Patents by Inventor Scott Matthew Sparks

Scott Matthew Sparks 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: 9488055
    Abstract: A turbine engine is provided and includes an aerodynamic element disposed to aerodynamically interact with a flow of working fluid and contour features disposed on the aerodynamic element in alignment in at least one dimension. The contour features are proximate to one another and configured to encourage counter-rotating vortex flow generation oriented substantially perpendicularly with respect to a main flow direction along the aerodynamic element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Scott Matthew Sparks
  • Publication number: 20150167979
    Abstract: The present application and the resultant patent provide a disruptive surface on a trailing edge of a stage one nozzle or transition nozzle to promote mixing of respective combustion streams downstream thereof before entry into a first stage bucket of a turbine. For example, in one embodiment, a gas turbine engine may include a combustor having a combustion flow. The gas turbine engine also may include one or more airfoils forming a first stage nozzle or s transition nozzle disposed downstream of the combustor. Moreover, the gas turbine engine may include a flow disruption surface positioned about a trailing edge of the one or more airfoils to promote mixing of the combustion flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2013
    Publication date: June 18, 2015
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gunnar Leif Siden, Scott Matthew Sparks, Clint L. Ingram, Sylvain Pierre, Neil Ristau
  • Publication number: 20130330183
    Abstract: A turbine engine is provided and includes an aerodynamic element disposed to aerodynamically interact with a flow of working fluid and contour features disposed on the aerodynamic element in alignment in at least one dimension. The contour features are proximate to one another and configured to encourage counter-rotating vortex flow generation oriented substantially perpendicularly with respect to a main flow direction along the aerodynamic element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Scott Matthew Sparks
  • Publication number: 20130330184
    Abstract: An aerodynamic element of a turbine engine is provided and includes leading and trailing edges defined with respect to a predominant direction of a flow of working fluid through a pathway defined through the turbine engine, suction and pressure sides oppositely extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge and at least first and second contour features proximate to the leading edge on the suction side. The first and second contour features are substantially aligned along a spanwise dimension of the aerodynamic element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Scott Matthew Sparks
  • Patent number: 8480372
    Abstract: A system including an airfoil portion of an unshrouded turbine bucket, which includes a pressure-side surface and suction-side surface each extending from a root surface to a tip surface and joined at a leading edge and a trailing edge, the pressure-side surface having a generally concave shape and the suction-side surface having a generally convex shape; the airfoil portion having an increasing stagger angle in a span-wise direction from the root surface to the tip surface and an increasingly loaded suction-side surface as the suction-side surface approaches the tip surface and the tip surface approaches the leading edge, the airfoil portion having a resultant lean in a direction of the suction-side surface as the leading edge approaches the tip surface, and the pressure-side surface and the suction-side surface each having a locally reduced or reversed curvature in a direction of the pressure-side surface at their intersection with the tip surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Scott Matthew Sparks
  • Publication number: 20110052373
    Abstract: A turning strut for use in a diffuser of a turbine engine has a leading edge with first and second opposing surfaces depending therefrom that terminate at a trailing edge. Slots extend through the turning strut and reduce in volume from the first surface to the second surface. During turn down operation of the turbine engine, exhaust flow impacts the leading edge at a deviated swirl angle. This results in exhaust flow at the first surface being at a higher pressure than at the second surface, which causes exhaust flow to be induced through the slots. The reduction in slot volume causes exhaust flow through the slots to accelerate. This exhaust flow from the slots is combined with exhaust flow at the second surface. Thusly, momentum of exhaust flow at the second surface is increased to maintain the second laminar boundary layer at the second surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Scott Matthew Sparks
  • Publication number: 20100111674
    Abstract: A system including an airfoil portion of an unshrouded turbine bucket, which includes a pressure-side surface and suction-side surface each extending from a root surface to a tip surface and joined at a leading edge and a trailing edge, the pressure-side surface having a generally concave shape and the suction-side surface having a generally convex shape; the airfoil portion having an increasing stagger angle in a span-wise direction from the root surface to the tip surface and an increasingly loaded suction-side surface as the suction-side surface approaches the tip surface and the tip surface approaches the leading edge, the airfoil portion having a resultant lean in a direction of the suction-side surface as the leading edge approaches the tip surface, and the pressure-side surface and the suction-side surface each having a locally reduced or reversed curvature in a direction of the pressure-side surface at their intersection with the tip surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2008
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Scott Matthew Sparks
  • Patent number: 6769879
    Abstract: First stage turbine buckets have airfoil profiles substantially in accordance with Cartesian coordinate values of X, Y and Z set forth Table I wherein X and Y values are in inches and the Z values are non-dimensional values from 0.05 span to 0.95 span convertible to Z distances in inches by multiplying the Z values by the height of the airfoil in inches. The X and Y values are distances which, when connected by smooth continuing arcs, define airfoil profile sections at each distance Z. The profile sections at each distance Z are joined smoothly to one another to form a complete airfoil shape. The X, Y and Z distances may be scalable as a function of the same constant or number to provide a scaled up or scaled down airfoil section for the bucket. The nominal airfoil given by the X, Y and Z distances lies within an envelope of ±0.150 inches in directions normal to the surface of the airfoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Peter Gaines Cleveland, Thomas Bradley Beddard, Scott Matthew Sparks, Joseph Anthony Weber, James Bernard Fehlberg