Axial Flow Runner Patents (Class 415/58.5)
  • Patent number: 6729839
    Abstract: Disclosed is an improved vortex attractor that utilizes a toroidal vortex within the attractor housing in order to establish a pressure differential between outside the device and inside. Furthermore, means to generate a cylindrical vortex to supplement the toroidal vortex are disclosed to increase attractor efficiency. The system of the present invention has the ability of achieving greater pressure drops than systems previously disclosed. Furthermore, it is easily fashioned into a flexible unit that can adapt to traversing curved surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Vortex Holding Company
    Inventors: Lewis Illingworth, David Reinfeld
  • Patent number: 6699008
    Abstract: The present invention is a device (100) for at least partially stabilizing an unstable fluid flow within a flow channel (103) by capturing at least a portion of the unstable fluid within a vaneless diffuser having a diffuser slot (104). The present invention also includes maintaining and harnessing a substantial portion of the energy contained in the fluid as it flows through the diffuser in order to utilize the fluid to improve the condition of the flow field. An example of a beneficial use includes discharging the diffuser effluent into the flow at other points critical to instability, hence reducing the overall instability of the flow channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: Concepts ETI, Inc.
    Inventor: David Japikse
  • Publication number: 20040037716
    Abstract: The invention relates to an exhaust gas turbocharger (1) having a housing and having a shaft (2) which is arranged so as to be capable of rotating about its longitudinal axis in the housing and on which a turbine wheel (4) and a compressor wheel (3) are seated and which is guided in radial bearings (5, 6) and in at least one axial bearing (9), the radial bearings (5, 6) being embodied as passive, permanent-magnetic bearings which each have a bearing plate (12, 16) which is seated on the shaft (2) as a rotor, and at least one stator (19, 20, 21, 22) which is disposed axially opposite to said rotor. In order to achieve a radial oscillation damping of the shaft (2) in a simple manner, it is proposed according to the invention that a resilient element (60, 61) is disposed between the stator (19, 20, 21, 22) and a part (37, 38) which is fixed to the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2003
    Publication date: February 26, 2004
    Inventor: Jens-Wolf Jaisle
  • Patent number: 6648591
    Abstract: A tip treatment assembly is provided including a tip treatment bar (16) and retaining means (24, 26) which cooperate with a retaining element (30, 32) to retain the tip treatment bar (16) with respect to support means (44) of the assembly. The retaining means (24, 26) may comprise a hole through the bar (16) through which the retaining element, in the form of wire 30, 32, extends. The tip treatment bars (16) can be formed by stamping from a sheet of material such as a suitable alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Larry Collins
  • Patent number: 6619909
    Abstract: An axial or centrifugal flow compressor having arrays of blades (16) extending across a working medium flowpath (18) includes a casing treatment for enhancing the compressor's fluid dynamic stability. The casing treatment features a circumferentially extending compartment (62), typically comprising a voluminous pressure compensation chamber (64) and a single passage (66) circumferentially coextensive with the chamber, for establishing fluid communication between the chamber and the flowpath. The voluminous character of the compartment attenuates the circumferential pressure difference across the tips of heavily loaded compressor blades (16), making the compressor less susceptible to tip vortex induced instabilities. In one embodiment of the invention, a passage (66) is oriented so that any fluid discharged from the passage enters the flowpath with a streamwise directional component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Barnett, Martin Graf, John A. Raw, Om Sharma, William D. Sprout
  • Patent number: 6591516
    Abstract: A hair dryer including a main body, a centrifugal fan, at least one air inlet and at least one inlet guide. The main body has an air outlet. The centrifugal fan is provided in the main body and configured to blow air toward the air outlet. The centrifugal fan has an intake side and an outer circumferential surface around a central axis of the centrifugal fan. The at least one air inlet is formed in the main body to face the intake side of the centrifugal fan. The at least one inlet guide is provided to project from an inside surface of the main body and extends along a circumference of the at least one air inlet to surround and face a part of the outer circumferential surface of the centrifugal fan along a circumference of the centrifugal fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Kamada, Yuji Yamane, Kazunori Nakasai, Kouji Asakawa
  • Patent number: 6585479
    Abstract: A cast assembly for a gas turbine engine compressor, the compressor including a plurality of axial flow stators and a rotor having a plurality of axial flow blades, each of the blades having a tip section and a leading edge. The assembly comprises a stator outer platform, a boss, a passage, a blade outer shroud and a circumferential slot. A boss is formed in the platform and includes a passage. The passage includes an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is disposed in the circumferential slot. The outlet being disposed upstream of the leading edge of the blades. The passage circumferentially converges inward from the inlet to the outlet. The outer shroud joins with said outer platform during the assembly of the compressor such that the circumferential slot is formed downstream and proximate to the leading edge of the blades. The circumferential slot is in flow communication with the inlet and converges axially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Mark Torrance
  • Publication number: 20030035715
