Patents Examined by Alyson Joan Harrington
  • Patent number: 11982235
    Abstract: Disclosed is a fuel system for a gas turbine engine having a core exhaust and a combustion section. The system comprises a fuel pump for fluid communication with a fuel reservoir; a driving turbine for driving the fuel pump; and an air feed to drive the driving turbine, the air feed being fluidly connectable to the core exhaust of the gas turbine engine. Also disclosed is a fuel system comprising: a fuel pump for fluid communication with a fuel reservoir; a fuel line from the fuel pump for fluid communication with the combustion section of the gas turbine engine; and an air feed to a heat exchanger, the air feed being fluidly connectable to the core exhaust of the gas turbine engine, wherein the fuel line is in thermal communication with the air feed within a heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventor: Jonathan E. Holt
  • Patent number: 11971172
    Abstract: A premixer assembly for a combustor includes: at least one ring of premixers, each premixer having a central axis, an annular peripheral wall surrounding a centerbody, and at least one swirler disposed between the centerbody and the peripheral wall, wherein the peripheral wall defines an inlet area of the premixer; and a lip extending forward along the central axis from the peripheral wall, the lip extending at an oblique angle to the axis of symmetry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: David A. Lind, Ajoy Patra, Ting-Yu Tu, Pradeep Naik, Gregory A. Boardman
  • Patent number: 11965654
    Abstract: A fuel system includes a fuel supply system. A plurality of fuel nozzles are connected in fluid communication with the fuel supply system to supply fuel from a fuel source to be issued for combustion from the fuel nozzles. A cooling system is included, wherein at least one of the fuel nozzles includes a cooling circuit in addition to a fuel circuit for issuing fuel from the fuel supply system for combustion. The cooling circuit includes an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is in fluid communication with the cooling system for circulation of coolant through the cooling circuit and back to the cooling system out the outlet of the cooling circuit for cooling the fuel circuit with the fuel circuit staged off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Collins Engine Nozzles, Inc.
    Inventors: Lev A. Prociw, Timothy Griffith
  • Patent number: 11959641
    Abstract: A combustor for use in a gas turbine engine including a heat shield panel having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface of the heat shield panel and a combustor shell having an inner surface and an outer surface opposite the inner surface. The inner surface of the combustor shell and the second surface of the heat shield panel being in a facing spaced relationship defining an impingement cavity therebetween. The combustor shell further includes an impingement aperture that has a nonaxisymmetric shape. The impingement aperture extending from the outer surface to the inner surface through the combustor shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Abbas A. Alahyari, Yasmin Khakpour, Miad Yazdani
  • Patent number: 11913388
    Abstract: A cabin blower for an aircraft, the system comprising: a cabin blower compressor; an electric machine; and a controller configured to control the cabin blower system so that: in a cabin blower mode of operation, the cabin blower compressor is driven by power extracted from one or more spools of a gas turbine engine of the aircraft and provides a flow of air to a cabin of the aircraft. The controller may be further configured to control the system so that: in a rotor bow mitigation mode of operation, the cabin blower compressor is driven by the electric machine using electrical power from an electrical power source and provides a flow of air through a core of the gas turbine engine to remove heat from the core. A method of operating a cabin blower system of an aircraft is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Ibrahim Eryilmaz, Vasileios Pachidis
  • Patent number: 11913377
    Abstract: An aircraft propulsion system includes a gas turbine engine; an environmental control system (ECS); and a bleed flowpath from the gas turbine engine through the ECS. A turbine is along the bleed flowpath and a propulsion fan is mechanically coupled to the turbine to be driven by the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: RTX Corporation
    Inventor: Alan F. Retersdorf
  • Patent number: 11898493
    Abstract: A system includes an air manifold, a fuel manifold, and a plurality of fuel injectors. At least one of the fuel injectors includes a heat exchanger portion for supplying compressed, cooled air form the heat exchanger portion to the air manifold. An air valve is operatively connected to an outlet of the air manifold for controlling release of air from the air manifold. A controller is operatively connected to the air valve, wherein the controller includes machine readable instructions configured to control the air valve to regulate flow of air through the air valve based on fuel temperatures in the fuel channel. The machine readable instructions can be configured to cause the controller to flow air through the air valve in a heat exchange mode if a fuel temperature in the fuel injectors is below a predetermined fuel temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Collins Engine Nozzles, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason A. Ryon, Gregory A. Zink, Brandon P. Williams, Lev A. Prociw
  • Patent number: 11892165
