Patents by Inventor Thomas Earl Gillingham

Thomas Earl Gillingham 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: 11927103
    Abstract: A method of mitigating thermal rotor bow in a rotor assembly of a turbine engine may include performing a plurality of motoring cycles. The plurality of motoring cycles may include receiving feedback on a temperature within a turbine engine in a post-shutdown state, actuating a starter motor when the temperature is greater than a predetermined threshold, operating the starter motor for a motoring time to exhaust some residual heat from the turbine engine, and shutting down the starter motor after the motoring time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Charles Hon, Amid Ansari, Michael Scott McCambridge, Thomas Earl Gillingham
  • Patent number: 11686212
    Abstract: A method of operating a turbine engine that includes shutting down the turbine engine such that a rotational speed of the turbine engine decreases, and actuating a starter motor of the turbine engine at one of as the rotational speed of the turbine engine decreases or at a preset time after the turbine engine receives a full stop command such that residual heat is exhausted from the turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Charles Hon, Amid Ansari, Michael Scott McCambridge, Thomas Earl Gillingham
  • Patent number: 11268446
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine and method of starting, the gas turbine engine having a rotor comprising at least a shaft mounted compressor and turbine, with a casing surrounding the rotor. The method comprises an acceleration phase, a bowed-rotor cooling phase, during the acceleration, and a combustion phase. The bowed-rotor cooling phase comprises a time where the rotational speed of the rotor is maintained below a bowed-rotor threshold speed until a non-bowed condition is satisfied, wherein the air forced through the gas turbine engine cools the rotor. The combustion phase occurs after the bowed-rotor cooling phase and upon reaching the combustion speed, wherein fuel is supplied to the gas turbine engine is turned on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Joseph Daniel Garrett, III, Mark Edward Linz, Tod Robert Steen, Thomas Charles Swager, Andrew Todd Lehmann, Michael Scott McCambridge, Robert Charles Hon, Thomas Earl Gillingham, Daniel Roy Kiracofe, Kenneth Kirchmayer, Joseph Roger Broda, Kevin Richard Graziano, Steven Alan Ross, Amid Ansari
  • Publication number: 20220049619
    Abstract: A method of mitigating thermal rotor bow in a rotor assembly of a turbine engine may include performing a plurality of motoring cycles. The plurality of motoring cycles may include receiving feedback on a temperature within a turbine engine in a post-shutdown state, actuating a starter motor when the temperature is greater than a predetermined threshold, operating the starter motor for a motoring time to exhaust some residual heat from the turbine engine, and shutting down the starter motor after the motoring time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Inventors: Robert Charles Hon, Amid Ansari, Michael Scott McCambridge, Thomas Earl Gillingham
  • Publication number: 20200240329
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine and method of starting, the gas turbine engine having a rotor comprising at least a shaft mounted compressor and turbine, with a casing surrounding the rotor. The method comprises an acceleration phase, a bowed-rotor cooling phase, during the acceleration, and a combustion phase. The bowed-rotor cooling phase comprises a time where the rotational speed of the rotor is maintained below a bowed-rotor threshold speed until a non-bowed condition is satisfied, wherein the air forced through the gas turbine engine cools the rotor. The combustion phase occurs after the bowed-rotor cooling phase and upon reaching the combustion speed, wherein fuel is supplied to the gas turbine engine is turned on.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Inventors: Amid Ansari, Joseph Roger Broda, Thomas Earl Gillingham, Kevin Richard Graziano, Robert Charles Hon, Kenneth Kirchmayer, Daniel Roy Kiracofe, Andrew Todd Lehmann, Michael Scott McCambridge, Tod Robert Steen, Thomas Charles Swager
  • Patent number: 10724443
    Abstract: A method of operating a turbine engine that includes actuating a starter motor of the turbine engine such that a motoring speed of the turbine engine increases, and actuating a plurality of variable stator vanes of the turbine engine such that the plurality of variable stator vanes are at least partially open to control the motoring speed of the turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Charles Hon, Thomas Charles Swager, Andrew Todd Lehmann, Michael Scott McCambridge, Thomas Earl Gillingham, Joseph Roger Broda, Kevin Richard Graziano, Amid Ansari, Kenneth Lee Kirchmayer, Tod Robert Steen, Daniel Roy Kiracofe
  • Patent number: 10502139
    Abstract: A method of starting a gas turbine engine having a rotor comprising at least a shaft-mounted compressor and turbine, with a casing surrounding the rotor includes an acceleration phase, a bowed-rotor cooling phase, during the acceleration, and a combustion phase. The bowed-rotor cooling phase comprises a time where the rotational speed of the rotor is maintained below a bowed-rotor threshold speed until a non-bowed condition is satisfied, wherein the air forced through the gas turbine engine cools the rotor. The combustion phase occurs after the bowed-rotor cooling phase and upon reaching the combustion speed, wherein fuel is supplied to the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Steven Alan Ross, Mark Edward Linz, Joseph Daniel Garrett, III, Amid Ansari, Joseph Roger Broda, Thomas Earl Gillingham, Kevin Richard Graziano, Robert Charles Hon, Kenneth Kirchmayer, Daniel Roy Kiracofe, Andrew Todd Lehmann, Michael Scott McCambridge, Tod Robert Steen, Thomas Charles Swager
  • Patent number: 10125690
    Abstract: A start-up system including a control system controlling a partial opening of an air intake valve of a start-up turbine during a first phase of the start-up. The start-up turbine is capable of turning a rotor of the turbomachine for the purpose of the start-up, so as to prevent the rotor from encountering critical frequencies of the turbomachine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignees: AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS, AIRBUS OPERATIONS S.L., GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Patrick Zaccaria, Philippe Chareyre, Pio Fernandez-Lopez, Carlos Casado-Montero, Amid Ansari, Thomas Earl Gillingham, Robert Charles Hon, Daniel Roy Kiracofe, Kenneth Kirchmayer, Michael Scott McCambridge, Tod Robert Steen
  • Publication number: 20170342855
    Abstract: A method of operating a turbine engine that includes shutting down the turbine engine such that a rotational speed of the turbine engine decreases, and actuating a starter motor of the turbine engine at one of as the rotational speed of the turbine engine decreases or at a preset time after the turbine engine receives a full stop command such that residual heat is exhausted from the turbine engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Inventors: Robert Charles Hon, Amid Ansari, Michael Scott McCambridge, Thomas Earl Gillingham
  • Publication number: 20170342908
    Abstract: A method of operating a turbine engine that includes actuating a starter motor of the turbine engine such that a motoring speed of the turbine engine increases, and actuating a plurality of variable stator vanes of the turbine engine such that the plurality of variable stator vanes are at least partially open to control the motoring speed of the turbine engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Inventors: Robert Charles Hon, Thomas Charles Swager, Andrew Todd Lehmann, Michael Scott McCambridge, Thomas Earl Gillingham, Joseph Roger Broda, Kevin Richard Graziano, Amid Ansari, Kenneth Kirchmayer, Tod Robert Steen, Daniel Roy Kiracofe
  • Publication number: 20160348588
    Abstract: A method of starting a gas turbine engine having a rotor comprising at least a shaft mounted compressor and turbine, with a casing surrounding the rotor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2015
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: Steven Alan Ross, Mark Edward Linz, Joseph Daniel Garrett, III, Amid Ansari, Joseph Roger Broda, Thomas Earl Gillingham, Kevin Richard Graziano, Robert Charles Hon, Kenneth Kirchmayer, Daniel Roy Kiracofe, Andrew Todd Lehmann, Michael Scott McCambrige, Tod Robert Steen, Thomas Charles Swager