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).
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Patent number: 11118784Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: May 11, 2017Date of Patent: September 14, 2021Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.Inventors: Patrick C. Sweeney, Douglas J. Snyder
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Patent number: 10982598Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 26, 2018Date of Patent: April 20, 2021Assignees: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc., Rolls-Royce CorporationInventors: David Farnum, Douglas D. Dierksmeier, Ben Moloney, Patrick C. Sweeney
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Patent number: 10890114Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 30, 2017Date of Patent: January 12, 2021Assignees: Rolls-Royce Corporation, Purdue Research FoundationInventors: Patrick C. Sweeney, Stephen D. Heister, Steven A. Hunt, Carlo Scalo, Mario Tindaro Migliorino
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Patent number: 10775046Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: October 18, 2017Date of Patent: September 15, 2020Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.Inventors: Douglas J. Snyder, Patrick C. Sweeney
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Patent number: 10641531Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 22, 2017Date of Patent: May 5, 2020Assignee: Rolls-Royce CorporationInventors: Donald Klemen, Eric E. Wilson, Patrick C. Sweeney
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Patent number: 10513981Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: January 4, 2017Date of Patent: December 24, 2019Assignees: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc., Rolls-Royce CorporationInventors: Kenneth M. Pesyna, Douglas J. Snyder, Patrick C. Sweeney
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Publication number: 20190136767Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: December 26, 2018Publication date: May 9, 2019Inventors: David Farnum, Douglas D. Dierksmeier, Ben Moloney, Patrick C. Sweeney
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Publication number: 20190113233Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: October 18, 2017Publication date: April 18, 2019Inventors: Douglas J. Snyder, Patrick C. Sweeney
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Patent number: 10196988Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: June 2, 2016Date of Patent: February 5, 2019Assignees: Rolls-Royce Corporation, Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc.Inventors: David Farnum, Douglas D. Dierksmeier, Ben Moloney, Patrick C. Sweeney
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Publication number: 20180266691Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: May 11, 2017Publication date: September 20, 2018Inventors: Patrick C. Sweeney, Douglas J. Snyder
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Publication number: 20180230908Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: January 4, 2017Publication date: August 16, 2018Inventors: Kenneth M. Pesyna, Douglas J. Snyder, Patrick C. Sweeney
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Publication number: 20170321607Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: March 30, 2017Publication date: November 9, 2017Inventors: Patrick C. Sweeney, Stephen D. Heister, Steven A. Hunt, Carlo Scalo, Mario Tindaro Migliorino
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Publication number: 20170314830Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: March 22, 2017Publication date: November 2, 2017Inventors: Donald Klemen, Eric E. Wilson, Patrick C. Sweeney
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Patent number: 9718553Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 27, 2013Date of Patent: August 1, 2017Assignee: Rolls-Royce North America Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Igor Vaisman, Douglas J. Snyder, Patrick C. Sweeney
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Patent number: 9676484Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 30, 2013Date of Patent: June 13, 2017Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Igor Vaisman, Patrick C. Sweeney
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Patent number: 9657969Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 30, 2014Date of Patent: May 23, 2017Assignees: Rolls-Royce Corporation, Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Igor Vaisman, Patrick C. Sweeney
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Publication number: 20160356224Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: June 2, 2016Publication date: December 8, 2016Applicants: Rolls-Royce Corporation, Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc.Inventors: David Farnum, Douglas D. Dierksmeier, Ben Moloney, Patrick C. Sweeney
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Patent number: 9482451Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 17, 2013Date of Patent: November 1, 2016Assignees: Rolls-Royce Corporation, Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Igor Vaisman, Douglas J. Snyder, Patrick C. Sweeney
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Publication number: 20150184898Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: December 30, 2014Publication date: July 2, 2015Inventors: Igor Vaisman, Patrick C. Sweeney
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Publication number: 20140366563Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2013Publication date: December 18, 2014Applicants: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc., Rolls-Royce CorporationInventors: Igor Vaisman, Patrick C. Sweeney, Douglas J. Snyder