Patents Represented by Attorney Patrick K. Patnode
  • Patent number: 7969734
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system for cooling an electronics package. The system includes a fluid pump and a microcooler assembly. The system utilizes one or more cooling layers interspersed with layers of electronics in the electronics package. Each cooling layer has an array of cooling channels formed in a substrate, an input manifold through which cooling fluid is provided for distribution through the array of cooling channels, and an output manifold which collects fluid from the array of cooling channels. The elements of the cooling system are integrated by conduits including a package conduit for passage of fluid from the fluid pump to the electronics package, a cooler conduit for passage of fluid from the electronics package to the microcooler assembly, and a pump conduit for passage of fluid from the microcooler assembly to the fluid pump. Also disclosed is a method for cooling the electronics package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mehmet Arik, Chellappa Balan, Todd Garrett Wetzel, Stephen Adam Solovitz, Charles Max Byrd, Stanton Earl Weaver, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7933744
    Abstract: A method of wind turbine management includes receiving operational information on operational characteristics of a wind turbine. The operational information is analyzed based on a set of rules, and a determination is made as to whether a fault of the wind turbine is resettable. The set of rules may be configured based on operating configuration of the wind turbine. Advanced operational information may be received for conducting enhanced diagnostics and a determination is made as to whether a fault of the wind turbine is resettable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Vinay Bhaskar Jammu, Narayanan Urupuniakavu Madam, Ramesh Perla, Nidhi Naithani, Mahesh Amritlal Morjaria
  • Patent number: 7926311
    Abstract: The present technique provides systems and methods for integrally washing and drying laundry articles in a home application. Certain embodiments provide a home laundry machine having a drying mechanism pneumatically coupled to a laundry enclosure via an air inlet and an air outlet. The drying mechanism comprises a heating device disposed upstream of the air inlet and a cooling device disposed downstream of the air outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Vanita Mani, Darren L. Hallman, Olga K. Zhushma
  • Patent number: 7928561
    Abstract: A system is provided. The system includes a device that includes top and bottom thermally conductive substrates positioned opposite to one another, wherein a top surface of the bottom thermally conductive substrate is substantially atomically flat and a thermal blocking layer disposed between the top and bottom thermally conductive substrates. The device also includes top and bottom electrodes separated from one another between the top and bottom thermally conductive substrates to define a tunneling path, wherein the top electrode is disposed on the thermal blocking layer and the bottom electrode is disposed on the bottom thermally conductive substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Stanton Earl Weaver, Mehmet Arik
  • Patent number: 7912659
    Abstract: A gearbox condition monitoring system includes at least one vibration sensor located on a gearbox casing. A processing unit is coupled to the vibration sensor and is configured to receive signals representative of the detected vibrations from the vibration sensor. The processing unit may be operable to process the signals representative of detected vibrations of gears and bearings and to compute at least one dynamic energy index or location of fault.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Huageng Luo
  • Patent number: 7901110
    Abstract: A gas discharge lamp includes an arc envelope and a cooling device. Cooling passage is provided between the arc envelope and the cooling device. An airflow blocking structure is mounted rotatably to the arc envelope. The airflow blocking structure blocks airflow between the cooling device and the arc envelope except for a portion of the passage directed towards a top side of the arc envelope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Amol Suresh Mulay, Viktor Karoly Varga, Gary Robert Allen, Sairam Sundaram, Svetlana Selezneva, Vijaykumar Mallappa Kannure, Rocco Thomas Giordano
  • Patent number: 7892061
    Abstract: A hermetically sealed lamp having at least one seal-material-free bond. The seal material-free bond may be a material diffusion bond, a mechanically deformed bond such as a cold weld or crimp, a focused heat bond such as a laser bond, or any other such bond. For example, the hermetically sealed lamp may have one or more endcaps diffusion bonded to an arc envelope, such as a ceramic tube or bulb. The hermetically sealed lamp also may have one or more tubular structures, such as dosing tubes, which are mechanically closed via cold welding or crimping. Localized heating, such as the heat provided by an intense laser, also may be used to enhance any of the foregoing bonds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Bernard P. Bewlay, James A. Brewer, Sylvain S. Coulombe, Sylvia M. DeCarr, Luana E. Iorio, Anteneh Kebbede, Timothy J. Sommerer, James S. Vartuli