    Abstract: A heat shield for a fuel nozzle of a gas turbine engine combustor. The heat shield includes a radial flange extending in radial and circumferential directions and has an opening therethrough at a radially inward end of the radial flange, and an annular conical wall extending in longitudinal and circumferential directions, the annular conical wall being connected to the radial flange at the radially inward end of the radial flange. The radial flange includes a flange forward side, and a flange aft side, and has a flange outer end portion. The flange outer end portion includes a flange rounded end portion on one of the flange forward side or the flange aft side, and a flange rounded protruding lip on the other of the flange forward side or the flange aft side, the rounded protruding lip extending in the longitudinal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Hiranya Nath, Michael A. Benjamin, Rajendra Wankhade, Hari Chandra
  • Patent number: 11873992
    Abstract: A combustor liner used for a gas turbine combustor and forming a combustion chamber includes: an outer side wall made of metal; a panel attached to an inner side of the outer side wall and made of a ceramic matrix composite material, the panel including a panel body facing the combustion chamber, and a connection piece rising from an exterior surface of the panel body at a side portion of the panel body and protruding in a lateral direction; and a connection unit configured to connect the panel to the outer side wall, the connection unit including an elastic member configured to bias at least one of the outer side wall and the connection piece, and a fixation member made of metal and configured to fix at least one of the connection piece and the elastic member to the outer side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masayoshi Kobayashi, Takeo Oda, Takeo Nishiura, Tomoko Tsuru, Takaya Hamamoto, Takeshi Takagi, Osamu Hisamatsu, Hirotaka Kurashima
  • Patent number: 11867125
    Abstract: A fuel manifold adapter for a fuel system of an aircraft engine, the fuel manifold adapter comprising: a body having a body-output interface defining a downstream end of a body passage including a body bore about a bore axis, the body-output interface movably and fluidly connectable to a first component of the fuel system mounted to a first mounting point of the engine, and a body-input interface defining an upstream end of the body passage, the body-input interface rigidly and fluidly connectable to a second component of the fuel system mounted to a second mounting point of the engine, and a transfer tube having an upstream-tube end slidably engaged with the body along the bore axis via the body bore, the transfer tube having a downstream-tube end opposite the upstream-tube end slidably engageable along the bore axis with the first component, the downstream-tube end defining a downstream end of the fuel manifold adapter relative to fuel flow through the fuel manifold adapter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Gavin Rohiteshwar Kisun, Guy Lefebvre
  • Patent number: 11846422
    Abstract: A system includes an air manifold, a fuel manifold, and a plurality of fuel injectors. At least one of the fuel injectors includes a heat exchanger portion for supplying compressed, cooled air form the heat exchanger portion to the air manifold. An air valve is operatively connected to an outlet of the air manifold for controlling release of air from the air manifold. A controller is operatively connected to the air valve, wherein the controller includes machine readable instructions configured to control the air valve to regulate flow of air through the air valve based on fuel temperatures in the fuel channel. The machine readable instructions can be configured to cause the controller to flow air through the air valve in a heat exchange mode if a fuel temperature in the fuel injectors is below a predetermined fuel temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Collins Engine Nozzles, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Ryon, Gregory A. Zink, Brandon Phillip Williams, Lev A. Prociw
  • Patent number: 11840968
    Abstract: An aspect includes a method for motoring control for multiple engines of an aircraft is provided. A controller can determine a motoring time of a first engine starting system to cool a first engine. The controller can compare the motoring time of the first engine starting system with a motoring time of one or more other engine starting systems of one or more other engines of the aircraft. The motoring time of the first engine starting system can be controlled relative to a tolerance of the motoring time of the one or more other engine starting systems by adjusting the motoring time of the first engine starting system relative to the one or more other engine starting systems in a motoring sequence based on comparing the motoring time of the first engine starting system with the motoring time of the one or more other engine starting systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Matthew D. Teicholz, James W. Dunn, Christopher P. Kmetz, Louis A. Celiberti
  • Patent number: 11808219
    Abstract: A fuel system can include a first fuel circuit, a second fuel circuit, and an inert gas purge system operatively connected to both the first fuel circuit and the second fuel circuit to purge at least a portion of either or both of the first and/or second fuel circuit. The first fuel can be a liquid fuel and the second fuel can be a gaseous fuel. The first fuel circuit can include a first fuel manifold configured to fluidly communicate a first fuel supply with at least one dual fuel nozzles downstream of the first fuel manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Owen Ho-Yin Wong, John Galas, Sean Durand
  • Patent number: 11795878
