Air-oil separator

1. An air-oil separator comprising:

a first region having a mixture of air and oil;

a second region wherein separation of at least some of the oil from the air-oil mixture occurs; and

at least one multi-directional injector plug located on a rotating component in flow communication with the first region and the second region, the multi-directional injector plug having a discharge head which has a bend portion with an interior passage that is oriented such that flow of the air-oil mixture is turned within the multi-directional injector plug and at least a part of the air-oil mixture discharged therefrom has a component of velocity that is tangential to the direction of rotation of the rotating component.

2. An air-oil separator according to claim 1 wherein:

at least a part of the second region is located inside the rotating component.

3. An air-oil separator according to claim 1 wherein:

a plurality of multi-directional injector plugs are located in a circumferential direction in the rotating component.

4. An air-oil separator according to claim 1 wherein:

at least a part of the air-oil mixture discharged from the multi-directional injector plug has a tangential component of velocity in the direction of rotation of the rotating component.

5. An air-oil separator according to claim 1 wherein:

at least a part of the oil separated from the air-oil mixture is channeled through at least one groove located on the multi-directional injector plug.

6. An air-oil separator according to claim 1 wherein:

the multi-directional injector plug has a means for locating it in a selected angular orientation during assembly.

7. A system for reducing oil consumption in an aircraft engine comprising:

an oil supply conduit;

a sump cavity having a mixture of air and oil;

a pressurized air cavity located outside the sump cavity which supplies air into the sump cavity;

a rotating component that is at least partly located inside the sump cavity;

a separator cavity located inside the sump cavity;

a means for removing oil from the separator cavity; and

at least one multi-directional injector plug located on the rotating component in flow communication with the sump cavity and the separator cavity wherein the multi-directional injector plug has a discharge head which has a bend portion with an interior passage that is oriented such that flow of the air-oil mixture is turned within the multi-directional injector plug and at least a part of the air-oil mixture discharged therefrom has a component of velocity that is tangential to the direction of rotation of the rotating component.

8. A system according to claim 7 wherein:

said rotating component is a rotating shaft having a bearing mounted on it, and wherein at least a part of the separator cavity is located inside said rotating shaft.

9. A system according to claim 7 wherein:

a plurality of multi-directional injector plugs are located in a circumferential direction in the rotating component.

10. A system according to claim 7 wherein:

at least a part of the air-oil mixture discharged from the multi-directional injector plug has a tangential component of velocity in the direction of rotation of the rotating component.

11. A system according to claim 7 wherein:

at least a part of the oil separated from the air-oil mixture is channeled through at least one groove located on the multi-directional injector plug.

12. A system according to claim 7 wherein:

the multi-directional injector plug has a means for locating it in a selected angular orientation during assembly.