CFD Numerical Simulation Aero-engine Air-Oil Separator

Engine oil systems drive and de-aerate air-oil solutions in a two-phase flow to provide an appropriate amount of oil lubrication and cooling. especially in aero-engine and starter-generator component and system. The oil lubrication systems combine three important functions of the Main Oil Pump (MOP) for lubrication and scavenging: the de-aeration and de-oiling of the air-oil mixture generated in the bearing and gearbox sumps and pumping the oil towards the tank. These are critical functions for the aero-engine and starter-generator. An aero-engine lubrication system along with an integrated pump and separation of gas-liquid mixture has been developed and characterized experimentally to increase Collins Aerospace Engine and Control Systems research and development productivity. This system has also improved engine and starter-generator reliability and system performance. The Collins Aerospace pump and separator system is specially designed to handle air-oil mixtures generated in aero-engine lubrication systems. To address this need, a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis of the pump and separation system that allows in-flight performance prediction is presented in this paper. This CFD model applies different flight conditions under various engine rotational speeds that change during each flight phase, bleed air flow rates, and gearbox rotational speeds all of which contribute to creating the variables that compromise subsystem design.