Fan Drive Gear Lubricant Recovery via Ejector Gutter System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbine engine manufacturers face challenges in recovering and efficiently managing lubricant expelled from the fan drive gear system during operation, which affects thermal, transfer, and propulsive efficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A fan drive gear system with a sun gear, intermediate gears, a ring gear assembly, a rotating carrier, and a lubricant ejector within a gutter system that utilizes a motive flow to generate a lubricant flow, directing expelled lubricant to an auxiliary reservoir, thereby imparting momentum and facilitating efficient lubricant recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a rotating carrier supports planetary gears in a fan drive gear system, then gear operation is enabled, but lubricant recovery becomes difficult due to centrifugal forces and rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The gutter system is divided into multiple segments including a forward gutter assembly and an aft gutter assembly, each with dedicated lubricant collection capabilities. This segmentation allows lubricant to be collected at different locations along the rotating carrier, improving recovery efficiency despite the rotation-induced challenges
Solution Approach 2:
A lubricant ejector acts as an intermediary device between the lubricant source and the auxiliary reservoir. The ejector uses a motive flow to propel lubricant against the centrifugal forces generated by carrier rotation, enabling effective lubricant recovery that would otherwise be difficult due to the rotating motion
2Reliability
If lubricant is expelled from the gear system during operation, then gear lubrication is maintained, but additional components are needed to manage and redirect the expelled lubricant
Solution Approach 1:
The lubricant management system merges multiple functions into integrated components. The gutter system combines lubricant collection, transport, and separation functions into a unified structure that works with the rotating carrier, reducing the need for separate complex subsystems while maintaining effective lubricant management
Solution Approach 2:
The lubricant ejector utilizes a motive flow that is already present in the system to propel lubricant to the auxiliary reservoir. This self-service approach uses existing system resources rather than requiring additional external pumps or power sources, thereby managing lubricant effectively without significantly increasing device complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively recovers and directs lubricant to an auxiliary reservoir, enhancing lubricant management and improving engine efficiencies by utilizing a motive flow to accelerate lubricant expulsion, reducing the need for additional lubricant pumps and improving thermal and propulsive performance.
Implementation Method 1
at least one ejector that is disposed within the fixed gutter and configured to utilize a motive flow to generate a lubricant flow through at least one outlet
Implementation Method 2
impart momentum on exhausted lubricant
Data Source
AI summary
A fan drive gear system for a turbine engine includes a sun gear that is configured to be driven by an engine shaft that is rotatable about an axis, a plurality of intermediate gears that are intermeshed with the sun gear, a ring gear assembly that is engaged with the plurality of intermediate gears, the ring gear configured for attachment to a static structure, a carrier that supports rotation of the plurality of intermediate gears, the carrier configured for rotation about the axis, a fixed gutter system that is configured to receive expelled lubricant and to direct the expelled lubricant to an auxiliary reservoir, at least one ejector that is disposed within the fixed gutter and configured to utilize a motive flow to generate a lubricant flow through at least one outlet, and a fan shaft that is rotatable about the axis and configured to be driven by the carrier.