Abstract: A compliant foil fluid thrust bearing has a single sided or two sided thrust disk rotor, an integrally formed compliant foil member, and an underspring member. The non-rotating but compliant foils are located adjacent to the thrust face or faces or the rotatable disk and are formed as arcuate segments on washer-shaped disk members. The underspring member consists of three washer-shaped disk elements that together provide variable spring stiffness in both the circumferential and radial directions.

Abstract: A low emissions combustion system with a plurality of tangential fuel injectors to introduce a fuel/air mixture at the combustor dome end of an annular combustion chamber in two spaced injector planes. Each of the spaced injector planes includes multiple tangential fuel injectors delivering premixed fuel and air into the annular combustor. A generally skirt-shaped flow control baffle extends from the tapered inner liner into the annular combustion chamber downstream of the fuel injector planes. A plurality of air dilution holes in the tapered inner liner underneath the flow control baffle introduce dilution air into the annular combustion chamber while another plurality of air dilution holes in the cylindrical outer liner introduces more dilution air downstream from the flow control baffle.

Abstract: A hybrid electric vehicle, such as a bus or delivery vehicle, includes batteries and a turbogenerator/motor connected through a double conversion control system. The batteries and the turbogenerator/motor are each connected to a DC bus through bi-directional power converters operating as customized bi-directional switching converters configured, under the control of a power controller, to provide an interface between the DC bus and the batteries and turbogenerator/motor, respectively.

Abstract: Upon shutdown of a liquid fuel turbine engine, the liquid fuel supply is turned off and compressed air is passed through the fuel lines and fuel injectors to purge all remaining liquid fuel into the combustion chamber to be combusted therein.

Abstract: A method of controlling a permanent magnet turbogenerator/motor includes providing a protected load connected in parallel with the turbogenerator/motor through a pulse width modulated inverter configured in a first operating mode to supply controlled current from the turbogenerator/motor to a utility electrical power source, and selectively connected to the utility electrical power source through an isolation device, monitoring the utility electrical power source, and automatically disconnecting the protected load from the utility electrical power source while reconfiguring the pulse width modulated inverter in a second operating mode to supply controlled voltage to the protected load when a fault is detected in the utility electrical power source.

Abstract: A command and control system and method for multiple turbogenerators in a grid parallel system includes a master controller to start, sequence, coordinate power commands, and provide fault handling to each of the individual turbogenerators and the specific control modes. A bidirectional power meter, that measures the load consumption (or production when a turbogenerator system is installed) in a building or application, may also be utilized. This power meter can provide a reference or setpoint to the master controller for controlling the individual turbogenerators.

Abstract: A magnet machine includes a magnet rotor. The rotor includes a sleeve and a magnet. The magnet is positioned within the sleeve. A highly electrically conductive, nonmagnetic shield surrounds the magnet. The shield reduces rotor eddy current losses and lowers rotor operating temperature, thereby improving efficiency of the machine.

Abstract: A turbogenerator cooling system is disclosed that has a cylindrical heat sink with generally axially extending fins on both the outside and inside of a hoop section. The hoop section is solid except for holes adjacent to the rear end thereof. The generator stator is press-fitted into the heat sink in contact with the internal fins. The generator rotor is fitted with a small fan for directing heated air away from the inlet of the engine. Cooling air passes along the external fins to the rear of the generator, flows through the holes in the hoop section passes forward between the inside of the hoop section and the external surface of the stator to cool the stator and along an alternate path to cool the rotor hollow sleeve and permanent magnetic shafts as well as the stator.

Abstract: A power generation system is disclosed. In one embodiment, the power generation system includes a fuel source to provide fuel, a turbogenerator, coupled to the fuel source, to generate AC power, and a power controller electrically coupled to the turbogenerator. The power controller includes a first power converter to convert the AC power to DC power on a DC bus, and a second power converter to convert the DC power on the DC bus to an output power to supply a load. The power controller to regulate the fuel to the turbogenerator, independent of a DC voltage on the DC bus. A capacitor, such as an electrochemical capacitor or a hybrid capacitor, is coupled to the DC bus to source instantaneous power to and sink instantaneous power from the DC bus, due to load changes, to stabilize the DC voltage on the DC bus.

Abstract: In a turbine engine with an annular recuperator surrounding the turbine, exhaust gas is directed from the turbine to the recuperator by a generally curved exhaust dome. A vortex disrupter structure extends from the exhaust dome to a point distal of the turbine to evenly distribute the exhaust gas entering the recuperator and sustain diffusion of the exhaust gas to increase the expansion ratio across the turbine.

Abstract: Distortion compensation controller reduces harmonic distortion in an AC circuit current and/or voltage of a power converter bridge operating under digital current and/or voltage control. Within distortion compensation controller, an array of memory locations are used, each corresponding to a particular angle range in the AC cycle. Enough memory locations are allocated to cover all of the AC cycle. For each of these memory locations, historical information is collected over a number of AC cycles about the distortion measured during the corresponding angle range in the AC cycle. Using the historical information, a compensation signal is calculated for use at that angle in the next AC cycle. As the AC cycle progresses, the appropriate compensation signal is added to the output of a conventional current controller. In this way, a near perfect sinusoid can be achieved in the steady state for the current/voltage waveform in the AC circuit.

