Tined Or Irregular Periphery Patents (Class 416/228)
  • Patent number: 8167572
    Abstract: A turbine blade growth pocket provides a feature to measure blade growth due to engine operation while maintaining dynamic characteristics of the turbine blade within acceptable limits by providing a variable radius fillet between the pocket and a side rail of the pocket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Marc Tardif, Harris Shafique, Mario Guerra
  • Patent number: 8167569
    Abstract: An inventive self-aligning blade joint structure is provided to facilitate assembly and clamping of wind turbine blade sections carried on a transporter. The blade joint structure includes alignment pins on one end bulkhead of a blade body section at the joint and complimentary female bushings on a bulkhead of an adjacent blade body section to permit fine alignment of the joint. The blade joint structure also includes through holes in the end bulkheads for the adjacent blade body sections to permit clamping of the sections in preparation for application of adhesive bonding to the joint. A pair of male scarfed surfaces of spar caps extend from one blade section into the second blade section and engage female scarfed surfaces of spar caps formed in the second blade section and recessed from the joint. An inventive method is provided to utilize the self-aligning blade joint structure for assembly of the blade sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Jamie T. Livingston
  • Publication number: 20120100001
    Abstract: A fan structure includes a hub and a plurality of blades extending from the periphery of the hub. The airflow generated by the fan forms a boundary layer on the surface of each blade. The present invention is characterized in that: each of the blades is provided with a plurality of polygonal dents, a turbulent flow is generated in each dent when the airflow passes through the dent, a plurality of the turbulent flows collect together to form an air film between the surface of blade and the boundary layer. By this structure, the distance of separating points from the boundary layer is extended, and the frictional force and noise caused by the rotation of the blades are reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2010
    Publication date: April 26, 2012
    Inventor: Cheng-Kang CHEN
  • Patent number: 8162613
    Abstract: An angled fan blade extension includes an attachment portion and an angled portion. The attachment portion is configured to facilitate securing the angled fan blade extension to the distal end of a fan blade. The angled portion is configured to extend from the distal end of the attachment portion, creating an angled extension relative to the fan blade. Adding angular fan blade extensions to fan blades may improve the airflow control, and thereby increase the utility and efficiencies of a fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Delta T Corporation
    Inventors: Richard A. Oleson, Richard M. Aynsley, Dale R. Jury
  • Patent number: 8137057
    Abstract: A compressor assembly (304) includes a compressor housing (312) having a main air inlet (324) and an annular wall (328) defining an inducer bore (325). A secondary inlet passage (322) is disposed around the inducer bore (325). The secondary inlet passage (322) has an inlet slot (320) operatively intersecting the inducer bore (325) to permit the entry of a fluid thereinto through an inlet port (327). The inlet slot (320) advantageously defines an augmented inducer diameter region (331). Preferably the secondary inlet passage (322) may be selectively partially or completely isolated from the main air inlet (324). A compressor wheel (318) is located in the compressor housing (312) and has a stepped portion (330) formed by at least one plurality of vanes (238) operatively associated with the augmented inducer diameter region (331) adjacent to the inlet slot (320) of the housing (312) to receive fluid therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: International Engine Entellectual Property Company, LLC
    Inventors: Terry G. Wood, Elias P. Soupos
  • Publication number: 20120063909
    Abstract: A fan blade (10) for a turbofan aero engine comprises a blade body including a root (10c) for engagement with a rotor, and a tip, wherein the tip is provided with a winglet (14).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2011
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventor: Kristofer J. BOTTOME
  • Patent number: 8133012
    Abstract: Sectional profiles close to a tip 124 and a part between a midportion 125 and a hub 123 are shifted to the upstream of an operating fluid flow in a sweep direction. Accordingly, an S shape is formed in which the tip 124 and the part between the midportion 125 and the hub 123 protrude. As a result, it is possible reduce various losses due to shook, waves, thereby forming a transonic airfoil having an excellent aerodynamic characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naonori Nagai, Junji Iwatani
