Patents by Inventor Ronald Scott Bunker

Ronald Scott Bunker 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: 10590786
    Abstract: A method for cooling a component of a gas turbine engine includes flowing a cooling airflow through a cooling passage of a turbine rotor blade, wherein the cooling passage includes an inlet and an outlet formed on a blade tip of the turbine rotor blade. The method further includes receiving at least a portion of the cooling airflow exiting the outlet of the cooling passage with an aperture defined in a casing of the gas turbine engine, wherein the casing is spaced from the blade tip along the radial direction. In addition, the method includes providing the cooling airflow received with the aperture defined in the casing to the component of the gas turbine engine through a coolant duct assembly of the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Robert Charles Groves, II
  • Patent number: 10577949
    Abstract: A component for a gas turbine engine includes a first region formed substantially of a first CMC material, wherein first region defines a first thermal conductivity. The component further includes a second region formed substantially of a second CMC material, wherein the second region defines a second thermal conductivity. Further, the component defines a thickness and the first region is positioned adjacent to the second region along the thickness, wherein the first thermal conductivity is different than the second thermal conductivity to alert a thermal profile of the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Shawn Michael Pearson, Kirk Douglas Gallier, Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10570767
    Abstract: An apparatus and method of a gas turbine engine comprising a rotor having at least one disk with a rotor defining an axial face and a stator having at least one ring with a stator axial face confronting the rotor axial face, with terminal portions of the axial faces forming a fluid outlet there between. A recess formed in one of the axial faces defines a buffer cavity into which a wing extends from the other of the axial faces and having a surface confronting the fluid outlet. A flow reverser is further provided within at least one of the surface or the terminal portion of the other of the axial faces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jonathan Russell Ratzlaff, Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10563514
    Abstract: A structure for disrupting the flow of a fluid is provided, the structure comprising: a first lateral wall and a second lateral wall spaced apart from one another a distance across an X-axis; and a turbulator extending between the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall, the turbulator extending away from the floor. The turbulator includes a first front surface extending between the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall, a second front surface extending between the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall, a first rear surface extending between the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall, the first rear surface extending between the first front surface and the floor, and a second rear surface adjoining the first rear surface and extending between the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall, the second rear surface extending between the second front surface and the floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Robert David Briggs, Shawn Michael Pearson
  • Patent number: 10563867
    Abstract: An engine component for a gas turbine engine generating hot combustion gas flow is provided. The engine component can include a substrate constructed from a CMC material and having a hot surface facing the hot combustion gas flow and a cooling surface facing a cooling fluid flow. The substrate defines a film hole extending through the substrate and having an inlet provided on the cooling surface, an outlet provided on the hot surface, and a passage connecting the inlet and the outlet. The engine component also includes a flow conditioning structure provided upstream of the outlet on the hot surface. The flow conditioning structure can include a ridge extending from the hot surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Kevin Robert Feldmann, Douglas Ray Smith, Kirk D. Gallier, Daniel Scott Martyn, Rachel Anne Vukoja
  • Publication number: 20200024987
    Abstract: An engine component assembly for impingement cooling. The engine component assembly includes an engine first component having a cooled surface. The engine first component having a flow path on one side of the cooled surface. A second component is a disposed adjacent to the engine first component between the flow path and the engine first component, and has a plurality of openings forming an array through the second component. The cooling flow path passes through the plurality of openings to cool the cooled surface. The second component having a surface facing the cooled surface of the engine first component. A plurality of discrete cooling features that have at least one wall that has a curved cross-section extend from the second component surface into a gap between and toward the cooled surface of the engine first component and defining an array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Publication date: January 23, 2020
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10519779
    Abstract: An airfoil having a radial direction extending away from an engine axis is provided. The airfoil includes an airfoil wall having an airfoil outer surface and an airfoil inner surface, with the airfoil extending radially from a first end to a second end. The airfoil defines a cooling channel interior to the inner surface with a thickness being defined between the airfoil outer surface and the airfoil inner surface. The thickness varies in the radial direction from the first end to the second end along at least one radial cross-section of the airfoil. A turbine nozzle of a turbine engine is also provided, which may include an outer band, an inner band, and the airfoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Charles Groves, II, Kirk Douglas Gallier, Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10508551
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for cooling an engine component, such as an airfoil, including a wall to separate a hot flow from a cooling fluid flow. The component can include at least one trench disposed in a hot surface. The trench can be fed with the cooling fluid flow to cool the engine component along the hot surface with the cooling fluid flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10495309
    Abstract: A component for at least one of a combustion section or a turbine section of a gas turbine engine is provided. The combustion section and turbine section of the gas turbine engine at least partially define a core air flowpath, and the component includes a wall. The wall, in turn, includes a hot side and an opposite cold side. The hot side is exposed to and at least partially defines the core air flowpath when the component is installed in the gas turbine engine. The wall is manufactured to include surface contouring on the cold side of the wall to structurally accommodate a thermal management feature of the wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10487664
