Lubrication system
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorsIan C D Care, James E Forfar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lubrication system comprises a reservoir for lubricant, lubricant delivery means to deliver lubricant to at least one component to be lubricated, an injector associated with each component, a control system to control the opening and closing of each injector and scavenge means to remove surplus lubricant from around each component and return it to the reservoir. Each injector comprises a pulsative injector, controlled by the control system to deliver lubricant to its associated component in a series of discrete pulses. In a preferred embodiment both the delivery of oil to each component and the scavenging of oil from each component are controlled in response to sensed conditions of that component.
Claims20
A lubrication system comprising
- a reservoir for lubricant;
- lubricant delivery means to deliver lubricant to at least one component to be lubricated;
- an injector associated with each component;
- a control system to control the opening and closing of each injector;
- scavenge means to remove surplus lubricant from around each component and return it to the reservoir;
- in which each injector comprises a pulsative injector, controlled by the control system to deliver lubricant to its associated component in a series of discrete pulses.
A method for lubricating a component of a gas turbine engine, comprising the steps of
- storing lubricant in a reservoir;
- delivering the lubricant to a pulsative injector associated with the component;
- controlling the pulsative injector to deliver lubricant to the component in a series of discrete pulses;
- scavenging surplus lubricant from the component and returning it to the reservoir.
A method for lubricating a component of a gas turbine engine, comprising the steps of
- storing lubricant in a reservoir;
- delivering the lubricant to a pulsative injector associated with the component;
- sensing at least one first condition of the component;
- controlling the pulsative injector, in response to at least one first condition of the component, to deliver lubricant to the component in a series of discrete pulses;
- scavenging surplus lubricant from the component and returning it to the reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.