US 12,345,201 B2
Gearbox assembly with lubricant extraction volume ratio
Bugra H. Ertas, Niskayuna, NY (US); Xiaohua Zhang, Glenville, NY (US); Miriam Manzoni, Rivalta di Torino (IT); Flavia Turi, Bari (IT); Andrea Piazza, Turin (IT); Arthur W. Sibbach, Boxford, MA (US); and Brandon W. Miller, Middletown, OH (US)
Assigned to GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, Evendale, OH (US); and GE AVIO S.R.L., Rivalta di Torino (IT)
Filed by General Electric Company, Evendale, OH (US); and GE Avio S.r.l., Rivalta di Torino (IT)
Filed on Dec. 20, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/990,706.
Application 18/990,706 is a continuation in part of application No. 18/068,017, filed on Dec. 19, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 102022000013213 (IT), filed on Jun. 22, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2025/0122836 A1, Apr. 17, 2025
Int. Cl. F02C 7/06 (2006.01); F01D 25/20 (2006.01); F02C 7/14 (2006.01); F02C 7/36 (2006.01); F16H 57/02 (2012.01); F16H 57/04 (2010.01)
CPC F02C 7/06 (2013.01) [F01D 25/20 (2013.01); F02C 7/14 (2013.01); F02C 7/36 (2013.01); F16H 57/02 (2013.01); F16H 57/0413 (2013.01); F16H 57/0415 (2013.01); F16H 57/0423 (2013.01); F16H 57/0436 (2013.01); F16H 57/045 (2013.01); F05D 2260/213 (2013.01); F05D 2260/4031 (2013.01); F05D 2260/98 (2013.01); F16H 2057/02039 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A gas turbine engine comprising:
a compressor section, a turbine section, and a combustion section in fluid communication with the compressor section and the turbine section;
a gearbox assembly comprising:
a gearbox having a gearbox volume defined by an outer diameter of the gearbox and a gearbox length of the gearbox; and
a gutter for collecting a gearbox lubricant scavenge flow from the gearbox, the gutter having a gutter volume defined by an inner surface of a gutter wall of the gutter and being characterized by a lubricant extraction volume ratio between 0.01 and 0.3, inclusive of the endpoints, the lubricant extraction volume ratio defined by:

OG Complex Work Unit Math
wherein VG is the gutter volume of the gutter and VGB is the gearbox volume; a fuel delivery system comprising:
a fuel tank that stores fuel therein; and
a fuel supply line in fluid communication with the fuel tank and the combustion section for delivering the fuel from the fuel tank to the combustion section;
a lubrication system comprising:
a lubricant tank that stores lubricant therein; and
a lubricant supply line in fluid communication with the lubricant tank and the gearbox assembly for delivering the lubricant from the lubricant tank to the gearbox assembly; and
a thermal management system comprising:
a fuel-lubricant heat exchanger in fluid communication with the fuel supply line and the lubricant supply line, the fuel-lubricant heat exchanger cooling the lubricant with the fuel as the lubricant and the fuel flows through the fuel-lubricant heat exchanger;
one or more fuel bypass lines in fluid communication with the fuel supply line for bypassing the fuel around the fuel-lubricant heat exchanger; and
one or more lubricant bypass lines in fluid communication with the lubricant supply line for bypass the lubricant around the fuel-lubricant heat exchanger,
wherein the thermal management system selectively directs at least one of the fuel through the one or more fuel bypass lines or the lubricant through the one or more lubricant bypass lines based on at least one of a fuel temperature of the fuel or a lubricant temperature of the lubricant.