De-oiler Stator Vane Array Reduces Pressure Drop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional de-oilers for gas turbine lubrication systems experience significant pressure drops due to air passing through porous media and inefficient oil separation, leading to compromised oil sealing performance and potential oil leaks.
Innovation Solution
A de-oiler design featuring a housing with a rotatable porous element and stator vane arrays, where the stator vane array downstream of the porous element transforms rotational kinetic energy into pressure rise, reducing pressure drop and enhancing oil separation efficiency, and optionally using materials like metallic foams and specific stator vane profiles to optimize performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If air passes through porous medium in conventional de-oiler, then oil separation is achieved, but pressure drop increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the stator vane array from the conventional de-oiler design and positions it downstream of the porous element. This extracted component specifically addresses the pressure drop issue by transforming rotational kinetic energy into pressure rise, thereby resolving the contradiction between achieving oil separation and minimizing pressure drop.
Solution Approach 2:
The stator vane array acts as an intermediary component between the rotating porous element and the exhaust outlet. It mediates the flow by de-swirling and diffusing the air/oil mixture, converting harmful rotational kinetic energy into useful pressure rise while maintaining the oil separation function of the porous element.
2Reliability
If rotating porous element is used for oil separation, then oil droplets are centrifuged to outer radius, but pressure drop increases due to flow path constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful rotational kinetic energy and back-pressure into a beneficial pressure rise. The stator vane array captures the rotational motion generated by the porous element and transforms it into increased static pressure through de-swirling and diffusion, turning what was previously a harmful effect into a useful outcome that offsets the pressure drop across the porous medium.
3Device complexity
If de-oiled air is exhausted at smaller radius, then housing structure is simplified, but pressure drop increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the pressure parameter of the de-oiled air flow by introducing the stator vane array. This component increases the static pressure of the air stream as it moves toward the exhaust outlet, compensating for the pressure drop caused by the constrained flow path and smaller radius exhaust geometry.
Data Source
AI summary
A de-oiler for separating oil from an air/oil mixture comprises a housing, and a rotatable porous element accommodated within the housing. The housing has a first axial face and a second, opposite, axial face, the first axial face being separated from the second axial face by an axial length.The housing has an inlet positioned on the first axial face, a first outlet positioned on the second axial face, and a second outlet positioned on a radially outwardly facing surface. In use, the inlet is adapted to receive a first flow comprising an air/oil mixture, and rotation of the porous element separates the oil from the air/oil mixture, with the first outlet being adapted to exhaust a second flow comprising de-oiled air, and the second outlet being adapted to exhaust a third flow comprising separated oil.