Influences of the Geometry of the Scavenge Pipe on the Air-Oil Two-Phase Flow and Heat Transfer in an Aero-Engine Bearing Chamber.

Abstract

In order to improve the characteristics of the air–oil two-phase flow and heat transfer in the scavenge pipe of an aero-engine bearing chamber, this paper presents several scavenge pipes with different cross-sectional geometries, by numerically investigating the processes of the air–oil two-phase flow and heat transfer, in comparison to a circular pipe. The findings indicate that the tripetal cross-section shows the best heat-transfer effect, while the four-petal cross-section has the lowest flow resistance. Under the same working condition and the equal wetted perimeter, the tripetal cross-section has an 8.8% higher heat-transfer effect than the circular section, while the four-petal cross-section has a 28.6% lower flow resistance than the circular; under the equal cross-sectional area, the tripetal cross-section has a 9.1% higher heat-transfer effect than the circular section, while the four-petal cross-section has a 23.6% lower flow resistance than the circular; under the equal hydraulic diameter, the tripetal cross-section has a 9.2% higher heat-transfer effect than the circular section, while the four-petal cross-section has a 21.9% lower flow resistance than the circular. Taking both the heat transfer and flow resistance into consideration, the four-petal cross-section exhibits the best comprehensive performance, with the comprehensive performance coefficient decreasing with the increase of oil inlet velocity and rising with the increase of air inlet velocity.