Auxiliary power unit with an oil-free compressor
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorsRobert G. Thompson, Bezhad Hagshenas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An auxiliary power unit for aircraft with a load compressor that delivers cabin air free of oil contamination by supporting a drive shaft for the load compressor with oil-free bearings and coupling the load compressor to a gearbox and power head for the auxiliary power unit through a synchronous magnetic torque coupling on an opposite side of the gearbox to which the power is mounted.
Claims9
A gas turbine-powered aeronautical auxiliary power unit (APU) with a power head coupled to one side of a gearbox through a high-speed shaft that provides cabin air for an aircraft that is free of oil contamination, comprising:
- a load compressor with a drive shaft supported by oil-free bearings;
- and
- an oil-impervious synchronous magnetic torque coupling for coupling the load compressor drive shaft to the high-speed shaft on an opposite side of the gearbox from the power head.
A gas turbine-powered aeronautical auxiliary power unit (APU) with a power head coupled to one side of a gearbox through a high-speed shaft that provides cabin air for an aircraft that is free of oil contamination, comprising:
- a load compressor with a drive shaft supported by air bearings;
- and
- an oil-impervious synchronous magnetic torque coupling comprising inner and outer concentric permanent magnet (PM) arrays that are fluidically and mechanically isolated from each other by an oil barrier diaphragm for coupling the load compressor drive shaft to the high-speed shaft on an opposite side of the gearbox from the power head.
A gas turbine-powered aeronautical auxiliary power unit (APU) with a power head coupled to one side of a gearbox through a high-speed shaft that provides cabin air for an aircraft that is free of oil contamination, comprising:
- a load compressor with a drive shaft supported by electromagnetic bearings;
- and
- an oil-impervious synchronous magnetic torque coupling comprising inner and outer concentric permanent magnet (PM) arrays that are fluidically and mechanically isolated from each other by an oil barrier diaphragm for coupling the load compressor drive shaft to the high-speed shaft on an opposite side of the gearbox from the power head.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.