Patents Examined by Andrew Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9784213
    Abstract: A blocker door for a gas turbine engine thrust reverser having a tray with a base and sidewalls extending about the base to define a volume, the volume being closed by a cover that extends beyond the periphery of the tray. The extension of the cover beyond the periphery provides a sealing feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE DEUTSCHLAND LTD & CO KG
    Inventor: Predrag Todorovic
  • Patent number: 9771813
    Abstract: A transition duct system (100) for routing a gas flow from a combustor (102) to the first stage (104) of a turbine section (106) in a combustion turbine engine (108), wherein the transition duct system (100) includes one or more converging flow joint inserts (120) forming a trailing edge (122) at an intersection (124) between adjacent transition ducts (126, 128) is disclosed. The transition duct system (100) may include a transition duct (126, 128) having an internal passage (130) extending between an inlet (132, 184) to an outlet (134, 186) and may expel gases into the first stage turbine (104) with a tangential component. The converging flow joint insert (120) may be contained within a converging flow joint insert receiver (136) and disconnected from the transition duct bodies (126, 128) by which the converging flow joint insert (120) is positioned. Being disconnected eliminates stress formation within the converging flow joint insert (120), thereby enhancing the life of the insert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: SIEMENS ENERGY, INC.
    Inventor: Robert T. Brooks
  • Patent number: 9771812
    Abstract: A gas turbine has a compressor, a central housing, at least one combustion chamber, an expansion turbine, and a heat exchanger. Each combustion chamber is fluidically connected to the expansion turbine via an inner housing which is guided through the interior of the central housing. The compressor is fluidically separated from the interior of the central housing by an annular collection chamber connected to an outlet of the compressor and which has a number of discharge lines which are connected to the cold side of the heat exchanger during operation. Each combustion chamber is designed as a silo combustion chamber, and each silo combustion chamber has an inner wall, which delimits a combustion chamber, and an outer wall, and the outer wall surrounds the inner wall, thereby forming a cavity. The inner wall transitions into the inner housing, and the cavity transitions into the interior of the central housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Martin Wilke
  • Patent number: 9765975
    Abstract: A combustion chamber of a gas turbine including first and second premixed fuel supply devices connected to a combustion device having first zones connected to the first premixed fuel supply devices and second zones connected to the second premixed fuel supply devices. The second fuel supply devices are shifted along a combustion device longitudinal axis with respect to the first fuel supply devices. The first zones are axially upstream of the second premixed fuel supply devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: ANSALDO ENERGIA IP UK LIMITED
    Inventors: Hans Peter Knöpfel, Adnan Eroglu
  • Patent number: 9765695
    Abstract: A gas turbine arrangement, including a gas generator section (A), a power turbine section (B), and a generator section (C) coupled on a common shaft (10). The power turbine has its bearing block (12) provided with a copper cooling cup (9), which possesses a high thermal conductivity and conveys heat flux away from the side and block of the bearing and which has a design that enables the effect of a penetrating airflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: LAPPEENRANNAN TEKNILLINEN YLIOPISTO
    Inventors: Esa Saari, Jaakko Larjola, Juha Honkatukia
  • Patent number: 9765729
    Abstract: A fan ramp for use in a thrust reverser portion of a nacelle is disclosed. The nacelle is included in a propulsion system. The fan ramp extends circumferentially about an axial fan ramp centerline. The fan ramp includes a forward edge, an aft edge, and a first blocker door pocket. The forward edge is disposed proximate an aft end of a fan case. The fan case at least partially surrounds a fan section of a gas turbine engine. The aft edge is disposed proximate a forward end of an array of cascades. The array of cascades is operable to permit a bypass airstream to pass there through during a thrust reversing operation. The first blocker door pocket is operable to receive at least a portion of a forward edge of a first blocker door included in the nacelle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Rohr, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Aten, Milan Mitrovic
  • Patent number: 9759067
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a turbo-engine, particularly internal combustion engine, comprising a housing and therein a bladeless turbine section (30; 42; 67) of the stacked disc- or Tesla-type construction, wherein the turbine section (30; 42; 67) has a plurality of closely spaced discs (32; 49; 61) arranged for common rotation about a rotation axis in the housing, said turbine section (30; 42; 67) is adapted for passing with tangential flow components a working fluid stream from a radially inner region to a radially outer region of said turbine section (30; 42; 67) while adopting energy from said working fluid stream for rotating the discs (30; 49; 61).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: AELLA SA
    Inventor: Slobodan Tepic
  • Patent number: 9752506
