Patents by Inventor Michio Kuroda

Michio Kuroda 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: 5022849
    Abstract: A low NOx burning method and apparatus wherein a low air ratio flame burned with an amount of air less than an amount of air in a theoretical air ratio required for burning fuel perfectly is formed, and combustibles discharged from the low air ratio flame are burned at a trailing stream of the low air ratio flame while supplying air. The low air ratio flame is a premixing flame burned by premixing the fuel and air, and combustion of the premixing flames is maintained in the vicinity of the premixing flame. In this way, the generation of the NOx during the burning can be greatly decreased, and the required apparatus can be small-sized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 11, 1991
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Yoshii, Shigeru Azuhata, Norio Arashi, Kenichi Sohma, Tooru Inada, Hideo Kikuchi, Masayuki Taniguchi, Kiyoshi Narato, Hironobu Kobayashi, Tadayoshi Murakami, Michio Kuroda, Yoji Ishibashi, Stephen M. Masutani
  • Patent number: 5016443
    Abstract: A fuel-air premixing device of a gas turbine has a double-cylinder structure composed of an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder defining therebetween flow passages such that a fuel is supplied into air flowing through the passages so that a pre-mixture of the fuel and air is formed and discharged. The premixing device further has a plurality of radially spaced fuel nozzles capable of supplying the fuel into the passages, and fuel supply rate regulator valves for independently controlling the rates of supply of the fuel from the radially spaced nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1991
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuo Shimizu, Michio Kuroda, Seiichi Kirikami, Isao Sato, Osamu Arai
  • Patent number: 4898001
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor for reducing a production of NOx. The combustor includes a head combustion chamber and a rear combustion chamber which is larger in diameter than the head combustion chamber. The head combustion chamber is provided with an axially extending hollow frustoconical tubular member to form an annular combustion space therein, air holes for axially jetting air into the annular combustion chamber, air holes formed on a peripheral wall for injecting air and a plurality of fuel nozzles projected into the annular combustion space for injecting fuel into vortex formed by the air jet and the injected air flow whereby the flame is stabilized and lean combustion can be effected. The rear combustion chamber has a fuel and air supply means on the upstream side which includes air inlets formed by whirling vanes and fuel nozzles disposed in the air inlets so that fuel and air are mixed well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 6, 1990
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Michio Kuroda, Isao Sato, Yoji Ishibashi, Yoshihiro Uchiyama, Takashi Ohmori, Shigeyuki Akatsu, Fumio Kato, Yorihide Segawa, Nobuyuki Iizuka
  • Patent number: 4872312
    Abstract: A gas turbine cooling apparatus is disclosed in which a flow sleeve is provided to surround a combustor liner and a tail pipe substantially over their full length. A group of small holes for impinge-cooling an outer wall of the tail pipe are formed in a region of the flow sleeve close to a turbine. Further, opening portion for introducing cooling air are provided closer to the combustor liner than the small holes. Thus, the outer wall of the tail pipe and the wall of the combustor liner are cooled by the cooling air flowing between the tail pipe, the combustor liner and the flow sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1987
    Date of Patent: October 10, 1989
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Iizuka, Kazuhiko Kumata, Michio Kuroda
  • Patent number: 4820594
    Abstract: This invention relates to a favorable method of starting a fuel cell power generation system in which fuel is used directly as a heating medium for raising the temperature of said system. Namely, the present invention relates to a method of starting a fuel cell power generation system composed of (a) a reformer which is composed of a reforming part packed with reforming catalyst and a heating part and in which a fuel is fed to the reformer inlet and the fuel is combusted at the heating part, thereby to heat the reforming part and (b) the above-mentioned fuel cell in which the fuel which has been passed through said reformer reforming part is introduced to the anode and the exhaust gas produced at said reformer heating part is fed to the cathode, comprising the step of starting the fuel cell power generation system to ignite the fuel present at the reformer heating part only when the reformer reforming part has been filled with fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1987
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1989
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigehisa Sugita, Kazuhito Koyama, Koji Shiina, Seiichiro Sakaguchi, Michio Kuroda, Yoshiki Noguchi
  • Patent number: 4766721
    Abstract: A combustor of two-stage combustion type in which fuel is supplied only from primary fuel nozzles for combustion only in primary combustion chamber under the operating condition where gas turbine load is low, and premixed mixture is supplied into a secondary combustion chamber provided on the downstream side of the primary combustion chamber for combustion in both the primary and secondary combustion chambers under the operating condition where the load is high. An air-bleed passageway opens on a downstream side of air holes for intaking secondary combustion air to be mixed with secondary fuel and communicates with the outside of the combustor. The air-bleed passageway is provided with a regulating valve and the secondary combustion air is bled at the minimum point of the load where the secondary fuel is supplied so that the fuel to air ratio of secondary premixed mixture may not be excessively lean, thereby reducing the production of non-burned components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1986
    Date of Patent: August 30, 1988
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Iizuka, Yoji Ishibashi, Isao Sato, Fumiyuki Hirose, Hiroshi Inose, Katsukuni Hisano, Katsuo Wada, Seiichi Kirikami, Michio Kuroda, Yoshihiro Uchiyama
  • Patent number: 4683715
    Abstract: A method of starting a gas turbine plant, which plant has at least one combustor including a primary combustion chamber into which primary fuel nozzles open and a secondary combustion chamber into which secondary fuel nozzles open, a compressor for supplying the combustor with compressed combustion air, and a gas turbine driven by the combustion gas generated in the combustor and adapted to drive a load such as an electric power generator. When the gas turbine is being accelerated to a rated speed or while the load is still below a normal load range, a fuel is supplied only to the primary fuel nozzle, whereas, in other loaded operation range, the fuel is supplied to both the primary and secondary fuel nozzles. Before the fuel supply to the secondary fuel nozzles is commenced, a part of the compressed air is bled through at least one air bleed pipe leading from the compressor and having an air bleed valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1985