  • Patent number: 7880419
    Abstract: A system for the transmission of a direct current (DC) at a medium voltage level includes a system DC link configured to carry power from a source to a load module. The load module includes a DC-to-DC voltage step-down converter, a DC-to-AC inverter coupled downstream to the DC-to-DC voltage step-down converter, and a system AC link for carrying power from the load module to a motor system on a load side of the system AC link. The system is effective for delivering power over distances that are greater than 30 kilometers, and for delivery of power from an on-shore to offshore and sub-sea load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christof Martin Sihler, Robert Roesner, Rajib Datta
  • Patent number: 7879750
    Abstract: A method of making an anode for alkaline electrolysis cells includes adsorption of precursor material on a carbonaceous material, conversion of the precursor material to hydroxide form and conversion of precursor material from hydroxide form to oxy-hydroxide form within the alkaline electrolysis cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Grigorii Lev Soloveichik
  • Patent number: 7874157
    Abstract: A low emission combustor includes a combustor housing defining a combustion chamber. A secondary nozzle is disposed along a centerline of the combustion chamber and configured to inject air or a first mixture of air and fuel on a downstream side of the combustion chamber. The secondary nozzle includes an air inlet configured to introduce a first fluid including air, a diluent, or combinations thereof into the secondary nozzle. At least one fuel plenum is configured to introduce a second fluid including a fuel, another diluent, or combinations thereof into the secondary nozzle and over a predetermined profile proximate to the fuel plenum. The predetermined profile is configured to facilitate attachment of the second fluid to the profile to form a fluid boundary layer and to entrain incoming first fluid through the fluid boundary layer to promote mixing of the first fluid and the second fluid and fuel to produce the first fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Andrei Tristan Evulet, Balachandar Varatharajan, Gilbert Otto Kraemer, Ahmed Mostafa ElKady, Benjamin Paul Lacy
  • Patent number: 7851943
    Abstract: A direct current (DC) transmission and distribution system includes a system DC link configured for carrying power from a source to a plurality of loads {16} and DC to alternating current (AC) power converter modules coupled in series to the system DC link on a load side of the system DC link
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Rajib Datta, Christof Martin Sihler, Richard S. Zhang
  • Patent number: 7828938
    Abstract: A hybrid water and power system comprises a power generation device for generating electricity and waste heat and a thermal purification system that utilizes at least a portion of the waste heat to cleanse nonpotable water introduced therein to produce a semi-cleaned water stream and a water filtration system for receiving and processing at least a portion of the semi-cleaned water stream to produce a potable water stream. In one embodiment, a containerized hybrid water and power unit comprises a power generation device, a thermal purification system and a water filtration system, and is housed in a containment vessel. Containerized water and power unit has an input for fuel and nonpotable water and produces both electricity and potable water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Michael John Bowman
  • Patent number: 7808240
    Abstract: An MRI apparatus includes a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system having a magnet to impress a polarizing magnetic field, a plurality of gradient coils positioned about the bore of the magnet to impose a magnetic field gradient, and an RF transceiver system and an RF switch controlled by a pulse module to transmit RF pulses to an RF coil assembly and to acquire MR images, and a computer programmed to apply a plurality of RF pulses configured to control RF excitation by a transmit coil array such that a waveform shape of each of the plurality of RF pulses is based on optimizing a spatial spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Yudong Zhu
  • Patent number: 7803473
    Abstract: A system and method for producing electricity is described. The system comprises a fuel cell assembly. The system may comprise a steam turbine and a generator. The fuel cell assembly may be used to provide heat to produce the steam used to power the steam turbine. The system may comprise a gasifier that is operable to produce a fuel for use in the fuel cell assembly. The system may comprise an air separation unit that is operable to supply oxygen to the gasifier and to the fuel cell assembly for reaction with the fuel. The oxygen that is not reacted in the fuel cell assembly may be recirculated through the fuel cell assembly. Spent fuel from the fuel cell assembly may be recirculated through the fuel cell assembly. A carbon dioxide removal system may be used to remove carbon dioxide from the fuel upstream of the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Chellappa Balan, Daniel Preston Smith
