Turbine bearing lubrication system

Claim 1

A self-contained lubrication system for a turbine engine, said engine having a support housing and a drive shaft rotatably mounted at a midpoint by a bearing assembly so that a free end of the drive shaft extends into a cavity formed in the interior of the support housing, said lubrication system comprising, an annular pump impeller secured to the drive shaft adjacent the free end of the drive shaft so that said impeller is axially spaced from the bearing assembly and is contained within the support housing cavity, an annular lubricant transfer housing secured within the interior of the support housing cavity coaxially around said drive shaft, said transfer housing being spaced radially inwardly from said support housing and spaced radially outwardly from said drive shaft, said transfer housing having a plurality of circumferentially spaced axial passages formed therethrough wherein a first end of each axial passage is open to a first axial end of said bearing assembly closest to said impeller and wherein a second end of each axial passage is open to an interior annular groove in said transfer housing, said annular groove being coaxial with and spaced radially outwardly from said impeller, said support housing having a plurality of circumferentially spaced fluid passages for fluidly connecting a second axial end of the bearing assembly most spaced from the impeller to said support housing cavity, said support housing cavity forming a lubricant reservoir, said transfer housing having a plurality of radial passages formed therethrough between said bearing assembly and said impeller for establishing fluid communication from said reservoir to said pump impeller, end enclosure means for fluid sealing said support housing cavity at the end adjacent the free end of the drive shaft, sealing means between said shaft and said support housing at a position axially spaced away from the second end of the bearing assembly, whereby said lubrication system is completely contained within said support housing between said end enclosure means and said sealing means, and whereby upon rotation of said drive shaft, said impeller pumps lubricant from said reservoir into said annular groove, through the transfer housing axial passages and through said bearing assembly from its first to its second axial end.