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1987
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Iizuka, Katsukuni Hisano, Ryoichiro Oshima, Katsuo Wada, Fumiyuki Hirose, Michio Kuroda, Yoshihiro Uchiyama, Yoji Ishibashi, Isao Sato, Hiroshi Inose
  • Patent number: 4598553
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor comprises an inner cylinder provided with louvers in an outer periphery thereof, defines a head combustion chamber and a main combustion chamber located downstream of and greater in diameter than the head combustion. An outer cylinder surrounds the inner cylinder and defines an air passage therebetween. A first burner communicates with the head combustion chamber and supplies air with gaseous fuel, and a second burner being disposed in the air passage near the head combustion chamber and supplying air and gaseous fuel into the main combustion chamber. The second burner is formed with a plurality of air inlets by a plurality of vanes which are disposed in an annular passage and which swirl the air, and with gaseous fuel jet ports near the inner peripheries of the air inlets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 8, 1986
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Isao Saito, Yoji Ishibashi, Takashi Ohmori, Yoshimitsu Minakawa, Michio Kuroda
  • Patent number: 4587809
    Abstract: A premixing swirling burner including a burner body having a swirling member at one end for causing fuel introduced into the burner body to flow in vortical form through the swirling member, a burner outer frame mounting the burner body and communicated with an air line for introducing air into the burner body, and a cylindrical member located in the burner outer frame for enclosing the burner body, with an air passage being defined between the inner periphery of the cylindrical member and an outer periphery of a portion of the burner body. A premixing chamber is defined between an outer periphery of a central portion of the burner body and an inner periphery of the cylindrical member for providing a fuel-air premix flowing toward the swirling member. A fuel chamber introduces fuel into the interior of the burner body, and a fuel ejection nozzle is located along an outer surface of the central portion of the burner body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1986
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Ohmori, Isao Sato, Yoji Ishibashi, Yoshimitsu Minakawa, Michio Kuroda, Zensuke Tamura
  • Patent number: 4275563
    Abstract: A power generating plant which includes a direct contact-type heat exchanger. A low-boiling point medium such as freon and a heat-source medium such as heated oil, are injected from a lower portion of the heat exchanger so that the two media are brought into direct contact with each other thereby vaporizing the gaseous low-boiling point medium. The low-boiling medium acts as a working fluid while it circulates through a closed cycle of the plant which includes a turbine and a condenser. The heat-source medium, circulates in a closed cycle of the plant which includes a heating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1979
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1981
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Michio Kuroda, Shozo Nakamura, Satoshi Tsukahara, Yasuaki Akatu, Shigehisa Sugita, Kojiro Kaneko, Seiichiro Sakaguchi, Ryoichiro Oshima
  • Patent number: 4262485
    Abstract: A low boiling point medium power plant in which heated waste gas, such as furnace gas, geothermic steam, etc., is used as a heat source for heating an intermediate thermal medium by means of an indirect heat exchanger, and the intermediate thermal medium is used as a heat source for heating a turbine driving low boiling point medium by means of a direct heat exchanger. The indirect heat exchanger and the direct heat exchanger are rendered into a unitary structure and contained in a sealed housing together with a turbine, a generator and a condenser, whereby a compact overall size can be obtained in a low boiling point medium power plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1978
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1981
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Michio Kuroda, Shozo Nakamura, Ryoichiro Oshima, Takamitsu Taki
  • Patent number: 4191021
    Abstract: A small power plant utilizing waste heat wherein:an intermediate heat transfer medium being thermally stable and capable of lubricating bearings is interposed between a heat source and a turbine operating medium;heat of said intermediate heat transfer medium is taken off through a direct contact heat exchanger to change said turbine operating medium in phase from a liquid state to a gaseous state; anda portion of said intermediate heat transfer medium is supplied as the lubricant for the bearings of the turbine and generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1977
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1980
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shozo Nakamura, Michio Kuroda, Ryoichiro Oshima
  • Patent number: 4191508
    Abstract: A turbomachine rotor arrangement is provided having a rotor wheel and blades thereon with a tie pin for interconnecting adjacent blades. A plurality of blades respectively define tie holes wherein the tie holes of adjacent blades are disposed with the radial heights of said holes being different and with the tie pin disposed in the tie holes so as to be acted upon by respective different amplitudes of vibration than said adjacent blades during rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1978
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1980
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Kizai Kogyo Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Michio Kuroda, Yoshiaki Yamazaki, Kiyoshi Namura, Fumio Kato, Yasuaki Akatsu, Daizo Morimoto, Satoshi Ninomiya
  • Patent number: 4028006
    Abstract: A plurality of turbine buckets annularly arranged around a rotor are each provided with a ledge disposed at right angles to the outer surface of each bucket. Each ledge includes a leading end portion and a trailing end portion each formed therein with a vertical hole, leading and trailing end portions of the ledge of each turbine bucket extending in opposite directions on both sides of the bucket. There are provided cover pieces each interposed between ends of the adjacent two turbine buckets and formed on the upper surface with a plurality or cylindrical projections adapted to be loosely received in the vertical holes formed in the ledges of the adjacent two turbine buckets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1976
    Date of Patent: June 7, 1977
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Michio Kuroda, Kiyoshi Namura, Fumio Kato, Yoshiaki Yamazaki, Tutomu Iwasaki, Akira Ishida, Akio Sohma, Tetsu Imai