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine assembly includes a gas turbine engine with a combustion section, a fuel delivery system, and a thermal energy management system. The fuel delivery assembly provides a fuel to the combustion section of the gas turbine engine. The thermal energy management system includes a thermal transport bus, a heat source heat exchanger, and a heat sink heat exchanger. The thermal transport bus has a portion of the fuel configured to flow therethrough. The fuel is disposed as a heat exchange fluid of the thermal energy management system. The heat source heat exchanger is in thermal communication with the flow of fuel through the transport bus. The heat sink heat exchanger is in thermal communication with the flow of fuel through the transport bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Kevin Edward Hinderliter
  • Patent number: 11788469
    Abstract: A thermal management system for a gas turbine engine includes a heat exchanger including first and second sides, with the first side in contact with flow path air flowing through a flow path of the engine. Furthermore, the system includes a housing positioned relative to the heat exchanger such that the housing and the second side of the heat exchanger define a plenum configured to receive bleed air from the engine. Moreover, the system includes and at least one of a plurality of fins extending outward from the second side of the heat exchanger in a radial direction into the plenum and along the second surface of the heat exchanger in the circumferential direction or an impingement plate defining a plurality of impingement apertures, with each impingement aperture configured to direct an impingement jet of the bleed air within the plenum onto the second side of the heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Steven Douglas Johnson, Jonathan Russell Ratzlaff
  • Patent number: 11767978
    Abstract: A cartridge tip includes a main body having an outer annular wall and an inner core each extending between a respective upstream end and a respective downstream end. The inner core is radially spaced apart from the outer annular wall such that an annular air passage is defined at least partially between the outer annular wall and the inner core. A pilot fuel circuit extends between a pilot inlet defined in the upstream end of the inner core and a pilot outlet defined in a downstream end of the inner core. The pilot fuel circuit extends at least partially along an axial centerline of the cartridge tip. A main fuel circuit extends between a main inlet in the upstream end of the inner core and a plurality of main outlets circumferentially spaced apart from one another and disposed upstream from the from the pilot outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Dana Morgan, Lucas John Stoia, Elizabeth Leigh Exley, Mohan Krishna Bobba, Netaji Haribhau Mane, John Bryan Pourcho
  • Patent number: 11767789
    Abstract: A turbofan gas turbine engine comprises, in axial flow sequence, a heat exchanger module, a fan assembly, a compressor module, and a turbine module. The fan assembly comprises a plurality of fan blades defining a fan diameter (D). The heat exchanger module comprises a plurality of heat transfer elements. The heat exchanger module is in fluid communication with the fan assembly by an inlet duct. The inlet duct has a fluid path length along a central axis of the inlet duct between a downstream-most face of the heat transfer elements and an upstream-most face of the fan assembly. The fluid path length is less than 10.0*D.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Natalie C Wong, Thomas S Binnington, David A Jones, Daniel Blacker
  • Patent number: 11761378
    Abstract: In some examples, propulsion, electrical generation, and cooling system. The system comprises a gas turbine engine including a compressor and a bleed air outlet from the compressor, wherein the compressor is configured to compress a first fluid, wherein a portion of the compressed first fluid is directed out of the bleed air outlet to define bleed air from the compressor. The system also includes a turbo-generator including a combustor, wherein the combustor is configured to receive the bleed air from the compressor and combust a fuel with the bleed air, wherein the turbo-generator is configured to generate electrical energy via the combustion of the fuel by the combustor. The system also includes an air cycle cooling system configured to remove heat via an air cycle cooling process, wherein the air cycle cooling process is charged via the bleed air from the compressor. A compressor of the air cycle cooling system may be driven by a turbine of the turbo-generator or a turbine of the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventors: Donald Klemen, Russell E. White, Eric E. Wilson
  • Patent number: 11747017
    Abstract: The upstream-side wall portion 54 includes, in the circumferential direction thereof, a first region 31 where air inlets 30 are formed at a lower density, and a second region 32 which is disposed at a position offset from the first region 31 in the circumferential direction, and in which the air inlets 30 are formed at a higher density than in the first region 31.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Matsumura, Naoki Abe, Kenji Sato, Shinji Akamatsu, Kenta Taniguchi, Satoshi Takiguchi
  • Patent number: 11719113
    Abstract: A cooling system for a plurality of conductive cables in a gas turbine engine includes a cooling source and an electric motor disposed in a tail cone. The cooling source may comprise an electric fan or an oil pump. The cooling source may be configured for active cooling of the plurality of conductive cables. The electric fan may be in fluid communication with ambient air during operation of the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Marc J. Muldoon