Detection of oil in turbine engine bleed air
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorsJames C. Napier, Wayne A. Johnson, Stanley C. Mickaelian
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of measuring the presence of oil in turbine bleed air that uses an aerosol sampler/size classifier to do a comparative measurement of the engine bleed air to the ambient air entering the engine on a real time basis by comparing quantity and size distribution of suspended particles of engine inlet air with suspended particles in the bleed air throughout the normal operating schedule of the engine and determining the presence of oil in the bleed air when the quantity and size distribution of suspended particles in the bleed air exceeds the quantity and size distribution of suspended particles in the engine inlet air by a predetermined amount.
Claims25
A method of detecting the presence of oil in turbine engine bleed air, comprising the steps of:
- sampling bleed air from the engine;
- collecting the sampled bleed air;
- sampling engine inlet air for the engine;
- measuring the mass concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles in the sampled engine inlet air with an aerosol sampler/size classifier;
- measuring the mass concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles in the collected sampled bleed air with the aerosol sampler/size classifier;
- comparing the measured mass concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles in the sampled engine inlet air with the measured mass concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles in the collected sampled bleed air;
- and
- determining that oil is present in the bleed air of the engine when the measured mass concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles in the collected sampled bleed air exceeds the measured mass concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles in the sampled engine inlet air by a predetermined amount.
A method of detecting the presence of oil in turbine engine bleed air, comprising the steps of:
- sampling bleed air from an engine bleed duct of the engine;
- collecting the sampled bleed air in a vented sample container;
- sampling engine inlet air near an engine air inlet for the engine;
- consecutively measuring the mass concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles in the sampled engine inlet air and in the collected sampled bleed air with a aerosol sampler/size classifier;
- comparing the measured mass concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles in the sampled engine inlet air with the measured mass concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles in the collected sampled bleed air;
- and
- determining that oil is present in the bleed air of the engine when the measured mass concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles in the collected sampled bleed air exceeds the measured mass concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles in the sampled engine inlet air by a predetermined amount.
A method of detecting the presence of oil in turbine engine bleed air, comprising the steps of:
- sampling bleed air from an engine bleed duct of the engine;
- collecting the sampled bleed air in a vented sample container;
- sampling engine inlet air near an engine air inlet for the engine;
- consecutively measuring the mass concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles in the sampled engine inlet air and in the collected sampled bleed air with a aerosol sampler/size classifier;
- comparing the measured mass concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles in the sampled engine inlet air with the measured mass concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles in the collected sampled bleed air;
- and
- determining that oil is present in the bleed air of the engine when the measured mass concentration of aerosol particles in the collected sampled bleed air exceeds the measured mass concentration of aerosol particles in the sampled engine inlet air by approximately 0.02 mg/M3.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.