Patent ID: 9695709
Date: 2017-07-04
CPC Classifications: F01D,G01M

Claim:
1. A gas turbine having a bearing chamber leak detection system, the gas turbine comprising: a rotatable shaft; a bearing assembly supporting the rotatable shaft; a plurality of bearing chamber air-oil seals surrounding the bearing assembly creating an annular bearing chamber enclosing the bearing assembly; one or more walls surrounding the annular bearing chamber creating a plenum that surrounds the annular bearing chamber between the one or more walls and the annular bearing chamber; and a pressurized air inlet to the plenum, the pressurized air inlet including an airflow sensor configured and positioned to sense a flow of pressurized air into the plenum, wherein the airflow at the airflow sensor is indicative of airflow from the plenum into the annular bearing chamber via one or more of the plurality of bearing chamber seals; wherein sensed airflow that is greater than an expected flow is indicative of one or more of the plenum air-oil seals, through which the greater than expected flow is occurring, being damaged or worn.