Patents Examined by Su Htay
  • Patent number: 8517689
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade includes a first blade segment and a second blade segment, with each of the blade segments having a pressure side shell member, a suction side shell member, and internal support structure. The first and second blade segments have respective adjacent ends with complimentary joint sections that are joinable at a chord-wise joint. Each of the joint sections includes a joint profile that is offset in a span-wise direction from the pressure side shell member to the suction side shell member such that the joint sections are joinable to each other along their respective joint profiles and overlie each other in a span-wise direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Steven Alan Kyriakides, Scott Gabell Riddell
  • Patent number: 8465252
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine rotor drum includes spaced apart discs providing a cavity between the discs. The discs are configured to rotate in a rotational direction about an axis. An annular support is mounted on at least one of the discs and within the cavity. A cascade of relatively short anti-vortex members is mounted circumferentially on the annular support. The anti-vortex members are tubular in shape and provide a radially extending passage. The anti-vortex members include an outer end having a circumferential side with an opening in fluid communication with the radial passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew E. Bintz, Eric W. Malmborg, Charles P. Gendrich
  • Patent number: 8439632
    Abstract: A thermal module includes a fan device having a fan and a fan housing for covering the fan. A vent is disposed on the fan housing. The thermal module further includes an airflow guiding device installed on the fan housing and disposed on a side of the vent for guiding airflow into the vent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Wistron Corporation
    Inventor: Wei-Cheng Chou
  • Patent number: 8434998
    Abstract: A seal assembly for a compressor includes a static member fixedly disposed within a compressor casing and having an end surface and a rotatable separator coupled with a compressor shaft and spaced from the static member. The separator has an axial end with a radial end surface located adjacent to the static member end surface such that a clearance space is defined therebetween. The separator has a plurality of openings extending inwardly from the end surface and spaced about the shaft axis such that land surface sections are defined on the end surface. The land surface sections or/and the openings are configured to prevent fluid flow radially inwardly through the clearance space. The static member has two annular walls receiving an end portion of the separator, with annular ridges providing labyrinth seals disposed against inner and outer surfaces of the separator, and an annular deflector with an angled deflector surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Dresser-Rand Company
    Inventor: William C. Maier
  • Patent number: 8376686
    Abstract: Turbine systems for extracting energy from water traveling relative to the turbine system can include a rotor assembly for extracting the energy, a turbine shroud having a turbine shroud inner volume within which at least a portion of the rotor assembly is disposed, and an ejector shroud disposed adjacent to the turbine shroud. The turbine shroud and the ejector shroud can each have a terminus comprising a plurality of turbine shroud mixer elements or ejector shroud mixer elements, respectively. One or more of the mixer elements and ejector shrouds comprise a mixer/ejector pump which increases the energy extraction potential of the turbine system. One or more of the turbine shroud mixer elements, ejector shroud mixer elements, and ejector shroud and turbine shroud inlets can be asymmetric along a plane passing through the axis of rotation of the rotor assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: FloDesign Wind Turbine Corp.
    Inventors: Walter M. Presz, Jr., Michael J. Werle
  • Patent number: 8376708
    Abstract: A drivetrain for a wind turbine includes a gearbox and a generator. The gear box includes a housing and an output shaft that is rotatably coupled within the housing, wherein the gearbox further includes at least one bearing positioned between the housing and the output shaft. The generator includes a stator coupled to the housing such that the stator is positioned radially inward from the housing, and a rotor coupled to the output shaft such that the rotor is positioned radially inward from the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Priyangu C. Patel, Edwin Hidding, Gary R. Barnes, Patrick Lee Jansen, Adam Daniel Minadeo, Stephen B. Johnson, James H. Madge, Blake Weldon Wilson, Eric Steven Buskirk, Murtuza Lokhandwalla, Jacob Johannes Nies
  • Patent number: 8371803
    Abstract: A fan casing assembly for a gas turbine, the assembly having a fan casing for surrounding a fan, a resilient, flexible containment material around the outside of the fan casing for containing a detached fan blade that breaches the casing during a fan blade off event, and a retaining cable arrangement for resisting separation of a first and second portion of the casing as a result of the breach. The cable arrangement includes a continuous length of retaining cable extending around the fan casing on the outside of the containment material, the retaining cable being slidably or rollably secured to each of the first and second portions at a plurality of positions around the fan casing to form respective cable spans between the casing portions, there being sufficient overall slack in the cable for accommodating radial flexing of the underlying containment material upon impact of the detached fan blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Dale E. Evans
  • Patent number: 8356975
    Abstract: A vane segment for a gas turbine engine according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes an inner vane platform relative an axis, the inner vane platform having a non-axisymmetric surface contour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Eric A. Grover, Thomas J. Praisner
  • Patent number: 8356970
    Abstract: An exhaust pump that prevents particles from entering a processing chamber of a substrate processing apparatus. The exhaust pump connected to the processing chamber has rotary blades and an air intake portion disposed on the processing chamber side of the rotary blades. A shielding unit is disposed inside the air intake portion and shields the rotary blades when the air intake portion is viewed from the processing chamber side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Eiichi Sugawara, Tsuyoshi Moriya
  • Patent number: 8337154
