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A coupled 1D film hydrodynamics and core gas flow model for air-oil flows in aero-engine bearing chambers

Kakimpa, Bruce; Morvan, Herve; Hibberd, Stephen

A coupled 1D film hydrodynamics and core gas flow model for air-oil flows in aero-engine bearing chambers Thumbnail


Authors

Bruce Kakimpa

Herve Morvan

Stephen Hibberd



Abstract

A robust 1D film hydrodynamic model has been sequentially coupled with a 1D core gas model and used to predict the instantaneous mean core gas speed, film interface shear stress and liquid film distribution within an idealised bearing chamber. This novel approach to aero-engine bearing chamber simulation provides a predictive tool that can be used for the fast and reliable exploration of a set of bearing chamber design and operating conditions characterised by the: chamber dimensions, air/oil fluid properties, shaft speed, sealing air flows, oil feed rates and sump scavenge ratios. A preliminary validation of the model against available bearing chamber flow measurements from literature shows good agreement. The model represents a significant step change in predictive capabilities for aero-engine oil system flows compared to previous semi-empirical models. The bearing chamber is idealised as a one-dimensional (2D) domain with a predominantly azimuthal flow in both the rotational oil film and core gas such that axial components may be ignored. A 1D system of depth-averaged film hydrodynamics equations is used to predict oil film thickness and mean speed distributions in the azimuthal direction under the influence of interface shear, gravity, pressure gradient and surface tension forces. The driving shear stress in the film model is obtained from the 1D core-gas model based on an azimuthal gas momentum conservation equation which is coupled to the film model through the interface shear stress and film interface velocity.

Citation

Kakimpa, B., Morvan, H., & Hibberd, S. (2017). A coupled 1D film hydrodynamics and core gas flow model for air-oil flows in aero-engine bearing chambers.

Conference Name ASME Turbo Expo 2017: Turbomachinery Technical Conference and Exposition
End Date Jun 30, 2017
Acceptance Date Mar 26, 2017
Publication Date Jun 30, 2017
Deposit Date May 11, 2017
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Keywords Thin film, Bearing chamber, System model
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/870405
Related Public URLs http://www.asmeconferences.org/TE2017/SearchPaperSchedule.cfm
https://www.asme.org/events/turbo-expo?_ga=2.92817246.298455725.1494506347-1574439961.1469616582
Additional Information https://www.asme.org/shop/proceedings/conference-publications/copyright-terms-and-conditions

© 2017 by ASME

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