Hamilton/ Sundstrand Oil Separator (Fall 2006)
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Hamilton/Sundstrand Corp is a world leader in the development and manufacture of systems for the aerospace industry that range form commercial aircraft to defense systems design and testing. One of the main products that HSPS manufactures is Auxiliary Power Units (APUs). APUs can be found in the tail sections of many aircraft and serve multiple functions. A typical APU is a compact gas turbine coupled with an electric generator.
The task of the Fall 2006 WSU design team is to upgrade the current APU lubrication system test rig, which is currently located at the WSU Pullman campus. Specifically, they would like the design team to test lubrication system performance at extreme altitude operating conditions. It is extremely important that the pump be able to deliver adequate oil pressure for the bearings and gears be properly lubricated under this condition. Additionally, HSPS would like several components integrated into the current design. The additional components are:
• oil filter
• oil filter bypass valve
• oil cooler with bypass valve
• cold start bypass valve
• system pressure relief valve.
After the component upgrades have been completed, the design team is to conduct tests to optimize the component upgrades in the system. These include a contaminated oil filter test and a cold start bypass valve performance test.
The customer needs were determined from the statement of work and by consultation with HSPS. The main requirements that HSPS announced to the WSU Design Clinic were:
Run rig again and summary testing
Design improvement (upgrading)
Re-test rig and gather data
Empirical vs. analytical data analysis
Final report with presentation
Specifically, the most important customer needs were perceived to the following:
Safe operating test rig
Ability to test flow through oil filter and bypass
Ability to test flow through cold start bypass valve
Sealed oil containment system
Ability to measure torque
Ability to test oil filter filtration
Ability to test at extreme high/low/normal temperatures
As the project progressed, some things changed. See case studies to find out the outcome of the project.