    Abstract: A cooling fan includes an impeller which comprises a plurality of radially extending blades, each of which includes a blade hub, a blade tip and a blade midspan approximately midway between the hub and the tip. In addition, each blade includes a camber of between about 60° and 90° at the blade hub, between about 15° and 40° at the blade midspan and between about 15° and 40° at the blade tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Xcelaero Corporation
    Inventors: John Decker, Chellappa Balan
  • Patent number: 8337151
    Abstract: Embodiments include a system having a turbine support key having a set of key segments selectively stackable together in a plurality of combinations to adjust a thickness between turbine supports based solely on a selection of the key segments from the set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Edward J. Cooper, Timothy Andrew Melsert, James W. Clark, Craig D. Ivancic, Sean O'Meara, Jean-francois Lavie
  • Patent number: 8333545
    Abstract: A windpower generator apparatus having a rotor with an axis of rotation placed in a frame adapted to a ridge of a roof. The frame has a pair of deflectors suitable for focusing air flow toward the rotor. Each of the deflectors has a pair of side walls, an upper wall and a lower wall defining a tunnel narrowing toward the rotor. The pair of deflectors having parts respectively at the upper walls and the lower walls so as to conform to a slope of the roof and to maintain a same ratio between openings at opposite ends of the deflectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Aeolta SAS
    Inventors: Philippe Leonard, Pol Van De Perre
  • Patent number: 8322974
    Abstract: A fan module includes a cooling fan, a support rack, and four fasteners fixing the cooling fan to the support rack. The fasteners are vibration-resistant material, and are disposed between the support rack and the cooling fan, and below the cooling fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chih-Hua Chen
  • Patent number: 8313287
    Abstract: A turbine blade includes an airfoil, a blade tip section, a squealer tip rail, and a plurality of chordally spaced fence members. The blade tip section includes a blade tip floor located at an end of the airfoil distal from the root. The blade tip floor includes a pressure side and a suction side joined together at chordally spaced apart leading and trailing edges of the airfoil. The squealer tip rail extends radially outwardly from the blade tip floor adjacent to the suction side and extends from a first location adjacent to the airfoil trailing edge to a second location adjacent to the airfoil leading edge. The fence members are located between the airfoil leading and trailing edges and extend radially outwardly from the blade tip floor and axially from the squealer tip rail toward the pressure side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.
    Inventor: David A. Little
  • Patent number: 8313281
    Abstract: A process fluid communication system includes a fluid source in communication with a process seal and a gearbox seal to communicate a pumping medium into a turbomachinery housing and a gearbox housing through the process seal and the gearbox seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Sundyne Corporation
    Inventor: Ronald P. Rickert
  • Patent number: 8282338
    Abstract: An underwater generator for generating electricity including: a casing, a turbine propeller assembly configured within the casing; a platform, where the platform provides a mechanism to hold the casing; a cover member, where the cover member protects the turbine propeller assembly; and a power cable for transmitting electrical energy from the underwater generator to a user thereof. The casing may include a slit at a bottom portion, where the slit allows the removal of sediments, sand particles and similar materials. The turbine propeller assembly includes a plurality of blades. In one exemplary embodiment, the blades may turn in two directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Inventor: Mark Kliewer
  • Patent number: 8277176
    Abstract: A turbomachine exhaust case having an annular groove perforated with an orifice in which there is mounted a drain, which is formed by a tubular cylindrical body, for discharging liquids retained in this groove is disclosed. The drain includes a skirt, formed at one end of the cylindrical body, for fastening the drain by crimping in the orifice in the groove of the case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Nicolas Pommier, Christian Rene Schnell
  • Patent number: 8267641
    Abstract: A gas turbine including a rotor shaft, a plurality of rotor blades that extend generally radially outwardly from the rotor shaft, each rotor blade including a shroud radially outward of an aerofoil, and a plurality of guide vanes located adjacent to the plurality of rotor blades, the plurality of guide vanes also extending generally radially outwardly is provided. The guide vanes operate to direct gas flowing through the turbine onto the rotor blades. A guide vane accommodates a flow of cooling fluid to an aperture in the guide vane that is located in a region that is adjacent both the radially outer end of the guide vane and the trailing edge of the guide vane. The flow of cooling fluid emanating from the aperture travels to impinge upon the shroud thereby cooling the shroud. The aperture is located in the high or low pressure side of the guide vane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Brian Haller
  • Patent number: 8262350
    Abstract: A heat insulating structure for an expansion turbine includes an adiabatic expansion device including an expander body that includes an outlet passage for refrigerant fluid at a central portion thereof and an introduction chamber for refrigerant fluid communicating with an inlet of the outlet passage on an outer peripheral portion thereof, and a turbine impeller that is rotatably provided at the inlet and braked by a braking device. The adiabatic expansion device adiabatically expands refrigerant fluid by rotating the turbine impeller with refrigerant fluid that flows from the introduction chamber to the outlet passage side. A heat-insulating layer, which surrounds the entire periphery of the outlet passage over the entire length of the introduction chamber, is formed between the introduction chamber and the outlet passage. Accordingly, it is possible to improve turbine efficiency by reducing transfer of heat of refrigerant fluid from the introduction chamber to the outlet passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: IHI Corporation
    Inventors: Seiichiro Yoshinaga, Toshio Takahashi, Hirohisa Wakisaka
  • Patent number: 8257027
    Abstract: An exhaust-driven turbocharger for a motor vehicle may include a bearing housing and a turbine housing, which are mounted in the bearing house by means of a common shaft. A guide vane cage surrounds the turbine wheel. The guide vane cage may have at least two arms. The arms may be used to help secure the guide vane cage between the bearing housing and the turbine housing such that it can move in the radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Bosch Mahle Turbo Systems GmbH & Co. KG.
    Inventors: Patric Hoecker, Florian Rentz