  • Patent number: 8133025
    Abstract: A turbine blade system relating to a tip device appended to the blade tip of a turbine. The tip device controls the flow of air to ultimately reduce noise signatures while increasing aerodynamic efficiency. Passive or actively controlled configurations also permit the user to adjust the pitch angle of the tip device for maximum efficiency rather than making less effective adjustments to the entire turbine blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: ARI Green Technology, LLC
    Inventors: Anan Li, Pier Marzoca, Reginald Trevor Taylor
  • Patent number: 8128376
    Abstract: Blades for rotorcraft are designed and/or implemented with rotor blades having a swept portion that occupies at least 20-40% of a length of the blade. Forward and aft sweeps are contemplated, with up to 20° or more of sweep. The swept portion preferably has a thickness ration of at least 10-20% at R80, and can have a tapered planform with a relatively outboard section having a smaller chord than a relatively inboard section. Contemplated design methods include optimizing or otherwise designing the rotor blade planform and lift distribution along the blade for efficiency in various flight conditions without taking into account the detrimental effects of high Mach numbers, and then using sweep angle, airfoil thickness and transonic airfoil shaping to maintain the lift distribution, low drag and low noise level at real Mach numbers at the various blade stations at the various flight conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Inventor: Abe Karem
  • Patent number: 8113782
    Abstract: An impeller structure includes a hub having a central spindle, and an impeller. The impeller has a top connection ring, a bottom connection ring, a pressure-retaining ring and a plurality of blades vertically arranged around the periphery of the hub. A top side outer edge of each blade is connected with a top connection ring, an bottom side of the inner side of the blade is connected with a bottom connection ring, the outer side is connected with the pressure-retaining ring, and a plurality of ribs extend outwards from the bottom edge of the periphery of the hub connecting with the bottom connection ring. A pressure relief hole is provided between the pressure-retaining ring and the bottom connection ring. When air passes through the pressure relief hole, a pressure effect is generated, increasing air pressure and volume of blower, alleviating turbulence. The pressure-retaining ring also reinforces the blade strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Sunonwealth Electric Machine Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Alex Horng, Chen-His Lee
  • Publication number: 20120027590
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly and a method for reducing the noise of a rotor blade for a wind turbine are disclosed. The rotor blade has surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root. The rotor blade assembly further includes a noise reducer configured on a surface of the rotor blade, the noise reducer including a plurality of noise reduction features. Each of the plurality of noise reduction features includes a first surface and a second surface. The first surface includes a first portion mounted to one of the pressure side or the suction side and a second portion configured to interact with wind flowing past the other of the pressure side or the suction side. The second surface interrupts an aerodynamic contour of the one of the pressure side or the suction side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Laurent Bonnet
  • Patent number: 8100648
    Abstract: An improved rotor blade used in combination with a submersible electrical generator comprises a rotor base with width BW, a leading edge, a tip, and a trailing edge. The leading edge and the trailing edge are defined as elliptical curves having a radius of 8.0 BW. The rotor has a surface area profile substantially in accordance with the Cartesian coordinate values X and Y set forth in Table I. The rotor blade can be functionally connected to a rotor shaft through a pivotal support axial which allows the pitch of the blade to be set and maintained. The pitch is set to harness the kinetic energy of flowing water for generating electricity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Inventor: Fred K. Carr
  • Patent number: 8100658
    Abstract: An axial-flow fluid machine blade which achieves reduction of the frictional loss of the blade and provision of a high surge-resistant property is provided. An axial-flow fluid machine blade 60 used for an axial-flow fluid machine includes a leading edge 61 projecting at the tip portion and the root portion thereof toward the upstream side and a trailing edge 62 projecting at the tip portion, the mid-span portion and the root portion thereof toward the downstream side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Iida, Junji Iwatani
  • Patent number: 8100661
