Patents Examined by Gerald Sung
  • Patent number: 8051654
    Abstract: A combined cycle power plant includes a compressor, a first turbine, a second turbine, a first combustor, a second combustor, a heat exchanger and a heat recovery steam generator. A controller operates the combined cycle power plant a first mode wherein compressor air is passed through the heat exchanger before being delivered to the first and second combustors, and exhaust gas from the second turbine is passed to the heat exchanger. The exhaust gas from the second turbine pre-heats the compressor air passing through the heat exchanger to the first and second combustors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Joseph Kirzhner
  • Patent number: 8051638
    Abstract: Systems and methods may be provided for exhaust gas recirculation. The systems and methods may include receiving, via an intake section, inlet air at an input of a compressor, generating compressed air at the compressor using the received inlet air, and providing the compressed air from the compressor to a combustor, where the combustor produces combustion involving the compressed air and fuel. The systems and methods may also include receiving combustion products associated with the combustion at a turbine component, where the turbine component releases exhaust gases, and recirculating at least a portion of the exhaust gases to the intake section via a recirculation line, where the recirculated exhaust gases raise a temperature of the inlet air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Samer Aljabari, Michael John Bowman, Luciano Joseph Cerone, Scott Mordin Hoyte
  • Patent number: 8047004
    Abstract: An engine exhaust nozzle comprises a plurality of CMC staves attached to one or more support rings arranged axially. The support rings provide a circumferential load path between the staves and for attaching the exhaust nozzle to the metallic engine components. The staves are fixed to the support rings with a spacing intended to accommodate for relative movement due to the difference in CTE for the CMC and metallic components and due to thermal gradients through the wall thickness. The resulting apparatus is lightweight, relieves the nozzle of thermal stresses, and is easier to manufacture and repair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: John Joseph Brown, William Preston Keith
  • Patent number: 8006478
    Abstract: A method for operating a power plant (2), which includes at least one compressor (3), at least one turbine (4), and a burner arrangement (5), involves, to enhance the power plant (2), feeding a combustion exhaust gas from a pre-burner (8) of the burner arrangement (5) to an oxygen-removal device (11), which removes gas of the oxygen from the combustion exhaust gas in which it is contained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Dominikus Buecker, Timothy Griffin, Armin Schimkat
  • Patent number: 7997082
    Abstract: A turbine engine arrangement includes an electrical machine that acts as a generator or motor. During initial start-up, the electrical machine acts as the motor to drive shaft rotation. The arrangement includes a compressor fan that generates an airflow utilized by an air turbine to drive the electrical machine as a generator. A duct directs airflow exhausted from the air turbine to a heat exchanger to exchange heat with a bypass flow from the compressor fan. In such circumstances, the generator can operate substantially independently of a rotational speed of the engine shafts within the core, whilst bled air through the valve acts to cool the electrical machine during initial start-up. A gearbox is provided for matching air turbine rotation with generator requirements whilst also allowing for connection to the primary drive shaft of the core to allow engine start-up or driving of the generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Peter K. Beardsley
  • Patent number: 7997057
    Abstract: A small gas turbine engine where the compressor and turbine are supported on a rotary shaft, and a main bearing is supported on the rotary shaft, the main bearing being located in a hot zone of the combustor. The main bearing includes cooling air passages within the races to provide cooling for the bearing. A cooling air is diverted from the compressor and passed through the bearing cooling passages for cooling the bearing, and then the cooling air is directed into the combustor. The cooling air is also passed through a guide nozzle before being passed through the bearing to cool both the guide nozzle and the bearing. A swirl cup injector is used to deliver the compressed air from the compressor and the cooling air from the bearing into the combustor, the swirl cup injector also acting to draw the cooling air through the bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark M. Harris, Wesley D. Brown, Angel M. Garcie