To provide an oil separator 26 which can reduce the pressure of a bearing chamber under the setting of low-output operation of an engine such as an idling of the engine.
The oil separator 26 includes at least one separator for separating oil from air contaminated with oil, and serves as a suction source for reducing the pressure of an air source. In the case where the oil separator is used in a lubrication system of a turbine engine, the bearing chamber to which buffering air is supplied, serves as the air source of the contaminated air. When the engine remains idle, a compressor of the oil separator 26 operates efficiently to reduce the pressure of the bearing chamber due to the sucking function, so that the differential pressure in the forward direction across a bearing chamber seal is surely obtained and it is not necessary to raise the pressure of the buffering air. At the time of high power output of the engine, the oil separator 26 operates as a limiter for the air flow so as to increase the pressure of the bearing chamber, whereby the buffering air is inhibited from flowing into the bearing chamber excessively.
GLAHN J AXEL
THORESEN JAMES T
SPIRES LARRY W
DONG YUAN
MCCUTCHAN SEAN P
Tomioka Kiyoshi