    Abstract: A wind turbine rotor blade is provided which includes a root end and a tip end located opposite the root end. A leading edge extends from the root end to the tip end. A trailing edge extends from the root end to the tip end. A span direction is defined by a line extending linearly from the root end to the tip end. A chord direction is perpendicular to the span direction and lies in the plane extending through the leading edge and the trailing edge. A shoulder is the point of the maximum chord-wise extension. An airfoil portion extends from the shoulder to the tip end. The airfoil portion comprises a span-wise interval begging before the tip end and extending to or close to the tip end and in which the distribution of the chord-wise extension is increased as compared to the load optimised distribution of the chord-wise extension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Peder Bay Enevoldsen, Søren Hjort, Rune Rubak
  • Patent number: 8092185
    Abstract: A cooling fan (10) includes a bottom plate (12) a top cover (14) covering the bottom plate, a sidewall (13) disposed between the bottom plate and the top cover, and an impeller (16) enclosed in a space formed between the bottom plate, the top cover and the sidewall. The impeller includes a hub (162), and a plurality of blades (164) radially and outwardly extending from the hub. Each of the blades includes a windward surface (164a) and a leeward surface (164b) opposite to the windward surface. The leeward surface of each blade defines three indents (171, 172, 173) therein. Two protrusions (174) are formed between adjacent indents. The uneven leeward surface is provided for lowering the noise level generated by the cooling fan during an operation thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignees: Fu Zhun Precision Industry (Shen Zhen) Co., Ltd., Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ching-Bai Hwang, Zhi-Hui Zhao, Ran Lin
  • Patent number: 8092179
    Abstract: An example turbine blade includes a blade having an airfoil profile extending radially toward a blade tip. A shelf is established in the blade tip. A sealing portion of the blade tip extends radially past a floor of the shelf. The sealing portion extends from a blade tip leading edge to a blade tip trailing edge. A groove is established in the blade tip. The groove extends from adjacent the shelf to adjacent the blade tip trailing edge. The groove is configured to communicate a fluid from a position adjacent the shelf to a position adjacent the blade tip trailing edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Corneil S. Paauwe, Brandon W. Spangler
  • Publication number: 20110318189
    Abstract: A crossflow fan includes a rotary impeller formed by curved blades 42. Each of the blades 42 has an outer peripheral edge 43 close to the centrifugal side of the impeller and an inner peripheral edge 44 close to the rotation axis side of the impeller. A plurality of cutouts 45 are formed in the outer peripheral edge 43 and spaced apart at predetermined intervals. Dimples 48 for changing a boundary layer from a laminar flow to a turbulent flow are formed in a negative pressure surface 4q of each blade 42 in the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge 43 to prevent the gas flowing around the blade 42 from separating from the blade 42.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2010
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Inventors: Hironobu Teraoka, Shimei Tei, Toru Iwata
  • Patent number: 8083488
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly is disclosed. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade and a blade extension. The rotor blade has a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root. The rotor blade further has an aerodynamic profile. The blade extension is mounted to the rotor blade. The blade extension includes a cutaway mounting portion for mounting the blade extension to the rotor blade such that the blade extension is generally flush with at least one of the pressure side or the suction side of the rotor blade. The cutaway mounting portion defines a notch configured to locate the blade extension relative to the rotor blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Peter James Fritz
  • Patent number: 8083487
    Abstract: A method of fabricating an airfoil is provided. The method includes fabricating at least one airfoil including a suction side and a pressure side coupled together at a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein the airfoil includes a plurality of first and second chord sections each extending between the trailing and leading edges, wherein at least one of the first chord sections extends outward from the pressure side of the airfoil at the trailing edge, and at least one of the second chord sections extends outward from the suction side of the airfoil at the trailing edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Trevor Howard Wood, Anurag Gupta, Ludwig Christian Haber, Philip Roger Gliebe
  • Patent number: 8083470