    Abstract: A cast assembly for a gas turbine engine compressor, the compressor including a plurality of axial flow stators and a rotor having a plurality of axial flow blades, each of the blades having a tip section and a leading edge. The assembly comprises a stator outer platform, a boss, a passage, a blade outer shroud and a circumferential slot. A boss is formed in the platform and includes a passage. The passage includes an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is disposed in the circumferential slot. The outlet being disposed upstream of the leading edge of the blades. The passage circumferentially converges inward from the inlet to the outlet. The outer shroud joins with said outer platform during the assembly of the compressor such that the circumferential slot is formed downstream and proximate to the leading edge of the blades. The circumferential slot is in flow communication with the inlet and converges axially.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2001
    Publication date: February 20, 2003
    Inventor: Mark Torrance
  • Patent number: 6514034
    Abstract: A pump, comprising: an impeller 1 having blades; and a casing 121 for storing the impeller therein, on an inner surface of which, confronting to the impeller, are formed plural numbers of shallow grooves 124 in a direction of pressure gradient of fluid, around a periphery thereof, wherein the fluid being increased up in pressure by the blades 122 flows within the grooves in a reverse direction, directing to an upstream side, so as to spout out at a place where re-circulations occur when the flow rate is low in amount. Also, an outlet angle of the blade 122 is set to be within a region from 30 degree to 90 degree. Further, preferably, front guide vanes 11 are provided, so that a direction of absolute flow at an outlet of the impeller is directed into an axial direction of the pump at an amount of designed flow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoyoshi Okamura, Kouichi Irie, Taiji Hashimoto, Hitoharu Kimura
  • Patent number: 6514039
    Abstract: Tip treatment bars 16 of a rotor casing 2 for a gas turbine engine are subjected to a process which induces compressive stress within the bars 16. The process may be a laser shock peening process applied to opposite sides 20 of each bar 16. The processing of the tip treatment bars 16 renders them less susceptible to fatigue failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Derek George Hand
  • Publication number: 20020122718
    Abstract: A tip treatment bar (16) for a gas turbine engine has a damping coating (24) applied to one or more sides. The coating (24) may be a hard ceramic, for example Magnesia Alumina Spinel, and this may be plasma sprayed directly on to the bar (16) or applied to a substrate (26) which may then be applied to the bar (16).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2002
    Publication date: September 5, 2002
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC.
    Inventors: Andrew Motherwell, Brynley Clark
  • Patent number: 6432302
    Abstract: This circulation device is equipped with a water impeller that is larger than and tightly fitted over the top of the draft tube through which the water from the pond or reservoir is drawn. The water drawn up and directed outwardly over a large diffuser plate that is centrally located within the invention. The outer edge of the diffuser plate is equipped with a laminar flow diffuser lip which is specifically designed to inhibit the passage of water from the diffuser plate to the open water as little as possible. Additionally, a means of providing a floating water circulation apparatus with the ability to operate effectively in weather conditions in which a layer of ice is likely to form over the diffusor plat of the apparatus in the nighttime hours is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignees: PSI-ETS, A ND Partnership
    Inventors: Tait Joseph Obritsch, Willard Richard Tormaschy, Wayne Everet Ruzicka, Joel John Bleth, Gary Allen Kudrna
  • Patent number: 6409470
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine casing includes a tip treatment ring 20 which comprises end supports 18 which support tip treatment bars 16. Each tip treatment bar 16 is mounted at its ends within the respective end supports 18 by damping elements 22, which isolate the bar 16 from the end supports 18. The elements 22 damp vibrations induced in the tip treatment bars 16 so inhibiting the initiation of high cycle fatigue cracking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce, PLC
    Inventors: Peter Allford, Mark J. Houle
  • Patent number: 6302640
    Abstract: An axial fan includes a hub within a housing. A cavity is formed between the hub and housing. A plurality of blades is on the hub, with an air separator ring disposed operatively adjacent to the blades. The ring supports a plurality of vanes that are longitudinally aligned with the blades. A diverter is disposed operatively adjacent to the vanes so that the diverter directs a skip-stall air flow about the ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: AlliedSignal Inc.
    Inventor: Wilfred G. McKelvey
  • Patent number: 6231301
    Abstract: An axial flow or centrifugal flow compressor having arrays of blades (16) extending across a working medium flowpath (18) includes a casing treatment for enhancing the compressor's fluid dynamic stability. In one variant of the invention the casing treatment comprises one or more circumferentially extending grooves (40) that each receive indigenous fluid from the compressor flowpath at a fluid extraction site (56) and discharge indigenous fluid into the flowpath at a fluid injection site (58), circumferentially offset from the extraction site, where the migrated fluid is better able to advance against an adverse pressure gradient in the flowpath. Each groove is oriented so that the discharged fluid enters the flowpath with a streamwise directional component that promotes efficient and reliable integration of the introduced fluid into the flowpath fluid stream (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Barnett, Martin Graf, John A. Raw, Om Sharma, William D. Sprout