Patents Examined by Todd N Jordan
  • Patent number: 10619852
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a heat shield panel for a combustor of a gas turbine engine is provided. The heat shield comprising: a panel body having a first surface configured to be oriented toward a combustion zone of a combustor, and a second surface opposite the first surface, the second surface being configured to be oriented toward a combustor liner of the combustor; a plurality of first pin fins projecting from the second surface of the panel body, wherein each of the plurality of first pin fins has a rounded top opposite the second surface; and one or more second pin fins projecting from the second surface of the panel body, wherein each of the one or more second pin fins has a flat top opposite the second surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Steven D. Porter, John W. Mubeezi
  • Patent number: 10584638
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a combustion system including a panel fuel injector. The panel fuel injector includes a first side wall, a second side wall, and an aft wall. The first side wall and the second side wall are interconnected by the aft wall. The panel fuel injector further includes a cooling air plenum that is defined between the first side wall and the second side wall. The aft wall defines a plurality of cooling holes in fluid communication with the cooling air plenum. One or more of the cooling holes of the plurality of cooling holes is oriented towards at least one of a leading edge, a pressure side wall, or a suction side wall of a stationary nozzle disposed proximate to the aft end wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jonathan Dwight Berry, Michael John Hughes
  • Patent number: 10578022
    Abstract: A transfer tube assembly includes an outer tube defining a first flow path and an inner tube positioned within the first flow path. The inner tube defines a second flow path in fluid isolation from the first flow path. A connecting segment is downstream from the inner tube and the outer tube. The connecting segment has a first bore in fluid communication with the first flow path and a second bore in fluid communication with the second flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Delavan Inc.
    Inventors: Jason A. Ryon, Jacob Greenfield, Lev Alexander Prociw
  • Patent number: 10578027
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a fan, compressor, combustor, and turbine coupled to the compressor through a shaft. The compressor includes first, second, and third stages with respective rotor blades and stator vanes. The rotor blades and stator vanes are arranged such that a sum of mid-span axial gaps between the trailing edge of the first rotor blades and the leading edge of the first stator vanes, the trailing edge of the first stator vanes and the leading edge of the second rotor blades, the trailing edge of the second rotor blades and the leading edge of the second stator vanes, and the trailing edge of the second stator vanes and the leading edge of the third rotor blades is equal to a × inlet ? ? flow ? ? function 10 . ? a ? 75 ? ? mm ? ? and ? ? the ? ? inlet ? ? flow ? ? function = m ? T P .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Duncan A MacDougall, Ian J Bousfield
  • Patent number: 10570826
    Abstract: A fluid manifold includes a manifold body, a first annular passage and a second annular passage. The first annular passage is defined within the manifold body between a first passage inlet and a first passage outlet downstream from the first passage inlet. The second annular passage is defined within the manifold body nested radially outward from the first annular passage, and between a second passage inlet and a second passage outlet downstream from the second passage inlet. The first and second annular passages are concentric about a manifold axis. The first passage outlet and the second passage outlet are positioned at the same axial position relative to the manifold axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Delavan Inc.
