Lubricant filter system, aircraft engine, and method of operating a lubricant system
AssigneePratt & Whitney Candada Corp.
InventorChristophe ARSA
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The lubricant filter system can have a first lubricant filter having a first inlet and a first outlet; a second lubricant filter having a second inlet and a second outlet; an inlet conduit; a first inlet branch fluidly connecting the inlet conduit to the first inlet; a second inlet branch fluidly connecting the inlet conduit to the second inlet; an outlet conduit; a first outlet branch fluidly connecting the first outlet to the outlet conduit; a second outlet branch fluidly connecting the second outlet to the outlet conduit; a bypass conduit fluidly connecting the inlet conduit to the outlet conduit; and a bypass valve controlling fluid passage through the bypass conduit.
Claims20
An aircraft engine comprising:
- a rotary assembly supported by bearings, and a lubricant system operable to circulate a lubricant to and from the bearings, the lubricant system including a lubricant filter system, the lubricant filter system having:
- a first lubricant filter having a first inlet and a first outlet;
- a second lubricant filter having a second inlet and a second outlet;
- an inlet conduit fluidly connected to the first and second lubricant filters via a first and a second inlet branch, the first inlet branch fluidly connecting the inlet conduit to the first inlet of the first lubricant filter, the second inlet branch fluidly connecting the inlet conduit to the second inlet of the second lubricant filter;
- an outlet conduit fluidly connected to the first and second lubricant filters via a first and a second outlet branch, the first outlet branch fluidly connecting the first outlet of the first lubricant filter to the outlet conduit, the second outlet branch fluidly connecting the second outlet of the second lubricant filter to the outlet conduit;
- a bypass conduit fluidly connecting the inlet conduit to the outlet conduit;
- and
- a bypass valve controlling fluid passage through the bypass conduit.
A lubricant filter system comprising:
- a first lubricant filter having a first inlet and a first outlet;
- a second lubricant filter having a second inlet and a second outlet;
- an inlet conduit;
- a first inlet branch fluidly connecting the inlet conduit to the first inlet of the first lubricant filter;
- a second inlet branch fluidly connecting the inlet conduit to the second inlet of the second lubricant conduit;
- an outlet conduit;
- a first outlet branch fluidly connecting the first outlet of the first lubricant filter to the outlet conduit;
- a second outlet branch fluidly connecting the second outlet of the second lubricant filter to the outlet conduit;
- a bypass conduit fluidly connecting the inlet conduit to the outlet conduit;
- and
- a bypass valve controlling fluid passage through the bypass conduit.
A method of operating a lubricant system including:
- circulating a lubricant flow along a lubricant circuit;
- while circulating the lubricant, splitting the lubricant flow from an inlet conduit in two transversally outward directions relative the inlet conduit, through a first lubricant filter and a second lubricant filter, respectively, and recombining the lubricant flow in an outlet conduit downstream of the first and second lubricant filters;
- and
- while splitting the lubricant flow,
- when a pressure difference between the lubricant in the inlet conduit and the lubricant in the outlet conduit is below a pressure differential threshold, closing a bypass conduit extending between the inlet conduit and the outlet conduit;
- and
- when the pressure difference between the lubricant in the inlet conduit and the lubricant in the outlet conduit is at or above the pressure differential threshold, opening the bypass conduit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.