid fuel lubricant away from the inverted bearing after providing lubrication, impelled by a pumping action induced by rotation of the rotor disk and cover plate downstream of the inverted bearing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.