  • Patent number: 7804215
    Abstract: A magnetically geared machine having an integrated cooling concept is provided. The machine includes a rotor having an inner surface and an outer surface, a magnet assembly coupled to one of the inner or outer surfaces of the rotor, and a stator having a plurality of stator windings. The machine further includes a magnetic flux modulator interposed between the rotor and the plurality of stator windings, where the flux modulator includes a plurality of magnetically conductive portions and a plurality of non-magnetically conductive portions placed alternately, where one or more of the plurality of non-magnetically conductive portions comprise a channel for a cooling fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jan Erich Hemmelmann, Michal Wolfgang Waszak
  • Patent number: 7752848
    Abstract: A system for co-production of hydrogen and electrical energy comprising a reformer configured to receive a reformer fuel and steam and produce a reformate rich in hydrogen. The system further comprises a separation unit in fluid communication with the reformer wherein the separation unit is configured to receive the reformate to separate hydrogen from the reformate and produce an off gas. The system also includes a combustor configured to receive a fuel for combustion and produce heat energy and a hot compressed gas, wherein the combustor is coupled with the reformer. A gas turbine expands the hot compressed gas and produces electrical energy and an expanded gas; wherein at least a part of the heat energy from the combustor is used to produce the reformate in the reformer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Chellappa Balan, Andrei Colibaba-Evulet
  • Patent number: 7739864
    Abstract: A power generation system includes first and second turbines. The first turbine including a low-pressure compressor (14) and a high-pressure compressor (16). A combustion chamber (22) combusts compressed oxidant and a fuel stream to generate a hot flue gas (31). The first turbine further includes a high-pressure expander (20) for receiving the flue gas and generating a CO2 rich exhaust gas. A low-pressure expander (22) generates a first final exhaust (52) and electrical energy. A CO2 separation system receives exhaust gas (38) and provides a CO2 lean gas fed to low-pressure expander (22). The second turbine including a compressor section (64) configured to discharge a recycle stream (71) from a high pressure compressor (70) to a second combustion chamber (72) and supply a split stream (84) from a low-pressure compressor (68) to high pressure compressor (16) of the first turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Matthias Finkenrath, Michael Bartlett
  • Patent number: 7742796
    Abstract: A method for imaging a breast is provided. The method includes positioning a breast within a breast holder including a flexible membrane and creating at least a partial vacuum within the flexible membrane. A method of upgrading a mammography system and various configurations of breast holders are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey Wayne Eberhard, Abdulrahman Abdallah Al-khalidy, Cynthia Elizabeth Landberg, Bernhard Erich Hermann Claus, Reinhold Franz Wirth
  • Patent number: 7739875
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a power system comprises: a first compressor unit, a syngas generator in fluid communication with a fuel stream and the first compressor unit, a syngas expander unit configured to directly receive the first syngas stream from the syngas generator, a first steam generator, a water gas shift reactor, and a carbon dioxide removal unit. The first compressor unit is configured to compress an air stream and form a first pressurized stream, while the syngas generator is configured to generate a first syngas stream. The syngas expander is configured to reduce the pressure of the first syngas stream. The first steam generator is configured to cool the second syngas stream. The carbon dioxide removal unit configured to remove carbon dioxide from the converted syngas stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Michael Bartlett
  • Patent number: 7739898
    Abstract: An exhaust gas sensor system includes an inner chamber disposed around a sensor element. The inner chamber has either a cylindrical shape or a frusto-conical shape. The system further includes an outer chamber disposed substantially around the inner chamber to redirect a flow of an exhaust gas stream having an original direction by allowing the exhaust gas stream to strike a surface of the inner chamber to change the original direction of the flow to a substantially perpendicular direction relative to the original direction, then to substantially reverse the substantially perpendicular direction of the flow to create a substantially reversed flow within the inner chamber. Alternately the exhaust sensor system includes a sintered metal filter that prevents exhaust gas particles from fouling a sensor element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: David Mulford Shaddock, Ganapathisubbu Sethuvenkatraman, Kunal Ravindra Goray