    Inventors: Jason A. Ryon, Jacob Greenfield, Lev Alexander Prociw
  • Patent number: 10563868
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a method and structure of coupling a flameholder assembly to a hot section of a propulsion system, such as an afterburning exhaust section. The propulsion system includes an outer casing and an inner casing defining a flameholder assembly disposed radially within the outer casing. The method includes providing a housing defining a retaining rod and groove into which a structural member attaches; providing a retaining plate defining an opening through which the structural member is extended; coupling the structural member to the retaining rod of the housing and the outer casing of the propulsion system; and coupling the retaining plate to the housing and the inner casing of the propulsion system such that the structural member is retained between the housing and the retaining plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Apostolos Pavlos Karafillis, Kevin Kenneth Pruzinsky
  • Patent number: 10544942
    Abstract: A method for mounting a combustion chamber of a gas turbine engine, wherein an annular outer combustion chamber wall and an annular inner combustion chamber wall are brought in position with respect to one another and are connected to a head plate, and wherein subsequently a combustion chamber head is mounted, characterized in that the head plate is connected to the outer combustion chamber wall and the inner combustion chamber wall by means of rivets that are arranged in a circumferentially distributed manner, and that subsequently the combustion chamber head is brought in position and is screwed together by means of threaded bolts and nuts to the arrangement of head plate, outer combustion chamber wall and inner combustion chamber wall, which is pre-mounted by means of the rivet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventors: Carsten Clemen, Kay Heinze, Volker Herzog
  • Patent number: 10544941
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle assembly includes a forward plate and an aft plate which is axially spaced from the forward plate. The aft plate includes a first side surface and a second side surface. A cooling air plenum is defined within the bundled tube fuel nozzle assembly and is at least partially defined by the aft plate. A plurality of tubes extends through the forward plate, the cooling air plenum and the aft plate. A micro-cooling channel is disposed along the second side surface of the aft plate and is in fluid communication with the cooling air plenum and is in fluid communication with an exhaust aperture. A cover plate is connected to the aft plate and covers the micro-cooling channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Lucas John Stoia, Richard Martin DiCintio, Timothy James Purcell, Srikanth Chandrudu Kottilingam
  • Patent number: 10544706
    Abstract: A single shaft combined cycle power plant includes a shaft on which is sequentially located, a gas turbine, a medium pressure steam turbine, a low pressure steam turbine, a generator, and a high pressure steam turbine, wherein the gas turbine and the high pressure steam turbine are at opposite ends of the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventors: Maurus Herzog, Hubert Kujawski, Abhimanyu Gupta, Suman Ray
  • Patent number: 10526972
    Abstract: A fuel manifold may be provided for use in a turbine engine. The fuel manifold may include four discrete segments including a first segment, a second segment, a third segment, and a fourth segment. The fuel manifold may also include a first line coupled to the first segment and the second segment and a second line coupled to the third segment and the fourth segment. The first line may be configured to supply a first portion of the fuel to the first segment and a second portion of the fuel to the second segment. The second line may be configured to supply a third portion of fuel to the third line and a fourth portion of fuel to the fourth segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventor: Anthony Snyder
  • Patent number: 10527286
    Abstract: A nozzle includes a nozzle body with an inner air passage fed by a first radial swirler and a second radial swirler axially downstream of the first radial swirler. A first fuel circuit is axially between the first and second radial swirlers. A second fuel circuit is axially downstream of the second radial swirler, wherein each of the first fuel circuit and the second fuel circuit extends from a respective fuel circuit inlet to a respective annular fuel circuit outlet. An outer air passage is defined between a fuel circuit outer wall of the second fuel circuit and an outer air passage wall, wherein the outer air passage is a converging non-swirling air passage. An intermediate air passage can be defined between an intermediate wall and the second radial swirler, wherein the intermediate air passage is a converging non-swirling air passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: DELAVAN, INC
    Inventors: Lev Alexander Prociw, Jason A. Ryon
  • Patent number: 10520195
    Abstract: A method and system of effervescent atomization of liquid fuel for a rotating detonation combustor (RDC) for a propulsion system is provided. The method includes flowing liquid fuel through a fuel injection port of a nozzle assembly of the RDC system; flowing a gas through the fuel injection port of the nozzle assembly volumetrically proportional to the liquid fuel; producing a gas-liquid fuel mixture at the fuel injection port by mixing the flow of gas and the flow of liquid fuel; flowing an oxidizer through a nozzle flowpath of the RDC system; producing an oxidizer-gas-liquid fuel mixture by mixing the gas-liquid fuel mixture and the flow of oxidizer within the nozzle flowpath; and igniting the oxidizer-gas-liquid fuel mixture within a combustion chamber of the RDC system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sibtosh Pal, Joseph Zelina, Arthur Wesley Johnson, Clayton Stuart Cooper, Steven Clayton Vise
  • Patent number: 10520196
