Patents by Inventor Charles William Weidner

Charles William Weidner 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: 10338576
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing intelligent management of balance of plant are provided. According to one embodiment of the disclosure, a system for determining a malfunction of a feedwater pump includes one or more processors and a database communicatively coupled to the one or more processors. The one or more processors can be configured to receive plant parameters. The one or more processors can be further configured to correlate the plant parameters to historical operational values. Based at least partially on the correlating, the one or more processors may be operable to identify a malfunction in a feedwater pump. Based at least partially on the identifying, the one or more processors may be operable to provide an advisory action concerning an operation of the feedwater pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Aditi Koppikar, Charles William Weidner, Khantil Rajendra Shah, Awadesh Kumar Tiwari, Raheem Iqbal
  • Patent number: 10185332
    Abstract: A level control system for controlling the liquid level in a boiler drum is provided. The level control system uses an integration parameter when operating in a non-transient condition to provide a control signal into a flow control loop controlling a level control valve for the liquid level in the boiler drum. When a transient condition is identified by a predictive controller, the integration parameter is interrupted and a gain vector is generated to modify the control constants and optionally modify feedforward to adjust control signal into the flow control loop during transient operation of the level control valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sunil Puthen Veedu Unnikrishnan, Giriprasad Venkata Narasimha Chebiyyam, Charles William Weidner
  • Publication number: 20170344032
    Abstract: A level control system for controlling the liquid level in a boiler drum is provided. The level control system uses an integration parameter when operating in a non-transient condition to provide a control signal into a flow control loop controlling a level control valve for the liquid level in the boiler drum. When a transient condition is identified by a predictive controller, the integration parameter is interrupted and a gain vector is generated to modify the control constants and optionally modify feedforward to adjust control signal into the flow control loop during transient operation of the level control valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2016
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Inventors: Sunil Puthen Veedu Unnikrishnan, Giriprasad Venkata Narasimha Chebiyyam, Charles William Weidner
  • Publication number: 20170336784
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing intelligent management of balance of plant are provided. According to one embodiment of the disclosure, a system for determining a malfunction of a feedwater pump includes one or more processors and a database communicatively coupled to the one or more processors. The one or more processors can be configured to receive plant parameters. The one or more processors can be further configured to correlate the plant parameters to historical operational values. Based at least partially on the correlating, the one or more processors may be operable to identify a malfunction in a feedwater pump. Based at least partially on the identifying, the one or more processors may be operable to provide an advisory action concerning an operation of the feedwater pump.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2016
    Publication date: November 23, 2017
    Inventors: Aditi Koppikar, Charles William Weidner, Khantil Rajendra Shah, Awadesh Kumar Tiwari, Raheem Iqbal
  • Patent number: 9476584
    Abstract: A method of controlling a water level in a steam drum includes predicting a transient in the steam drum based on plant characteristics including steam flow from the steam drum, drum pressure in the steam drum, and one or both of a gas turbine load and a position of a bypass valve configured to control the steam flow from the steam drum to two or more steam flow conduits. The method further includes generating a sliding setpoint to control the water level based on predicting the transient in the steam drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Awadesh Kumar Tiwari, Sidharth Abrol, Rasika Suresh Kalwit, Achalesh Kumar Pandey, John Alexander Petzen, Charles William Weidner
  • Patent number: 9074493
    Abstract: A method for controlling the operation of a steam generation system is provided. Fluid flow is channeled from at least one first boiler within at least one conduit. Fluid flow is added within the conduit from at least one second boiler. At least one operating condition within the first and second boilers is detected. A fluid pressure set point and/or a fluid temperature set point for each boiler is determined based on the operating condition detected for each boiler. A fluid pressure and/or a fluid temperature is maintained within the first and second boiler to be approximately equal to the fluid pressure set point and the fluid temperature set point for each boiler, respectively, prior to fluid flow being channeled and/or during the channeling of fluid flow from the first boiler and/or the second boiler within the conduit to a steam process and/or at least one steam turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Vijay Subhash Wad, Steven Di Palma, Charles William Weidner, Maxwell Reeves Erwin, Samuel Jacob Wallin, Shanmuga Priya Muniyandi
  • Publication number: 20150167961
    Abstract: A method of controlling a water level in a steam drum includes predicting a transient in the steam drum based on plant characteristics including steam flow from the steam drum, drum pressure in the steam drum, and one or both of a gas turbine load and a position of a bypass valve configured to control the steam flow from the steam drum to two or more steam flow conduits. The method further includes generating a sliding setpoint to control the water level based on predicting the transient in the steam drum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Publication date: June 18, 2015
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Awadesh Kumar Tiwari, Sidharth Abrol, Rasika Suresh Kalwit, Achalesh Kumar Pandey, John Alexander Petzen, Charles William Weidner
  • Patent number: 8887747
    Abstract: A level control system is provided. The system includes multiple sensors configured to measure multiple parameters related to a drum, wherein the multiple parameters include a drum liquid level, a vapor flow rate leaving the drum, a downstream pressure of the drum, and a feed-liquid flow rate entering the drum. The system also includes a level controller configured to adjust a level control valve in accordance with a signal representative of the drum liquid level, a signal representative of the downstream pressure and a signal representative of a given drum liquid level set point. The level controller is further configured to receive a feedback signal representative of a combination of a fraction of the signal representative of the drum liquid level and a fraction of the signal representative of the downstream pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Rajeeva Kumar, Charles William Weidner, Steven Di Palma
  • Publication number: 20130319536
    Abstract: A level control system is provided. The system includes multiple sensors configured to measure multiple parameters related to a drum, wherein the multiple parameters include a drum liquid level, a vapor flow rate leaving the drum, a downstream pressure of the drum, and a feed-liquid flow rate entering the drum. The system also includes a level controller configured to adjust a level control valve in accordance with a signal representative of the drum liquid level, a signal representative of the downstream pressure and a signal representative of a given drum liquid level set point. The level controller is further configured to receive a feedback signal representative of a combination of a fraction of the signal representative of the drum liquid level and a fraction of the signal representative of the downstream pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Rajeeva Kumar, Charles William Weidner, Steven Di Palma
  • Publication number: 20130133594
    Abstract: A method for controlling the operation of a steam generation system is provided. Fluid flow is channeled from at least one first boiler within at least one conduit. Fluid flow is added within the conduit from at least one second boiler. At least one operating condition within the first and second boilers is detected. A fluid pressure set point and/or a fluid temperature set point for each boiler is determined based on the operating condition detected for each boiler. A fluid pressure and/or a fluid temperature is maintained within the first and second boiler to be approximately equal to the fluid pressure set point and the fluid temperature set point for each boiler, respectively, prior to fluid flow being channeled and/or during the channeling of fluid flow from the first boiler and/or the second boiler within the conduit to a steam process and/or at least one steam turbine engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Publication date: May 30, 2013
    Inventors: Vijay Subhash Wad, Steven Di Palma, Charles William Weidner, Maxwell Reeves Erwin, Samuel Jacob Wallin, Shanmuga Priya Muniyandi