A study on the rotor profile and internal clearances of the gerotor pump used in lubricating system of gas turbine engine

Abstract

Gerotor pump is widely used in lubrication systems of a gas turbine engine where compactness and reliability is of key importance. In this work, the characteristic of the pump is studied for its application in the lubrication system. The rotor profile geometry of the Gerotor pump and its effect on the flow characteristics such as specific flow rate and flow irregularities is studied. The effect of the rotor geometry on the wear characteristics have also been taken into account by considering Hertz contact stress and the relative sliding velocity between the rotors. A Gerotor pump having fixed geometrical parameters designed based on mathematical 1D model using MatLab and AMESim software used for the profile generation and studying the theoretical flow characteristics. This work is further extended by studying the various internal leakages of the pump. The predicted flow rates obtained from Amesim software were then compared with the experimental results and found close match within 5% deviation. Hence, this methodology can be used to estimate performance and wear parameters. This study can assist pump designers to select geometrical parameters and internal clearances of gerotor pump as per their requirements.