Patents Examined by Alyson Joan Harrington
  • 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
  • Patent number: 11713881
    Abstract: A premixer for a combustor includes: a centerbody having a hollow interior cavity; a swirler assembly radially outward of the centerbody; a peripheral wall disposed radially outward of the centerbody and the swirler assembly such that a mixing duct is defined between the peripheral wall and the centerbody, downstream from the swirler assembly; an annular splitter radially inward of the swirler assembly and radially outward of the centerbody such that a radial gap is defined between the splitter and an outer surface of the centerbody, wherein the splitter includes a trailing edge which extends axially aft of the swirler assembly; a fuel gallery disposed inside the interior cavity of the centerbody; and at least one fuel injector extending outward from the fuel gallery and passing through an injector port communicating with the outer surface of the splitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Ranjeet Kumar Mishra, Jayanth Sekar, Pradeep Naik, Gregory A. Boardman, Randall C. Boehm
  • Patent number: 11702995
    Abstract: Device and methods for guiding bleed air in a turbofan gas turbine engine are disclosed. The devices provided include louvers and baffles that guide bleed air toward a bypass duct of the turbofan engine. The louvers and baffles have a geometric configuration that promotes desirable flow conditions and reduced energy loss.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Alexandre Capron, Tammy Yam, Karan Anand
  • Patent number: 11703226
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor includes a burner composed of a fuel nozzle group having a plurality of fuel nozzles for fuel supply, a fuel nozzle plate structurally supporting the fuel nozzles and serving to distribute the fuel flowing from an upstream side to the fuel nozzles, and a perforated plate located downstream of the fuel nozzles and having nozzle holes corresponding to the fuel nozzles. The fuel nozzle group includes outer circumferential fuel nozzles and inner circumferential fuel nozzles. Each outer diameter of at least a proximal end of the outer circumferential fuel nozzles is larger than that of the inner circumferential fuel nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Kumagai, Yoshihide Wadayama, Keisuke Miura
  • Patent number: 11635027
    Abstract: A torch igniter system for a combustor of a gas turbine engine includes a housing defining a combustion chamber, an ignition source disposed at least partially in the combustion chamber, a fuel injector, a first fluid path connecting a first fuel source to the fuel injector, a second fluid path connecting an air source to the fuel injector, and a third fluid path connecting a second fuel source to the combustion chamber. The fuel injector is configured to inject fuel, air, or a mixture of fuel and air into the combustion chamber and to impinge on the ignition source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Collins Engine Nozzles, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Ryon, Lev Alexander Prociw, Brandon P. Williams
  • Patent number: 11635210
    Abstract: A heat shielded assembly includes a fuel structure of a combustor of a gas turbine engine and a woven heat shield at least partially conformally surrounding the fuel structure and spaced from an exterior of the fuel structure by a distance where it surrounds the fuel structure. The fuel structure is configured to deliver fuel to the combustor. The woven heat shield comprises a first set of strands, a second set of strands interwoven with the first set of strands, and a weave pattern comprising the first set of strands and the second set of strands. Each strand of the first set of strands extends in a first direction, each strand of the second set of strands extends in a second direction transverse to the first direction, and the first set of strands and the second set of strands are not attached where they intersect in the weave pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Collins Engine Nozzles, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Ryon, Gregory Zink, Lev Alexander Prociw
  • Patent number: 11629641
    Abstract: Fuel distribution manifolds and combustors are provided. A fuel distribution manifold includes a main body and a fuel circuit that is defined within the main body. The fuel circuit includes an inlet section extending generally axially from an inlet to a first branch section and a second branch section. The first branch section and the second branch section diverge circumferentially away from each other as they extend axially from the inlet section to a respective first outlet and a respective second outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Rajendra Paniharam, Diana Alonso, Elizabeth Grace Hildebrand
  • Patent number: 11629637
