Patents by Inventor Charles J. Spengler

Charles J. Spengler has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5426003
    Abstract: A dense, substantially gas-tight, electrically conductive interconnection layer is formed on an air electrode structure of an electrochemical cell by (A) providing an electrode surface; (B) forming on a selected portion of the electrode surface, a layer of doped LaCrO.sub.3 particles doped with an element selected from Ca, Sr, Ba, Mg, Co, Ni, Al and mixtures thereof by plasma spraying doped LaCrO.sub.3 powder, preferably compensated with chromium as Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3 and/or dopant element, preferably by plasma arc spraying; and, (C) heating the doped and compensated LaCrO.sub.3 layer to about 1100.degree. C. to 1300.degree. C. to provide a dense, substantially gas-tight, substantially hydration-free, electrically conductive interconnection material bonded to the electrode surface. A solid electrolyte layer can be applied to the unselected portion of the air electrode, and a fuel electrode can be applied to the solid electrolyte, to provide an electrochemical cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 20, 1995
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Charles J. Spengler, George R. Folser, Shailesh D. Vora, Lewis Kuo, Von L. Richards
  • Patent number: 5021304
    Abstract: An exterior porous electrode (10), bonded to a solid oxygen ion conducting electrolyte (13) which is in contact with an interior electrode (14), contains coarse metal particles (12) of nickel and/or cobalt, having diameters from 3 micrometers to 35 micrometers, where the coarse particles are coated with a separate, porous, multiphase layer (17) containing fine metal particles of nickel and/or cobalt (18), having diameters from 0.05 micrometers to 1.75 micrometers and conductive oxide (19) selected from cerium oxide, doped cerium oxide, strontium titanate, doped strontium titanate and mixtures thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 4, 1991
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Roswell J. Ruka, Charles J. Spengler
  • Patent number: 4885078
    Abstract: An electrochemical device is made of a containment vessel (30) optional ceramic material within the containment vessel and including one or more electrochemical cells (10), the cells containing a porous exposed electrode (11) in contact with a solid electrolyte, where at least one of the exposed electrode, the containment vessel, and the optional ceramic material contains a deposit selected from metal oxide and metal salt capable of forming a metal oxide upon heating, where the metal is selected from the group consisting of Ce, Sm, Mg, Be, Ca, Sr, Ti, Zr, Hf, Y, La, Pr, Nb, Pm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Th, U, and their mixtures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 5, 1989
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Charles J. Spengler, Prabhakar Singh
  • Patent number: 4849254
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of reducing the removal or transfer into a gas phase of a current carrying metal in an apparatus, such as an electrochemical cell 2 having a porous fuel electrode 6 containing metal particles 11, where the metal is subject to removal or transfer into a gaseous phase, the method characterized in that (1) a metal organic compound that decomposes to form an electronically conducting oxide coating when heated is applied to the metal and porous electrode, and (2) the compound on the metal is then heated to a temperature sufficient to decompose the compound into an oxide coating 13 by increasing the temperature at a rate that is longer than 1 hour between room temperature and 600.degree. C., resulting in at least one continuous layer 13, 14 of the oxide coating on the metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1989
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Charles J. Spengler, Roswell J. Ruka
  • Patent number: 4576874
    Abstract: This is an improved process for fabricating a turbine blade for use in land based or marine combustion turbines and in particular is a thin ceramic coating applied to at least the portion of the blades which is designed to operate in the 1100.degree.-1500.degree. F. temperature range and especially in turbines designed to be useable with contaminated fuels. The invention utilizes a 1-4 mil thick ceramic coating on at least a portion of the blade designed to operate in the 1100.degree.-1500.degree. F. temperature range and utilizes a process in which the blade is controlled to a temperature of at least 1200.degree. F. during the application of the ceramic coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 18, 1986
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Charles J. Spengler, Graham A. Whitlow
  • Patent number: 4088479
    Abstract: An alloy composition highly resistant to hot corrosion attack in combustion atmospheres and possessing good ductility, particularly suited for use as a coating material on gas turbine components. The alloy consists of 25-45% by weight chromium, 0-40% by weight cobalt and balance nickel. The alloy may also include 2.5-5.5% by weight aluminum or 1.0-2.0% by weight silicon and 0.1-1.0% by weight yttrium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1976
    Date of Patent: May 9, 1978
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventor: Charles J. Spengler