    Abstract: A fan includes a frame, a motor and an impeller. The motor is disposed on the frame and coupled to the impeller to drive the impeller to rotate. The impeller includes a hub, a plurality of blades and an air exhausting structure. The hub has an opening formed on a top portion of the hub. The blades are disposed around the hub. The air exhausting structure is disposed in the opening for discharging hot airs generated by the motor out of the hub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Delta Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Po-Hao Yu, Chen-Min Wang
  • Patent number: 8083484
    Abstract: A turbine rotor blade for a gas turbine engine including an airfoil and dovetail for mounting the airfoil along a radial axis to a rotor disk inboard of a turbine shroud, the airfoil comprising: a pressure sidewall and a suction sidewall that join together at a leading edge and a trailing edge, the pressure sidewall and suction sidewall extending from a root to a tip plate; a pressure tip wall that extends radially outwardly from the tip plate, traversing from the leading edge to the trailing edge such that the pressure tip wall resides approximately adjacent to the termination of the pressure sidewall; a suction tip wall that extends radially outwardly from the tip plate, traversing from the leading edge to the trailing edge such that the suction tip wall resides approximately adjacent to the termination of the suction sidewall; and one or more tip ribs that extend substantially between the pressure tip wall and the suction tip wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Anca Hatman
  • Patent number: 8079819
    Abstract: The use of premium material in the construction of wind turbine blades may provide increases in blade efficiency and enable the use of thinner blades. By providing a spar cap having a section of premium material having a constant thickness, the use of the premium material may be optimized to provide a more effective use of premium material. Additional material, which may be less expensive as well as heavier, may be added near the blade root to provide additional strength and stiffness to the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Inventor: Michael D. Zuteck
  • Patent number: 8070454
    Abstract: A turbine airfoil with a relatively thick TBC applied over the airfoil surface. The airfoil has a surface contour on the trailing edge region with a forward end having a large amount of taper and a rearward end with less taper such that a substantially constant wall thickness is formed in the rearward end. The TBC is applied over the airfoil surface and tapers off at the trailing edge ends on the pressure side and the suction side walls to produce an ideal surface contour on the airfoil. In another embodiment, the airfoil surface includes a tapered section at the trailing edge region, and the TBC is applied over the taper so that an over-coating is formed. The TBC over-coating is then removed and a smooth and ideal surface contour is produced along the airfoil surface. Small raised bumps each having a height of the desired thickness of the TBC to be applied over the respective bump is used to control the finished thickness of the TBC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher K. Rawlings
  • Patent number: 8068339
    Abstract: There is provided an axial fan apparatus including an axial-flow impeller, a drive unit, and a housing. The axial-flow impeller is capable of rotating and includes a plurality of blades inclined with respect to a rotational axis direction. The drive unit rotates the axial-flow impeller. The housing is mounted with the drive unit, and includes a sidewall, and a plurality of slits that circulate gas. The sidewall is provided around the axial-flow impeller. The plurality of slits are provided to the sidewall and inclined with respect to the rotational axis direction in a direction opposed to a direction in which the plurality of blades incline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shun Kayama, Yukiko Shimizu, Kazutoshi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8066485
    Abstract: A turbine rotor blade with a single tip rail on the suction side of the blade tip, and in which the pressure side tip edge includes a row of trench film slots that each having side walls that are open on the pressure side wall and extend onto the tip floor and have side walls with a curvature toward the trailing edge of the blade tip. The trench film slots also have a curved inboard surface and a curved outboard surface in which the inboard surface curvature is less than the outboard surface curvature. The tip rail includes a slot opening onto the top surface and extending the length of the tip rail with a row of metering and cooling holes opening into the slot. The metering and cooling holes have a curvature toward the pressure side edge of the tip floor to increase a heat transfer rate form the metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: George Liang
