Patents by Inventor Patrick C. Sweeney

Patrick C. Sweeney 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: 11118784
    Abstract: Fuel-air heat exchange system and methods thereof for use in a gas turbine engine. The fuel-air heat exchanger allows heat transfer between a flow of cooling air used to cool components of the engine and a flow of fuel used to drive the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick C. Sweeney, Douglas J. Snyder
  • Patent number: 10982598
    Abstract: An improved system, apparatus and method may be configured for detecting coking in a gas turbine engine. The system may comprise one or more heatable collecting elements configured to be positioned in a fuel supply passage having an inlet and an outlet. The apparatus heatable collecting may be configured to generate heat at or over a fuel system temperature range to induce coking in at least one of the heatable collecting elements. The apparatus may also include a sensor configured to detect an indication of coking on the heatable collecting elements and, in response to the coking indication, communicate a coking condition signal to an engine control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignees: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc., Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventors: David Farnum, Douglas D. Dierksmeier, Ben Moloney, Patrick C. Sweeney
  • Patent number: 10890114
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes devices, systems, and methods for design and operation of stabilizing heat exchangers for gas turbine engines in consideration of near supercritical fuel flow conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignees: Rolls-Royce Corporation, Purdue Research Foundation
    Inventors: Patrick C. Sweeney, Stephen D. Heister, Steven A. Hunt, Carlo Scalo, Mario Tindaro Migliorino
  • Patent number: 10775046
    Abstract: Fuel injection assemblies for a gas turbine engine includes a fuel injector and heat exchanger in communication via a fuel line cavity to provide heated fuel for combustion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas J. Snyder, Patrick C. Sweeney
  • Patent number: 10641531
    Abstract: A refrigeration system is described that includes a compression device configured to increase a pressure of a refrigerant. The refrigeration system further includes a first heat exchanger configured to reject heat from the refrigerant and reduce a temperature of the refrigerant. The refrigeration system further includes a storage device configured to store the refrigerant at a supercritical state. The refrigeration system further includes an expansion device configured to reduce the pressure of the refrigerant. The refrigeration system further includes a second heat exchanger configured to absorb heat into the refrigerant and increase the temperature of the refrigerant. The refrigeration system further includes a controller configured to release the refrigerant from the storage device to the expansion device to provide cooling capacity to the refrigeration system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventors: Donald Klemen, Eric E. Wilson, Patrick C. Sweeney
  • Patent number: 10513981
    Abstract: A propulsion system including a gas turbine engine is disclosed herein. The propulsion system further includes a heat exchanger arranged outside the gas turbine engine and adapted to cool fluid from the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignees: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc., Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth M. Pesyna, Douglas J. Snyder, Patrick C. Sweeney
  • Publication number: 20190136767
    Abstract: An improved system, apparatus and method may be configured for detecting coking in a gas turbine engine. The system may comprise one or more heatable collecting elements configured to be positioned in a fuel supply passage having an inlet and an outlet. The apparatus heatable collecting may be configured to generate heat at or over a fuel system temperature range to induce coking in at least one of the heatable collecting elements. The apparatus may also include a sensor configured to detect an indication of coking on the heatable collecting elements and, in response to the coking indication, communicate a coking condition signal to an engine control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Inventors: David Farnum, Douglas D. Dierksmeier, Ben Moloney, Patrick C. Sweeney
  • Publication number: 20190113233
    Abstract: Fuel injection assemblies for a gas turbine engine includes a fuel injector and heat exchanger in communication via a fuel line cavity to provide heated fuel for combustion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2017
    Publication date: April 18, 2019
    Inventors: Douglas J. Snyder, Patrick C. Sweeney
  • Patent number: 10196988
    Abstract: An improved system, apparatus and method may be configured for detecting coking in a gas turbine engine. The system may comprise one or more heatable collecting elements configured to be positioned in a fuel supply passage having an inlet and an outlet. The apparatus heatable collecting may be configured to generate heat at or over a fuel system temperature range to induce coking in at least one of the heatable collecting elements. The apparatus may also include a sensor configured to detect an indication of coking on the heatable collecting elements and, in response to the coking indication, communicate a coking condition signal to an engine control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignees: Rolls-Royce Corporation, Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David Farnum, Douglas D. Dierksmeier, Ben Moloney, Patrick C. Sweeney
  • Publication number: 20180266691
    Abstract: Fuel-air heat exchange system and methods thereof for use in a gas turbine engine. The fuel-air heat exchanger allows heat transfer between a flow of cooling air used to cool components of the engine and a flow of fuel used to drive the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2017
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Inventors: Patrick C. Sweeney, Douglas J. Snyder
  • Publication number: 20180230908
    Abstract: A propulsion system including a gas turbine engine is disclosed herein. The propulsion system further includes a heat exchanger arranged outside the gas turbine engine and adapted to cool fluid from the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2017
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Inventors: Kenneth M. Pesyna, Douglas J. Snyder, Patrick C. Sweeney
  • Publication number: 20170321607
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes devices, systems, and methods for design and operation of stabilizing heat exchangers for gas turbine engines in consideration of near supercritical fuel flow conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Publication date: November 9, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick C. Sweeney, Stephen D. Heister, Steven A. Hunt, Carlo Scalo, Mario Tindaro Migliorino
  • Publication number: 20170314830