    Abstract: A device for connecting a fixed turbine engine portion and a distributor foot of a turbine engine turbine is provided. The device includes a ring-shaped body adapted so as to be connected and secured to the fixed turbine engine portion, and two ring-shaped upstream and downstream brackets secured to the body, both brackets being adapted so as to clamp the foot of the distributor. At least one bracket is interrupted by forming an expansion or retraction slot, the slot allowing an expansion of the bracket tending to close the slot or retraction of the bracket tending to further open the slot, under the effect of a difference in internal temperatures of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Eric Schwartz, Fabien Garnier, Helene Condat, Renaud Gabriel Constant Royan, Patrick Joseph Marie Girard
  • Patent number: 9739235
    Abstract: A thrust reverser of a turbofan engine has a stationary structure, a translating structure capable of moving linearly between a forward position and an aft position, a translating member capable of moving linearly between a forward condition and an aft condition when the translating structure is in the aft position, and a blocker door device engaged pivotally to the translating member and capable of rotating from a stowed state when the translating member is in the forward position and to a deployed state when the translating member is in the aft condition. When the thrust reverser is stowed, the blocker door device is located radially outward from a pressure sleeve of the translating structure and does not substantially obstruct flow in a flowpath defined at least in-part by the pressure sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Rohr, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy Gormley
  • Patent number: 9732700
    Abstract: A flow vectoring turbofan engine employs a fixed geometry fan sleeve and core cowl forming a nozzle incorporating an asymmetric convergent/divergent (con-di) and/or curvature section which varies angularly from a midplane for reduced pressure in a first operating condition to induce flow turning and axially symmetric equal pressure in a second operating condition for substantially axial flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: David F. Cerra, Robert H. Willie, Alvaro Prieto
  • Patent number: 9732678
    Abstract: A system and method for supplementing fuel feed pressure and flow within an aircraft fuel system. The fuel system includes boost and override fuel pumps delivering fuel from the tanks to a fuel manifold, and a jettison fuel pump. The method includes the steps of: (a) sensing whether the aircraft engine is operating near maximum power; (b) upon sensing the condition, operating the jettison fuel pump in fluid interconnection with the override fuel pump to deliver fuel to the fuel manifold; and (c) upon sensing the cessation of the condition, deactivating the jettison fuel pump. The system includes a monitoring circuit signaling when the aircraft engine speed is greater than a predetermined threshold, and a fuel system control circuit operating a jettison fuel pump enable circuit portion in response to the signal while omitting other jettisoning operations. The jettison fuel pump consequently functions as an override fuel pump assist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: William H. McCabe
  • Patent number: 9732676
    Abstract: A valve control device is provided in a gas turbine having a combustor for generating combustion gas, a turbine driven by the combustion gas generated by the combustor, a flow rate regulating valve for regulating the flow rate of the fuel to be supplied to the combustor, and a pressure regulating valve disposed upstream of the flow rate regulating valve, for regulating the fuel pressure. The valve control device controls the opening degree of the valve. The valve control device includes a load decrease detection part which detects a load decrease of the gas turbine, and a pressure control part which controls the opening degree of the valve in accordance with the output of the gas turbine. The valve control device suppresses instability of the gas turbine output even when the load rapidly decreases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HITACHI POWER SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiko Saito, Takashi Sonoda, Takafumi Uda, Fuminori Fujii
  • Patent number: 9683449
    Abstract: In a gas turbine engine, each vane has pressure and suction surfaces extending radially from an inner to outer endwall of an annular working gas engine passage, and extending axially from a leading to a trailing edge of the vane. Each vane has transverse sections providing respective aerofoil sections. Neighboring vanes are arranged in unequally-shaped pairs in which either: (i) the first vane of each pair exhibits compound lean, and the second vane of the pair exhibits reverse compound lean or has substantially no tangential lean, (ii) the first vane of each pair has substantially no tangential lean, and the second vane of the pair exhibits reverse compound lean, or (iii) the first vane of each pair exhibits reverse compound lean, and the second vane of the pair exhibits greater reverse compound lean. Within each unequally-shaped pair the first vane is on the pressure surface side of the second vane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Li He, Amir Rahim, Bidur Khanal, Eduardo Romero
  • Patent number: 9677502
