Rolls-royce Corporation

Rolls-royce Controls and Data Services Limited

Jonathan D Masters

David Nicholas Neate

A fuel injector for a gas turbine engine, the injector comprising a main fuel flow circuit and a pilot fuel flow circuit. The pilot fuel flow circuit comprises at least one convoluted pilot fuel flow passage extending continuously from a pilot fuel feed at an upstream end of the injector to a pilot fuel spray nozzle inlet. The at least one pilot fuel flow passage comprises at least two axially-extending portions extending between the upstream end of the injector towards a downstream end of the injector and joined by an elbow portion proximal the downstream end of the injector. In use, pilot fuel can flow in opposing axial directions within the at least two axially-extending portions, the axially-extending portions being in thermal communication with the main fuel flow circuit.

Fuel injector

A gear pump bearing block has a bush formed of antifriction alloys. The bush has a cylindrical portion providing a bore adapted to receive a bearing shaft of a gear of the pump. It further has a thrust face at the end of the cylindrical portion, the thrust face being adapted to slidingly engage with a side surface of the gear. The bush has an inner component providing the bore, and an outer component forming a radially outer surface of the cylindrical portion. The inner and outer components are formed of respective lead bronze alloys, the lead bronze alloy of the outer component having a higher lead content than the lead bronze alloy of the inner component.

Gear pump bearing

A fuel pumping unit has a low pressure pump, a high pressure pump, and a drive input which drives the low and high pressure pumps. The low pressure pump supplies, in use, fuel at a boosted pressure to the high pressure pump. The fuel pumping unit further has a low pressure housing containing the low pressure pump, and a high pressure housing containing the high pressure pump. The housings are joined together at a housing interface. The drive input is contained in one of the housings, whereby drive from the drive input is transferred across the interface to the pump in the other housing. The housing interface includes a gap which interposes between the high pressure pump and the low pressure pump. A layer of substantially stagnant fuel is trapped, in use, in the gap to reduce heat transfer from the high pressure pump to the low pressure pump.

Growing community of inventors

Birmingham, United Kingdom

Jonathan D Masters