Secondary lubrication system with injectable additive

摘要

A lubrication system includes an additive and a delivery system. During normal operational conditions, the lubricating oil circulating in the transmission system is collected and contained in a secondary oil reservoir to retain a quantity of the lubricating oil for use in an oil-out condition. When an oil-out condition is detected, the additive is injected and mixed with the collected lubricating oil in the secondary oil reservoir or dispersed directly into a power transmission gearbox housing to enhance the characteristics of the lubricating oil and increases the operational time period of the power transmission gearbox during an oil-out condition.

主权项

1. A lubrication system to lubricate moving components comprising:
an oil reservoir for storage of a quantity of collected lubricating oil, wherein said oil reservoir is configured to hold a quantity of lubricating oil that has been collected and accumulated in the oil reservoir in reserve under normal operating conditions, wherein said quantity of collected lubricating oil is received and interchanged from a primary lubricating oil reservoir under normal operational conditions, wherein said quantity of collected lubricating oil is continually refreshed and maintained in an essentially filled condition as lubricating oil circulates within the lubrication system between the primary lubricating oil reservoir and a gearbox under normal operational conditions; an additive stored under normal operational conditions; and a controller selectively injecting said additive into said oil reservoir in response to an oil-out condition, wherein the oil-out condition is a condition in which the lubrication system lacks sufficient oil to maintain the normal operational conditions.