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a turbojet engine nacelle equipped with at least one thrust reverser. The thrust reverser includes: two half-cowls forming an outer cowl which is articulated on hinges and translates between closed and open positions, a first actuator to translationally actuate a downstream frame, a second actuator to rotationally actuate each half-cowl, and a lock capable of locking or unlocking the half-cowls relative to one another. In particular, the thrust reverser includes cascades vanes supported at their upstream end by an upstream frame and at their downstream end by the downstream frame, and a connector between the downstream frame and the external cowl. The cascade vanes are enclosed in a shroud formed by a fan casing and a fan cowl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: AIRCELLE
    Inventor: Pierre Caruel
  • Patent number: 9670847
    Abstract: A 2-shaft gas turbine can suppress an increase in NOx emission from a combustor even when degradation of compressor efficiency occurs due to a decrease in performance with long-term use. The 2-shaft gas turbine has a gas generator and a power turbine, and includes a controller configured to set, in accordance with a degree of degradation of compressor efficiency computed from measured control parameters, a target speed of the gas generator at a level lower than a target speed in a state where degradation of the compressor efficiency has not occurred. The controller is configured to control the rotating speed of the gas generator on the basis of a difference between the target speed thus set and an actual rotating speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomomi Koganezawa, Yasuo Takahashi
  • Patent number: 9664067
    Abstract: A seal retaining assembly includes a first segment coupled to a first structure. Also included is a recess of the first segment, the recess defined by a first and second wall, the first wall defining a first wall aperture, the second wall defining a second wall aperture. Further included is a second segment having a tab disposed within the recess in fitted contact with the first and second wall to retain the second segment to the first segment in a radial direction, the tab defining a tab aperture, the first and second segment defining an axial gap therebetween, the first wall aperture, the second wall aperture and the tab aperture are aligned to form a passage. Yet further included is a flex seal within the axial gap. Also included is a pin in the passage to fix the second segment to the first segment in axial and circumferential directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Karol Filip Leszczynski, Christopher Warren Childs, David Matthew Clarida, Gregory Allan Crum, Mitchel Merck, Alexander Maxim Libers
  • Patent number: 9650964
    Abstract: An assembly for a gas turbine engine comprising an accessory gearbox comprising a drive gear and pinion gear and a starter/generator mechanically mounted to the accessory gearbox. The starter/generator comprising a housing and a portion of a rotatable shaft with a safety disconnect where the safety disconnect is located within the housing of the starter/generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Hao Huang, Jan Zywot
  • Patent number: 9651260
    Abstract: An annular combustion chamber including inner and outer walls forming surfaces of revolution that are connected together upstream by an annular chamber end wall having injection systems passing therethrough. Each injection system includes at least one swirler for producing a rotating stream of air downstream from a fuel injector, and a frustoconical bowl downstream from the swirler and formed with an annular row of air injection orifices, the outer wall having an annular row of primary dilution orifices. The orifices of the bowls are distributed and dimensioned such that sheets of air/fuel mixture present a local enlargement circumferentially intersecting an adjacent sheet of fuel upstream from the primary dilution orifices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Denis Jean Maurice Sandelis, Christophe Pieussergues
  • Patent number: 9644535
    Abstract: A nacelle for a gas turbine engine system includes a housing that has a pressure side and a suction side. A passage extends between the pressure side and the suction side for permitting airflow from the pressure side to the suction side. The passage includes a first curved section that has an inlet at the pressure side. A linear section is connected with the first curved section. A second curved section is connected with the linear section and has an outlet at the suction side. The outlet has a cross sectional area smaller than a cross sectional area of the linear section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Steven H. Zysman, Wesley K. Lord, Robert M. Miller, Oliver V. Atassi
  • Patent number: 9644487
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fixed turbine engine receiver part comprising a fixed hollow shaft for carrying ancillary systems of a turbine engine, centered on the turbine engine axis, turbine engine ancillary systems, an assembly for holding ancillary systems in position situated inside the fixed hollow shaft. The assembly for holding ancillary systems in position comprises at least one first ancillary system support ring, having an axis substantially parallel with the turbine engine axis, a first distance sleeve for holding the first ancillary system support ring in position, having an axis substantially parallel with the turbine engine axis, the first distance sleeve bearing against the first support ring, such that the first support ring comprises a plurality of mutually separated through holes, each through hole defining a passage for at least one ancillary system, each through hole being traversed by at least one of the ancillary systems of the turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Nadege Hugon, Gilles Alain Charier