  • Patent number: 8061990
    Abstract: A turbine rotor blade with a series of 3-pass serpentine flow near wall cooling circuits that extend along the airfoil to provide low flow cooling for the blade. the 3-pass serpentine circuits include a first channel positioned along the pressure side wall to provide near wall cooling, a third channel positioned along the suction side wall to provide near wall cooling, and a second or middle channel located between the two near wall channels in the cooler section of the airfoil. The two near wall radial extending cooling channels flow in a direction toward the blade tip so that the centrifugal force developed due to blade rotation will aid in driving the flow while the second channel is without trip strips and has a larger flow area to minimize flow loss. The first channel with cooler air provides near wall cooling to the hotter sections of the airfoil while the third channel uses the heated air to provide cooling to the cooler sections of the airfoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: John E Ryznic
  • Patent number: 8057189
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade has a leading edge and a trailing edge and includes an upper shell member and a lower shell member. The shell members include transversely spaced attachment edge that are spaced rearward of the leading edge. A preformed bond cap having opposite legs with rearward edges is mounted to the attachment edges of the upper and lower shell members. The bond cap is preformed into an aerodynamic parabolic shape and size so as to define the leading edge of said blade and lie essentially flush with the upper and lower shell members. The bond cap defines a primary external bonding bridge between the upper and lower shell members and defines at least a portion of the leading edge of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Amir Riahi
  • Publication number: 20110268558
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade having surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root. The rotor blade assembly further includes a noise reducer mounted to a surface of the rotor blade, the noise reducer comprising a plurality of noise reduction features. The rotor blade assembly further includes a bond layer disposed between the noise reducer and the rotor blade for bonding the noise reducer to the rotor blade, the bond layer having a shear modulus approximately equal to or less than 500 megapascals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Howard D. Driver, Wendy Wen-Ling Lin
  • Patent number: 8029241
    Abstract: A wind turbine includes a plurality of rotor blades, with each blade having a root portion connected to a rotor hub and an airfoil portion extending radially outward from the rotor hub. The airfoil portion further includes a main foil section and a winglet pivotally connected to the main foil section so as to pivot from an in-line position wherein the rotor blade has a first sweep length to an articulated position wherein the rotor blade has a second sweep length. In the articulated position, the winglet may pivot to not more than 90 degrees relative to a longitudinal axis of the main foil section. A deployable sleeve may be connected to the winglet so as to extend between the winglet and the main foil section in the articulated position of the winglet. The sleeve is stowable within either or both of the main foil section or the winglet in the in-line position of the winglet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Edward Lee McGrath, David Samuel Pesetsky, Jing Wang
  • Publication number: 20110223030
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade having surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root. The rotor blade assembly further includes a noise reducer configured on a surface of the rotor blade. The noise reducer includes a plurality of noise reduction features and a plurality of auxiliary noise reduction features. Each of the plurality of auxiliary noise reduction features is configured on one of the plurality of noise reduction features.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Publication date: September 15, 2011
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Robert Karl Huck, Kevin Wayne Kinzie, James Paul Davidson, Roger Drobietz
  • Publication number: 20110215585
    Abstract: A wind tower system includes a number of wind tower system rotor blades formed with substantially clear composite fiber reinforced polymer (FRP), resin and hardener polymers, a nacelle made at least partially from composite FRP or a steel-based, a hub connecting the plurality of wind tower system rotor blades to the nacelle and a tower upon which the nacelle is connected. The wind tower system rotor blades are designed for minimizing wind turbulence and, therefore, sound during active wind tower system operation and freely transmit light to minimize blade light reflectivity and therefore visual presence and wherein the nacelle and tower are coated to reduce visual impact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Publication date: September 8, 2011