    Abstract: A refrigeration system is described that includes a compression device configured to increase a pressure of a refrigerant. The refrigeration system further includes a first heat exchanger configured to reject heat from the refrigerant and reduce a temperature of the refrigerant. The refrigeration system further includes a storage device configured to store the refrigerant at a supercritical state. The refrigeration system further includes an expansion device configured to reduce the pressure of the refrigerant. The refrigeration system further includes a second heat exchanger configured to absorb heat into the refrigerant and increase the temperature of the refrigerant. The refrigeration system further includes a controller configured to release the refrigerant from the storage device to the expansion device to provide cooling capacity to the refrigeration system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2017
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Inventors: Donald Klemen, Eric E. Wilson, Patrick C. Sweeney
  • Patent number: 9718553
    Abstract: A cooling system for an aircraft includes a first cooling circuit having a first evaporator and a second evaporator, and a second cooling circuit having a third evaporator and a fourth evaporator. One of the first and second cooling circuits includes a first set of valves arranged to direct refrigerant through a first cooling sub-circuit, a second cooling sub-circuit, or both the first and second cooling sub-circuits based on ambient conditions. Two of the evaporators are installed on a first side of the aircraft, and the other two of the four evaporators are installed on a second side of the aircraft opposite the first side, and the first and second cooling circuits reject heat, via a heat exchanger, from their respective cooling circuit to air passing into an engine of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce North America Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Igor Vaisman, Douglas J. Snyder, Patrick C. Sweeney
  • Patent number: 9676484
    Abstract: A cooling system includes a first heat exchanger, an evaporator coupled to a thermal load of an aircraft. first and second cooling circuits coupled to the heat exchanger, the first and second cooling circuits selectable via a set of cooling circuit valves that are arranged to direct a refrigerant through the first circuit, the second circuit, or both the first and second circuits based on air passing through the first heat exchanger at ambient conditions of the aircraft, and a receiver configured to accumulate reserve refrigerant to provide flexibility in system operation as the cooling system operates in sub-critical, trans-critical, and super-critical modes of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Igor Vaisman, Patrick C. Sweeney
  • Patent number: 9657969
    Abstract: A multi-evaporator cooling system includes a compressor circuit that generates multiple levels of evaporating pressures, the circuit comprising at least one compressor configured to compress a refrigerant to a first pressure, a heat exchanger configured to receive the compressed refrigerant from the at least one compressor and cool the compressed refrigerant, a first evaporator circuit configured to receive the compressed refrigerant from the heat exchanger, expand the compressed refrigerant to a second pressure that is lower than the first pressure, and return the refrigerant to the compressor circuit, and a second evaporator circuit configured to receive the compressed refrigerant from the heat exchanger, expand the compressed refrigerant to a third pressure that is lower than the second pressure, and return the refrigerant to the compressor circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignees: Rolls-Royce Corporation, Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Igor Vaisman, Patrick C. Sweeney
  • Publication number: 20160356224
    Abstract: An improved system, apparatus and method may be configured for detecting coking in a gas turbine engine. The system may comprise one or more heatable collecting elements configured to be positioned in a fuel supply passage having an inlet and an outlet. The apparatus heatable collecting may be configured to generate heat at or over a fuel system temperature range to induce coking in at least one of the heatable collecting elements. The apparatus may also include a sensor configured to detect an indication of coking on the heatable collecting elements and, in response to the coking indication, communicate a coking condition signal to an engine control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2016
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Applicants: Rolls-Royce Corporation, Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David Farnum, Douglas D. Dierksmeier, Ben Moloney, Patrick C. Sweeney
  • Patent number: 9482451
    Abstract: A cooling system includes a heat exchanger through which a refrigerant flows, and which rejects heat to a fluid, an evaporator, a first circuit having an expansion device, a second circuit having an expansion machine coupled to a compressor, and a set of valves arranged to direct the refrigerant through the first circuit, the second circuit, or both the first and second circuits based on ambient conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignees: Rolls-Royce Corporation, Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Igor Vaisman, Douglas J. Snyder, Patrick C. Sweeney
  • Publication number: 20150184898
    Abstract: A multi-evaporator cooling system includes a compressor circuit that generates multiple levels of evaporating pressures, the circuit comprising at least one compressor configured to compress a refrigerant to a first pressure, a heat exchanger configured to receive the compressed refrigerant from the at least one compressor and cool the compressed refrigerant, a first evaporator circuit configured to receive the compressed refrigerant from the heat exchanger, expand the compressed refrigerant to a second pressure that is lower than the first pressure, and return the refrigerant to the compressor circuit, and a second evaporator circuit configured to receive the compressed refrigerant from the heat exchanger, expand the compressed refrigerant to a third pressure that is lower than the second pressure, and return the refrigerant to the compressor circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Publication date: July 2, 2015
    Inventors: Igor Vaisman, Patrick C. Sweeney
  • Publication number: 20140366563
    Abstract: A cooling system includes a heat exchanger through which a refrigerant flows, and which rejects heat to a fluid, an evaporator, a first circuit having an expansion device, a second circuit having an expansion machine coupled to a compressor, and a set of valves arranged to direct the refrigerant through the first circuit, the second circuit, or both the first and second circuits based on ambient conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2013
    Publication date: December 18, 2014
    Applicants: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc., Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventors: Igor Vaisman, Patrick C. Sweeney, Douglas J. Snyder