Abstract: A turbogenerator is controlled by a temperature loop that provides fuel to the combustor to maintain a desired turbine exhaust temperature, and by a speed control loop that controls the speed of the turbogenerator to provide a desired power output. When the desired power output is reduced, the turbogenerator speed is reduced accordingly, and the desired turbine exhaust temperature is increased temporarily to maintain sufficient fuel flow to the combustor to prevent combustor flame-out.

Abstract: A continuous power supply may include a turbogenerator to provide power to supply the load and or an energy storage element and possibly also to the primary energy source. Utilizing an isolated DC bus architecture permits bi-directional power flow among interconnected elements.

Abstract: A closed loop Rankine bottoming cycle including a heat exchanger coupled to an exhaust port of a first turbogenerator for heating a pressurized refrigerant into a gaseous phase, and a second turbogenerator (e.g., a turbo expander) coupled to the heat exchanger for expanding the gaseous phase so as to create power. Also included is a cooling mechanism coupled to an exhaust of the second turbogenerator for cooling the gaseous phase exhausted by the second turbogenerator into a liquid phase, and a pumping mechanism for pressurizing the liquid phase into the pressurized refrigerant heated by the heat exchanger. A computer program product and method for operating and synchronizing the generator included in the closed loop, so as to optimize the overall system efficiency is also included.

Abstract: A turbogenerator cooling system is disclosed that has a cylindrical heat sink with generally axially extending fins on both the outside and inside of a hoop section. The hoop section is solid except for holes adjacent to the rear end thereof. The generator stator is press-fitted into the heat sink in contact with the internal fins. The generator rotor is fitted with a small fan for directing heated air away from the inlet of the engine. Cooling air passes along the external fins to the rear of the generator, flows through the holes in the hoop section passes forward between the inside of the hoop section and the external surface of the stator to cool the stator and along an alternate path to cool the rotor hollow sleeve and permanent magnetic shafts as well as the stator.

Abstract: A method and system to automatically restart a permanent magnet turbogenerator/motor when a fatal fault is detected. The automatic restart logic includes time constraints and limitations on the number of iterations, and is useful regardless of whether the permanent magnet turbogenerator/motor is in a grid connect mode or a standalone mode, and regardless of how the fault originates or is detected. Additional control logic is utilized to handle grid transients and over load conditions to prevent a fatal fault from occurring by using time constraints and an iterative process, together with a brake resistor to control DC bus voltage.

Abstract: A closed loop Rankine bottoming cycle including a heat exchanger coupled to an exhaust port of a first turbogenerator for heating a pressurized refrigerant into a gaseous phase, and a second turbogenerator (e.g., a turbo expander) coupled to the heat exchanger for expanding the gaseous phase so as to create power. Also included is a cooling mechanism coupled to an exhaust of the second turbogenerator for cooling the gaseous phase exhausted by the second turbogenerator into a liquid phase, and a pumping mechanism for pressurizing the liquid phase into the pressurized refrigerant heated by the heat exchanger. A computer program product and method for operating and synchronizing the generator included in the closed loop, so as to optimize the overall system efficiency is also included.

Abstract: A method and system for connecting a plurality of power generators, each having an electrical power converter output and adjustable output voltage magnitude and frequency, with at least one digital communications bus to provide synchronization and load sharing. One of the plurality of power generators is designated a master unit and the remainder are designated as slave units.

Abstract: A method and system to automatically restart a permanent magnet turbogenerator/motor when a fatal fault is detected. The automatic restart logic includes time constraints and limitations on the number of iterations, and is useful regardless of whether the permanent magnet turbogenerator/motor is in a grid connect mode or a standalone mode, and regardless of how the fatal fault originates or is detected. Additional control logic is utilized to handle grid transients and over load conditions to prevent a fatal fault from occurring by using time constraints and an iterative process, together with a brake resistor to control DC bus voltage.

Abstract: A compliant foil fluid film thrust bearing including a thrust disk rotor, fluid foils, spring foils, a thrust plate, and a housing thrust surface The non-rotating but compliant fluid foils, mounted on the thrust plate and/or housing thrust surface and positioned adjacent to the thrust disk, have open faced channels that induce regenerative vortex flow patterns in the process fluid. The multiple spring foils together provide a tilting pad support for the fluid foils but allow them to follow the axial and overturning motion of the thrust disk. The interaction of the tilting pad underspring supports and the circumferential fluid pressure gradients in the process fluid between the fluid foils and the thrust disk rotor assure that the fluid foils will assume hydrodynamically efficient convex shapes on the surfaces adjacent to the rotor regardless of the load applied to the thrust bearing.