Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T06:01:23.970Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Experimental study of the pressure loss in aero-engine air-oil separators

Part of: ISABE 2017

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2017

A. Laura Cordes ,
B. Tim Pychynski ,
C. Corina Schwitzke ,
D. Hans-Jörg Bauer ,
A. Thiago P. de Carvalho  and
B. Hervé P. Morvan
A. Laura Cordes*
Affiliation:
Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie (KIT), Institut für Thermische Strömungsmaschinen (ITS), Karlsruhe, Germany
B. Tim Pychynski
Affiliation:
Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie (KIT), Institut für Thermische Strömungsmaschinen (ITS), Karlsruhe, Germany
C. Corina Schwitzke
Affiliation:
Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie (KIT), Institut für Thermische Strömungsmaschinen (ITS), Karlsruhe, Germany
D. Hans-Jörg Bauer
Affiliation:
Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie (KIT), Institut für Thermische Strömungsmaschinen (ITS), Karlsruhe, Germany
A. Thiago P. de Carvalho
Affiliation:
Gas Turbine & Transmission Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
B. Hervé P. Morvan
Affiliation:
Gas Turbine & Transmission Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
*
[email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The results of extensive experimental testing of an aero-engine air-oil separator are presented and discussed. The study focuses on the pressure loss of the system. Oil enters the device in the form of dispersed droplets. Subsequently, separation occurs by centrifuging larger droplets towards the outer walls and by film formation at the inner surface of a rotating porous material, namely an open-cell metal foam. The work described here is part of a study led jointly by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Nottingham (UNott) within a recent EU project.

The goal of the research is to increase the separation efficiency to mitigate oil consumption and emissions, while keeping the pressure loss as low as possible. The aim is to determine the influencing factors on pressure loss and separation efficiency. With this knowledge, a correlation can eventually be derived. Experiments were conducted for three different separator configurations, one without a metal foam and two with metal foams of different pore sizes. For each configuration, a variety of engine-like conditions of air mass flow rate, rotational speed and droplet size was investigated. The experimental results were used to validate and improve the numerical modelling.

Results for the pressure drop and its dependencies on air mass flow rate and the rotational speed were analysed. It is shown that the swirling flow and the dissipation of angular momentum are the most important contributors to the pressure drop, besides the losses due to friction and dissipation caused by the flow passing the metal foam. It was found that the ratio of the rotor speed and the tangential velocity of the fluid is an important parameter to describe the influence of rotation on the pressure loss. Contrary to expectations, the pressure loss is not necessarily increased with a metal foam installed.

Keywords

Experimentaloil separationpressure lossjet enginesbreather
Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 121 , Special Issue 1242: The International Society of Air-breathing Engines (ISABE) 2017 Conference Special Issue , August 2017 , pp. 1147 - 1161
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

This paper will be presented at the ISABE 2017 Conference, 3-8 September 2017, Manchester, UK.

References

REFERENCES

1. Glahn, A. and Wittig, S. Two-phase air/oil flow in aero engine bearing chambers: Characterization of oil film flows, Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 1996, 118, (3), p 578.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2. Glahn, A., Kurreck, M., Willmann, M. and Wittig, S. Feasibility study on oil droplet flow investigations inside aero engine bearing chambers—PDPA techniques in combination with numerical approaches, Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 1996, 118, (4), p 749, ISSN 07424795.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3. Krug, M.B., Peduto, D., Kurz, W. and Bauer, H.-J. Experimental investigation into the efficiency of an aero-engine oil jet supply system, Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 2015, 137, (1), p 011505. doi: 10.1115/1.4028255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4. Kurz, W., Dullenkopf, K. and Bauer, H.-J. Influences on the oil split between the offtakes of an aero-engine bearing chamber, ASME Paper No. GT2012-69412, 2012, p 2251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5. Kurz, W., Dullenkopf, K. and Bauer, H.-J. Capacitive film thickness measurements in a ventless aero-engine bearing chamber—influence of operating conditions and offtake design, Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 2013, 135, (11), p 112504. doi: 10.1115/1.4025067.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6. Wittig, S., Glahn, A. and Himmelsbach, J. Influence of high rotational speeds on heat transfer and oil film thickness in aero engine bearing chambers, ASME Paper No. 93-GT-209, 1993.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7. Gruselle, F., Steimes, J. and Hendrick, P. Study of a two-phase flow pump and separator system, Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 2011, 133, (6), p 062401. doi:10.1115/1.4002470.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8. Steimes, J., Gruselle, F. and Hendrick, P. Performance study of an air-oil pump and separator solution, ASME Paper No. GT2012-68895, 2012, p 103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9. Steimes, J., Gruselle, F. and Hendrick, P. Study of an air-oil pump and separator solution for aero engine lubrication systems, ASME Paper No. GT2013-94483, 2013, p V002T01A008.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10. Feng, J., Chang, Y., Peng, X. and Qu, Z. Investigation of the oil–gas separation in a horizontal separator for oil-injected compressor units, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy, 2008, 222, (4), pp 403–412.Google Scholar
11. Sheridan, W.G., Swayze, S.T. and Glahn, J.A. De-oiler system for improved oil containment, ASME Paper No. GT2006-90035, 2006, pp 1283–1290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12. Willenborg, K., Klingsporn, M., Tebby, S., Ratcliffe, T., Gorse, P., Dullenkopf, K. and Wittig, S. Experimental analysis of air-oil separator performance, Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 2008, 130, (6), ISSN 07424795.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13. Klingsporn, M. Advanced transmission and oil system concepts for modern aero-engines, ASME Paper No. GT2004-53578, 2004, pp 391–398.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14. de Carvalho, Thiago P., Morvan, H.P., Hargreaves, D., Cordes, L. and Höfler, C. Numerical modelling of two-phase flow in aero-engine air/oil separators, ASME Paper No. GT2016-56633, 2016.Google Scholar
15. Farrall, M., Hibberd, S., Simmons, K. and Giddings, D. Prediction of air/oil exit flows in a commercial aero-engine bearing chamber, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part G: Journal of Aerospace Engineering, 2006, 220, (3), pp 197–202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16. Cortes, C. and Gil, A. Modeling the gas and particle flow inside cyclone separators, Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, 2007, 33, (5), pp 409–452.CrossRefGoogle Scholar