Passive oil level limiter
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsLance D. Woolley, Peter S. Matteson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vapor expansion/compression system having an oil sump for lubrication of the turbine/compressor bearings includes an oil and/or vapor vent line leading from a strategic location in the oil sump to the condenser such that the oil level in the sump is limited to the predetermined level, and any excess oil is pumped from the sump to thereby prevent the oil level from reaching a level at which bearings failure could be caused due to a high oil level.
Claims9
A method of preventing the lubricant level in a turbine/compressor sump of a vapor expansion/compressor system from reaching a high level sufficient to cause a mechanical failure in the turbine/compressor rotating equipment including bearings, comprising the steps of:
- providing a pumped path out of the sump so that the lubricant can be removed from the oil sump at a pre-determined threshold level
- providing a passive or active response that causes oil removal through this path when the lubricant level reaches the pre-determined level in the sump
- determining when the level of lubricant in the sump reaches a predetermined threshold level which is above a minimum required level and below the high level;
- responsively causing lubricant to be pumped out of the sump so that the lubricant level does not substantially exceed said predetermined threshold level;
- and
- said lubricant is pumped out of the sump and into a condenser.
A closed loop vapor compression or expansion system of the type having an oil separator, a condenser and a compressor or turbine with bearings to be lubricated from an oil sump located below the bearings, comprising:
- a pump for causing oil to flow from the oil separator to the oil sump;
- an oil/vapor vent line fluidly communicating between the sump and the condenser;
- and
- a fluid flow causing system for causing oil to flow from the sump to the condenser by way of said oil/vapor vent line when a level of oil in the sump is above a predetermined level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.