    Abstract: The present invention provides a multi-can type gas turbine combustor including a plurality of combustors that mix and burn fuel and the air, the combustors being connected by a crossfire tube assembly. The gas turbine cools the crossfire tube assembly without lowering the temperature of a combustion exhaust gas passing through the crossfire tube assembly and prevents thermal deformation and fire damage of the crossfire tube assembly. In a gas turbine according to the present invention, a guide ring that guides a current of the air is provided in a position opposed to air holes. One side end portion of an annular space configured between the guide ring and a crossfire tube assembly is opened to a space on the inside of the crossfire tube assembly. The other end portion is a closed end connected to a partition wall configuring the crossfire tube assembly. The length of an annular space between the air holes and the closed end is set to three times or more as large as the diameter of the air holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Okazaki, Hirokazu Takahashi
  • Patent number: 10513986
    Abstract: A turbine engine is described that includes a drive shaft and an electric generator comprising a first rotating element comprising a magnet array, wherein the first rotating element is configured to rotate in a first direction based on a rotation of the drive shaft. The turbine engine further includes a second rotating element comprising a coil array, wherein the second rotating element is configured to rotate in a second direction based on the rotation of the drive shaft, wherein the second direction is opposite to the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Bradley Eugene Auker, Edward Claude Rice
  • Patent number: 10508810
    Abstract: A thermal panel having a high temperature side located nearest a source of heat and a low temperature side. The thermal panel includes a corrugated composite material core having hot side ridges and cold side ridges. A hot side skin is attached to the hot side ridges to form a plurality of first cells. A cold side skin is attached to the cold side ridges to form a plurality of second cells. The first cells and second cells are substantially filled with an insulating material that has a thermal conductivity which is lower than the thermal conductivity of the composite material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: HEXCEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Merid Haile, Earl Ayle, Whitney Dailey
  • Patent number: 10502424
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine. The combustor assembly comprises a volute walled enclosure defining a spiral scroll pitch axis disposed at least partially circumferentially around a centerline axis of the gas turbine engine, in which the walled enclosure is defined around the pitch axis, and the walled enclosure defines a combustion chamber therewithin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Joseph Douglas Monty, John Carl Jacobson
  • Patent number: 10494116
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods of a casing for a heat suppression system of a gas turbine engine exhaust include a floating heat shield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Jack D. Petty, Sr., Colin Faucett, Kenneth M. Pesyna, James C. Loebig
  • Patent number: 10495313
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle for gas turbine combustor of the present invention includes a diffusion combustion burner including a diffusion fuel nozzle, a premixing combustion burner including a premixing fuel nozzle, an end flange to which the diffusion combustion burner and the premixing combustion burner are mechanically joined, and a diffusion combustion burner support which fixes the diffusion combustion burner to the end flange and is mounted around the premixing fuel nozzle in a manner to cover a root portion of the premixing fuel nozzle, the root portion being a junction between the premixing fuel nozzle and the end flange. An outside diameter of the premixing fuel nozzle longitudinally varies in a manner to progressively increase toward the junction. A maximum diameter of the root portion of the premixing fuel nozzle is greater than an inside diameter of a hole formed in the diffusion combustion burner support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshihide Wadayama, Satoshi Kumagai, Yasuhiro Wada, Hirokazu Takahashi
  • Patent number: 10495001
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a propulsion system including an annular inner wall and an annular outer wall, a nozzle assembly, a turbine nozzle, and an inner casing and an outer casing. The inner wall and outer wall together extend at least partially along a longitudinal direction and together define a combustion chamber inlet, a combustion chamber outlet, and a combustion chamber therebetween. The nozzle assembly is disposed at the combustion inlet and provides a mixture of fuel and oxidizer to the combustion chamber. The turbine nozzle defines a plurality of airfoils in adjacent circumferential arrangement disposed at the combustion chamber outlet. The turbine nozzle is coupled to the outer wall and the inner wall. The inner casing is disposed inward of the inner wall and the outer casing is disposed outward of the outer wall. Each of the inner casing and the outer casing are coupled to the turbine nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Joseph Zelina, Sibtosh Pal, Arthur Wesley Johnson, Clayton Stuart Cooper, Steven Clayton Vise
  • Patent number: 10487732
    Abstract: A two-shaft gas turbine control system and method are provided that can enhance the efficiency and reliability thereof by controlling the amount of intake air spray and the rotational speed of a high-pressure turbine in accordance with the aperture of an inlet guide vane in a state where a two-shaft gas turbine is being operated with the efficiency of its compressor reduced. The control system includes a droplet spray device for spraying droplets to intake air for the compressor and a controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Takahashi, Takuya Takeda