Centrifugal debris pre-separator for turbine engine oil filter

A gas turbine engine, comprising:

• a fan section configured to induce air from a surrounding environment into the gas turbine engine;
• a compressor section in fluid communication with the fan section and configured to compress the air received from the fan section;
• a combustor section in fluid communication with the compressor section and configured to ignite a fuel-air mixture to generate combustion gases;
• a turbine section in fluid communication with the combustor section;
• and
• a debris capture device to remove particulate matter from fluids associated with lubricating rotating components of the gas turbine engine, comprising:
• an inlet pipe;
• an outlet pipe;
• and
• an oil filtration assembly, comprising:
• a housing having a thickness defined between an internal surface of the housing and an external surface of the housing;
• a first filter having a first radially outer surface and a first radially inner surface, the first filter disposed in the housing, the first radially outer surface and the internal surface of the housing defining an outer annular flow passage;
• a cavity disposed radially inward of the first filter, the cavity in fluid communication with the outer annular flow passage;
• and
• a collection area disposed towards an end of the outer annular flow passage axially distal to the inlet pipe, the collection area configured to collect the particulate matter from an oil, wherein:
• the inlet pipe is in fluid communication with the outer annular flow passage,
• the outlet pipe is in fluid communication with the cavity to discharge the oil from the housing, and
• the oil is configured to flow radially from the outer annular flow passage through the first radially outer surface of the first filter and the first radially inner surface of the first filter into the cavity.

A method of filtering particulate matter from a fluid filtration assembly, comprising:

• injecting a fluid into a housing with a centrifugal force;
• augmenting the centrifugal force within the housing by increasing a width of an outer annular flow passage between a first outer surface of a filter and an internal surface of the housing;
• collecting particulate matter from the fluid in a collection area due to the augmenting the centrifugal force before the particulate matter impacts the filter;
• flowing the fluid radially inward from the outer annular flow passage through a first radially outer surface of a first filter and a first radially inner surface of the first filter into a center cavity of the housing;
• and
• flowing the fluid axially through an outlet pipe of the housing, the outlet pipe disposed axially opposite the collection area.