    Abstract: Power generation systems are described. The systems include a shaft, a compressor operably coupled to a first end of the shaft, a turbine operably coupled to a second end of the shaft, a generator operably coupled to the shaft between the compressor and the turbine, and a working fluid arranged in a closed-loop flow path that flows through each of the compressor and the turbine to drive rotation of the shaft. The shaft includes an internal fluid conduit configured to receive a portion of the working fluid at one of the first end and the second end and convey the portion of the working fluid through the generator to the other of the first end and the second end, wherein the portion of the working fluid is rejoined with a primary flow path of the working fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Brian M. Holley, Ram Ranjan
  • Patent number: 11614233
    Abstract: An integrated combustor nozzle includes a combustion liner that extends between an inner liner segment and an outer liner segment along a radial direction. The combustion liner including a forward end portion, an aft end portion, a first side wall, and a second side wall. An impingement panel having an impingement plate disposed along an exterior surface of one of the inner liner segment or the outer liner segment. The impingement plate defines a plurality of impingement apertures that direct coolant in discrete jets towards the exterior surface of the inner liner segment or the outer liner segment. The impingement panel includes an inlet portion that extends from the impingement plate to a collection duct. The impingement panel further includes a plurality of supports spaced apart from one another. The plurality of supports extend between, and are coupled to, the inlet portion, the collection duct, and the impingement plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jonathan Dwight Berry, Jerome Walter Goike, Clay Thomas Griffis
  • Patent number: 11613996
    Abstract: A pre-swirl nozzle carrier for a gas turbine engine, includes: a wall having front and rear sides, and a multiplicity of pre-swirl nozzles formed in the wall and which each have a flow passage, wherein the flow passage has an inlet opening at the front side and an outlet opening at the rear side. The flow passages are provided and designed to discharge air, which has flowed in via the inlet opening, with swirl from the outlet opening. It is provided that the inlet opening is surrounded by a periphery which, at least in certain sections, has a region with a convex curvature adjacent to the flow passage and has a region with a concave curvature adjacent to said region with a convex curvature. The invention furthermore relates to a method for producing a pre-swirl nozzle in a pre-swirl nozzle carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE DEUTSCHLAND LTD & CO KG
    Inventor: Sebastian Schrewe
  • Patent number: 11608778
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine (1) has a centrifugal compressor (4) and a radial turbine (14) mounted to a turbine shaft (2) for rotation with the shaft about the shaft axis Z. A number of combustion chambers (10) in the air/gas flow path between the compressor and the turbine are spaced circumferentially about the shaft axis. The combustion chambers (10) are elongate in the direction of air/gas flow and the longitudinal axis of each combustion chamber is skewed transversely relative to the axis Z of the turbine shaft. The combustion chambers (10) may be curved longitudinally about the shaft axis and may be aligned concentric about the axis. The engine may have a recuperator (8) radially outboard the compressor, the recuperator having radially directed flow passages through which air from the compressor is directed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Inventor: Kyle Jiang
  • Patent number: 11591915
    Abstract: A flowpath component for a gas turbine engine includes a body having a leading edge and a trailing edge. A first exterior wall connects the leading edge to the trailing edge and a second exterior wall connects the leading edge to the trailing edge. At least one first internal cooling passage has a first inlet at a first end of the body. At least one second internal cooling passage has a second inlet at a second end of the body. The at least one first internal cooling passage is isolated from the at least one second internal cooling passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Renee Behlman, Tracy Propheter-Hinckley, Raymond Surace, Matthew Devore
  • Patent number: 11578668
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor section, a combustor, and a turbine section. The turbine section includes a high pressure turbine comprising a plurality of turbine blades. The gas turbine engine includes a tap for tapping air that is compressed by the compressor, to be passed through a heat exchanger to cool the air, the cooled air to be passed to the plurality of turbine blades. A sensor is located downstream of a leading edge of the combustor, and is configured to measure a characteristic of the cooled air. A controller is configured to compare the measured characteristic to a threshold and control an operating condition of the gas turbine engine based on the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan Ortiz, Taryn Narrow, John H. Mosley, Zachary Mott, Paul R. Hanrahan
