Importance

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Abstract

An oil supply system supplies oil under pressure to a bearing or journal enclosure during normal positive gravity conditions as well as negative gravity and zero gravity conditions. A closed oil storage tank containing a volume of oil below a gas filled headspace with primary drain in a bottom portion normally supplies a pressure pump which passes a pressure control valve before entering an inlet of the enclosure. In negative gravity or zero gravity conditions oil is absent from the tank bottom and the primary pressure pump is starved of oil. The invention solves this problem with an auxiliary tank outlet disposed above the bottom drain (at the top and/or sides of the tank) and the oil-air separator separates the air before pumping the oil under pressure to the bearing or journal enclosure past a directional switch. The directional control switch (1) connects the switch oil inlet to the switch oil return outlet and oil tank when oil pressure delivered by the pressure pump exceeds a predetermined minimum threshold pressure; and (2) connects the switch inlet to the oil supply outlet and enclosure when oil pressure delivered by the pressure pump is less than the threshold pressure.

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First Claim