Lubrication system for a turbine engine
AssigneeGE Avio S.r.l.
InventorAndrea Piazza
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Abstract
A lubrication system for a turbine engine. The turbine engine includes a propulsor and one or more rotating components. The lubrication system includes a sump, a primary lubrication system, an auxiliary lubrication system, and a kinetic energy storage system. The sump stores lubricant therein. The primary lubrication system supplies the lubricant from the sump to the one or more rotating components during normal operation of the turbine engine. The auxiliary lubrication system includes an auxiliary pump including an auxiliary pump shaft. The kinetic energy storage system includes a flywheel that engages the auxiliary pump shaft to power the auxiliary pump when the propulsor is windmilling such that the auxiliary pump pumps the lubricant from the sump to the one or more rotating components.
Claims20
A lubrication system for a turbine engine, the turbine engine including a propulsor and one or more rotating components, the lubrication system comprising:
- a sump that stores lubricant therein;
- a primary lubrication system supplying the lubricant from the sump to the one or more rotating components during normal operation of the turbine engine;
- an auxiliary lubrication system comprising an auxiliary pump including an auxiliary pump shaft;
- and
- a kinetic energy storage system comprising a flywheel that engages the auxiliary pump shaft to power the auxiliary pump when the propulsor is windmilling such that the auxiliary pump pumps the lubricant from the sump to the one or more rotating components.
A method of operating a lubrication system for a turbine engine, the method comprising:
- supplying a lubricant from a sump to one or more rotating components of the turbine engine during normal operation of the turbine engine using a primary lubrication system;
- activating an auxiliary lubrication system including an auxiliary pump having an auxiliary pump shaft by engaging a flywheel with the auxiliary pump shaft when a propulsor of the turbine engine is windmilling, the flywheel rotating to power the auxiliary pump;
- and
- pumping, with the auxiliary pump, the lubricant from the sump to the one or more rotating components when the flywheel is powering the auxiliary pump.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.