  • Patent number: 11578621
    Abstract: One or more cooling systems for ventilating a turbine and rotary shaft of a gas turbine system is provided. The gas turbine system includes a gas turbine engine and a turbine exhaust collector in separate enclosures. A first cooling system includes an educator that sucks exhaust gas through a diffuser and directs it out of the turbine exhaust collector enclosure based on suction pressure created from the high velocity of exhaust gas. A second cooling system include struts that enable the exhaust gas to flow from the diffusers to a ventilation flow stack. A third cooling system includes exhaust gas sucked from an opening to a top duct based on suction pressure created from the rotation of the rotary shaft disposed about a coupling. A guideway associated with the third cooling system also directs the exhaust gas to flow to the top duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ravinder Yerram, Balakrishnan Ponnuraj, Vineet Sethi, Jose Emmanuel Guillen, Tho Vankhanh Nguyen, Douglas Alan Jones, Abhinash Reddy Konatham
  • Patent number: 11560239
    Abstract: Systems and methods of operating systems are provided. For example, a system comprises a fuel cooling loop including a cold fuel flowpath having a fuel flowing therethrough, a fuel cooler heat exchanger for cooling the fuel in fluid communication with the cold fuel flowpath, and a cold fuel tank disposed along the cold fuel flowpath for accumulating at least a portion of the cooled fuel. The system further comprises a fuel heating loop including a hot fuel flowpath for a flow of the fuel, a fuel heater heat exchanger for heating the fuel in fluid communication with the hot fuel flowpath, and a hot fuel tank disposed along the hot fuel flowpath for accumulating at least a portion of the heated fuel. The fuel cooling loop is coupled to the fuel heating loop such that the fuel circulates through both the fuel cooling loop and the fuel heating loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey Douglas Rambo, Brandon Wayne Miller
  • Patent number: 11560844
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine, has: a compressor; a turbine having a rotor; and an inertial particle separator located upstream of the turbine downstream of the compressor, the inertial particle separator having: an intake conduit in fluid flow communication with the compressor and defining an elbow, a splitter, a leading edge of the splitter located downstream of the elbow, the splitter located to divide a flow into a particle flow and an air flow, and an inlet conduit and a bypass conduit located on respective opposite sides of the splitter, the inlet conduit receiving the air flow, the inlet conduit in fluid flow communication with a cavity containing the rotor for cooling the rotor of the turbine section, the bypass conduit receiving the particle flow, the bypass conduit in fluid flow communication with an environment outside the gas turbine engine while bypassing the cavity containing the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Ivan Sidorovich Paradiso
  • Patent number: 11543132
    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: May 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masayoshi Kobayashi, Takeo Oda, Takeo Nishiura, Tomoko Tsuru, Takaya Hamamoto, Takeshi Takagi, Osamu Hisamatsu, Hirotaka Kurashima
  • Patent number: 11519285
    Abstract: A hydrostatic seal configured to be disposed between relatively rotatable components. The hydrostatic seal includes a seal carrier. The hydrostatic seal also includes a beam extending axially from a forward end to an aft end, the beam cantilevered to the seal carrier at one of the forward end and the aft end, the beam free at the other end. The hydrostatic seal further includes a bellows seal operatively coupled to the seal carrier and in contact with the beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jorn Axel Glahn, Brian F. Hilbert
  • Patent number: 11506089
    Abstract: A combined cycle plant includes: a gas turbine having a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine; a supplementary firing burner configured to raise a temperature of an exhaust gas of the gas turbine; a heat recovery steam generator configured to generate a steam using an exhaust heat of the exhaust gas; a steam turbine configured to be driven by the steam generated by the heat recovery steam generator; and a control device configured to change both an output of the combustor and an output of the supplementary firing burner when an output of the combined cycle plant is to be changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Goichi Matsushiro, Ken Hatano