The liquid oil lubrication system of current aircraft jet engines accounts for approximately 10–15% of the total weight of the engine. It has long been a goal of the aircraft gas turbine industry to reduce this weight. Vapor-Phase Lubrication (VPL) is a promising technology to eliminate liquid oil lubrication. The current investigation resulted in the first gas turbine to operate in the absence of conventional liquid lubrication. A phosphate ester, commercially known as DURAD 620B, was chosen for the test. Extensive research at Wright Laboratory demonstrated that this lubricant could reliably lubricate railing element bearings in the gas turbine engine environment. The Allison T63 engine was selected as the test vehicle because of its small size and bearing configuration. Specifically, VPL was evaluated in the number eight bearing because it is located in a relatively hot environment, in line with the combustor discharge, and it can be isolated from the other bearings and the liquid lubrication system. The bearing was fully instrumented and its performance with standard oil lubrication was documented. Results of this baseline study were used to develop a thermodynamic model to predict the bearing temperature with VPL. The engine was then operated at a ground idle condition with VPL with the lubricant misted into the #8 bearing at 13 ml/hr. The bearing temperature stabilized at 283°C within 10 minutes. Engine operation was continued successfully for a total of one hour. No abnormal wear of the rolling contact surfaces was found when the bearing was later examined. Bearing temperatures after engine shutdown indicated the bearing had reached thermodynamic equilibrium with its surroundings during the test. After shutdown bearing temperatures steadily decreased without the soakback effect seen after shutdown in standard lubricated bearings. In contrast, the oil lubricated bearing ran at a considerably lower operating temperature (83°C) and was significantly heated by its surroundings after engine shutdown. In the baseline tests, the final bearing temperatures never reached that of the operating VPL system.
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ASME 1997 International Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress and Exhibition
June 2–5, 1997
Orlando, Florida, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- International Gas Turbine Institute
ISBN:
978-0-7918-7868-2
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Investigation of Vapor-Phase Lubrication in a Gas Turbine Engine
Kenneth W. Van Treuren,
Kenneth W. Van Treuren
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
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D. Neal Barlow,
D. Neal Barlow
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
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William H. Heiser,
William H. Heiser
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
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Matthew J. Wagner,
Matthew J. Wagner
Aero Propulsion and Power Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
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Nelson H. Forster
Nelson H. Forster
Aero Propulsion and Power Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
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Kenneth W. Van Treuren
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
D. Neal Barlow
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
William H. Heiser
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
Matthew J. Wagner
Aero Propulsion and Power Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
Nelson H. Forster
Aero Propulsion and Power Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
Paper No:
97-GT-003, V001T01A001; 8 pages
Published Online:
December 24, 2014
Citation
Van Treuren, KW, Barlow, DN, Heiser, WH, Wagner, MJ, & Forster, NH. "Investigation of Vapor-Phase Lubrication in a Gas Turbine Engine." Proceedings of the ASME 1997 International Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress and Exhibition. Volume 1: Aircraft Engine; Marine; Turbomachinery; Microturbines and Small Turbomachinery. Orlando, Florida, USA. June 2–5, 1997. V001T01A001. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/97-GT-003
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