    Abstract: A method of forming a passage in a turbine component that includes using an additive manufacturing process to form a first support structure on a first surface of the turbine component; and forming a passage through the first support structure and the turbine component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10487677
    Abstract: A method of forming a structure in a turbine component having a seal slot, the slot including walls defining an opening therebetween, the method includes the step of using an additive manufacturing process to form a neck structure on a wall so as to reduce a size of the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Victor Hugo Silva Correia
  • Patent number: 10472972
    Abstract: Engine components are provided for a gas turbine engines that generate a hot combustion gas flow. The engine component can include a substrate constructed from a CMC material and having a hot surface facing the hot combustion gas flow and a cooling surface facing a cooling fluid flow. The substrate generally defines a film hole extending through the substrate and having an inlet provided on the cooling surface, an outlet provided on the hot surface, and a passage connecting the inlet and the outlet. The engine component can also include a coating on at least a portion of the hot surface and on at least a portion of an inner surface defined within the passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Kevin Robert Feldmann, Robert Charles Groves, II
  • Publication number: 20190338651
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing a cooling fluid flow having a wall separating the hot air flow from the cooling fluid flow and having a first surface along which the hot air flows in a hot flow path and a second surface facing the cooling fluid flow, first and second supply circuits for providing the cooling fluid flow, at least one skin cooling circuit with at least one channel formed in the first surface, the at least one channel fluidly coupled with the first supply circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10458259
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for flowing cooling air through an outer wall of an engine component such as an airfoil. The airfoil having the outer wall can include an opening. A framework can be disposed in the opening adapted to reduce the required flow through the opening to increase the efficiency of the engine and improve cooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jason Randolph Allen, Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10450867
    Abstract: A component stage for a turbomachine includes a component section. The component section includes a flowpath surface at least partially exposed to a core air flowpath defined by the turbomachine, when the component stage is installed in the turbomachine. The component further includes a plurality of sequentially arranged riblets on the flowpath surface, the plurality of sequentially arranged riblets customized for an anticipated location of the flowpath surface within the turbomachine by defining one or both of a non-uniform geometry or a non-uniform spacing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10450874
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for an airfoil in a gas turbine engine can include an outer surface bounding an interior. At least one flow channel can be defined among one or more full-length and partial-length ribs to further define a cooling circuit within the airfoil. The cooling circuit can have at least one tip turn at the partial-length rib, having at least on fastback turbulator disposed at least partially within the tip turn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Robert David Briggs, Jason Randolph Allen, Kevin Robert Feldmann
  • Publication number: 20190316473
    Abstract: A component for a gas turbine engine comprises an airfoil having an outer surface. One or more cooling passages can be disposed within the airfoil, having a cooling passage extending along a trailing edge. A plurality of cooling channels can extend from the cooling passage through the trailing edge. At least one flow element and at least one film hole can be disposed in the cooling channel or the trailing edge passage adjacent the cooling channel. The flow element and the film hole can be in a predetermined relationship with one another providing improved flow to the film hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Publication date: October 17, 2019
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Zachary Daniel Webster
  • Patent number: 10436068
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor section, combustion section, and turbine section. The turbine section includes a turbine component stage, the turbine component stage including a plurality of turbine components together including a flowpath surface along a circumferential direction of the gas turbine engine. The flowpath surface defines in part a core air flowpath of the gas turbine engine and further defines a contour along the circumferential direction. The contour repeats less frequently than once per turbine component to accommodate a hot gas streak through the turbine section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10436038
    Abstract: An airfoil for a gas turbine engine includes a pressure side and a suction side, with a root and a tip wall. The pressure side and suction side extend beyond the tip wall to define a tip channel, defining a plurality of internal and external corners. A tip shelf can be defined in the pressure or suction sidewalls. A film hole can extend to the tip shelf, such that the film hole can be shaped to direct a flow of cooling fluid to the film hole to improve film cooling at the tip shelf.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jared Peter Buhler, Ronald Scott Bunker, Victor Hugo Silva Correia, Brian Kenneth Corsetti
  • Patent number: 10428664
    Abstract: A nozzle assembly for a gas turbine engine includes at least one pair of fixed vanes to define a nozzle between the pair of fixed vanes. The vanes can have an interior chamber defining a cooling circuit with a particle separator located within the interior chamber. The particle separator, which can comprise a virtual impactor, can have an accelerator for accelerating fluid moving through the virtual impactor such that the flow path is divided into a major flow moving into the interior chamber and a minor flow moving into a particle collector defined within the virtual impactor. The accelerator accelerates the fluid such that particles within the fluid are carried by their momentum into the particle collector with the minor flow, removing the particles from the major flow of fluid moving into the interior chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Hojjat Nasr, Ronald Scott Bunker, Gregory Michael Laskowski, Erich Alois Krammer