    Inventor: Richard CAIRES
  • Publication number: 20110217170
    Abstract: A rotor blade comprising a core blade section; and a trailing edge section, the trailing edge section being attached to the core blade section along a join interface. The trailing edge section comprises a shape memory material which is actuable so as to cause selective deformation of the trailing edge section between a first condition in which a trailing edge of the trailing edge section follows a substantially smooth profile and a second condition in which the trailing edge is perturbed. The direction of the perturbation may be oblique or perpendicular to the direction of flow over the blade in use. The rotor blade may be a fan or propeller for a gas turbine engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2010
    Publication date: September 8, 2011
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventors: Cosimo BUFFONE, John R. WEBSTER, Ian C.D. CARE
  • Patent number: 8011889
    Abstract: A turbine blade for use in an industrial gas turbine engine, especially for the first stage turbine blade, in which the blade includes a squealer tip with a pressure side tip rail extending all the way top the trailing edge of the tip and a suction side tip rail with a cut back adjacent to the trailing edge to form a cooling air flow path from the squealer pocket and up and over the cut back in the suction side tip rail. The floor of the squealer pocket includes a series of skewed trip strips in the location of the cut back in the tip end, the trip strips being skewed in a direction to direct the cooling air toward the cut back. Rows of film cooling holes extend along the pressure and suction sides of the blade just below the tip rails to provide cooling for the tip rails. Tip cooling holes are located on the squealer pocket floor upstream from the trip strips and along the tip rail walls to provide cooling within the pocket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: George Liang
  • Patent number: 8007241
    Abstract: A radial fan comprises a base with a plurality of straight primary blades radially oriented and substantially uniformly spaced around the circumference of the base. A like plurality of splitter vanes are interspersed between successive primary blades. The splitter vanes have a length that is about 50-70% of the length of the primary blades. The inner edges of the splitter vanes are angled to improve airflow through the inlet area between primary blades while reducing the occurrence of vortices and recirculation. The addition of splitter vanes increases the airflow capacity of the fan without any significant increase in operating noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Nidec Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Jose L. Vadillo
  • Patent number: 8007243
    Abstract: A blower that can reduce noise and enhance efficiency by improving a blade structure of the blower used for, for example, an outdoor equipment of an air conditioner. An impeller includes plural blades attached to a peripheral surface of a boss at intervals in a peripheral direction, and a trailing edge of the blade has a protrusion-shaped part in which its central part in a radial direction is curved to expand to a suction side. With such a structure, a discharge velocity of air can be made uniform along the radial direction of the blade, and it becomes possible to reduce noise and to enhance efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Arinaga, Kunihiko Kaga, Shoji Yamada, Yasuaki Kato, Hiroshi Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 7997871
    Abstract: An impeller (10) for a cooling fan includes a hub (20) having a circular wall (22) and an annular sidewall (24) extending downwardly from a rim of the circular wall, and a plurality of blades (30) extending radially from the sidewall of the hub. Each of the blades includes a first portion (32) near the hub and a second portion (34) away from the hub, wherein each of the first portions is identical to an adjacent one of the first portions, and each of the second portions is different from an adjacent one of the second portions regarding a height thereof, thereby reducing a noise level of the impeller when the it operates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignees: Fu Zhun Precision Industry (Shen Zhen) Co., Ltd., Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ching-Bai Hwang, Jie Zhang, Ran Lin
  • Patent number: 7985052
    Abstract: A curved blade for use on horizontal wind turbines, the blade comprising a substantially semicircular tip portion, a substantially semicircular counter-tip portion opposite the tip portion, and a body portion extending between the tip portion and the counter-tip portion, the body portion being further defined by a concave curved trailing edge and a convex curved leading edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: Wind Simplicity Inc.
    Inventor: Sharolyn Vettese
  • Patent number: 7980820
    Abstract: A blade is provided for a turbine engine that includes an exterior surface. The exterior surface includes a portion having a thermal barrier coating and an uncoated shelf adjacent to the thermal barrier coating without the thermal barrier coating. A cooling hole extends from an internal passageway through the exterior surface to an exit. A scarfed channel is recessed in the exterior surface and interconnected to the cooling hole at the exit. The scarfed channel extends to a blade tip end surface. The scarfed channel protects the cooling fluid exiting the cooling hole from secondary flows surrounding the blade that would otherwise mix with and disperse the cooling fluid. The scarfed channels also increase the surface area exposed to the cooling fluid to increase the heat transfer rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Scott W. Gayman, Justin D. Piggush, Edward F. Pietraszkiewicz, William A. Agli, III
  • Publication number: 20110171037
    Abstract: A blade for a turbomachine, in particular for a rotor of a helicopter. A main section is designed to create a flow in the surrounding medium and extends from a hub section to a blade tip region. An end piece for influencing eddy formation in the blade tip region. To achieve a substantial noise reduction, the end piece is designed as a rounded flow body comprising at least one groove originating in the transition region between the body and the main section, substantially in the direction of the blade axis and curving towards the trailing edge of the blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2009
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Inventor: Walter Enthammer
  • Publication number: 20110171031
    Abstract: A turbomachine rotor, a rotor blade and a method for assembling a turbomachine rotor are provided. The turbomachine rotor includes a rotor blade with a blade root, a wheel disk with a groove in which the blade root engages such that the rotor blade is maintained in the groove in a positive fit in a radial direction. Further, a pretensioning device is provided, which is supported on the wheel disk as well as on the blade root and which exerts a pretensioning force on the blade root in the radial direction. The pretensioning device is designed such that the pretensioning force can be adjusted when assembling the turbomachine rotor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2009
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Inventors: Francois Benkler, Jorn Bettentrup, Frank Deister, Rudolf Küperkoch, Nicolas Savilius, Oliver Schneider, Dirk Wistuba
  • Patent number: 7976276
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade having a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root, the rotor blade further defining a pitch axis. The rotor blade assembly further includes a noise reducer mounted to the rotor blade. The noise reducer includes a base plate defining a base line, a plurality of noise reduction features extending from the base line, and a plurality of apertures defined in the base plate. Each aperture is positioned on an opposite side of the base line from the plurality of noise reduction features such that the aperture is fully defined in the base plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Scott Gabell Riddell, Traci Marlene Vandervort, Juergen Esser, Roger Drobietz
  • Patent number: 7976283
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade having surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root. The rotor blade assembly further includes a noise reducer configured on a surface of the rotor blade. The noise reducer includes a plurality of reinforcing members and a plurality of noise reduction features. Each of the plurality of reinforcing members extends outwardly with respect to the rotor blade. Each of the plurality of noise reduction features is connected to one of the plurality of reinforcing members and defines a width. Each of the plurality of reinforcing members causes the connected noise reduction feature to have a variable stiffness throughout at least a portion of the width of the connected noise reduction feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Robert Karl Huck
  • Patent number: 7972115
    Abstract: A turbomachine moving blade without a top platform, the blade including a fastener root (110) surmounted by an airfoil (112) that presents an end face (114), a pressure-side face (116), and a suction-side face, said fastener root and said end face being situated respectively at bottom and top ends of the blade that are spaced apart along the main axis (A) of the blade. The airfoil presents a projecting edge defined between a portion (124) of its end face and a top portion (122) of its pressure-side face, these portions forming between each other a mean edge angle that is strictly less than 90°. The top portion (122) of the pressure-side face is corrugated, and in a section plane perpendicular to the main axis of the blade, it follows an outline formed by an alternating succession of concave curves (129) and convex curves (131).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventor: Thomas Potier
  • Patent number: 7967557
    Abstract: A multiblade centrifugal blower includes a centrifugal fan including a hub rotated by a motor, and plural curved rectangular blades arranged at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction of the hub forming a cylindrical basket with an opening on a front side of the hub, and a scroll casing including an air inlet and an air outlet, and houses the centrifugal fan inside to face the air inlet. A length from a rear end to an front end of an outer edge of the blade is shorter than a length from a rear end to an front end of an inner edge of the blade, and a bell mouth is configured such that distance between a tip part of the inner edge of the blade and an inner wall of the scroll casing is the minimum at an inner tip part P of the bell mouth of the air inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuki Okamoto, Hitoshi Kikuchi, Yasuyoshi Makino, Hidetoshi Yamato, Shoji Yamada
  • Publication number: 20110142665
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade having surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root. The rotor blade assembly further includes a noise reducer configured on a surface of the rotor blade. The noise reducer includes a plurality of reinforcing members and a plurality of noise reduction features. Each of the plurality of reinforcing members extends outwardly with respect to the rotor blade. Each of the plurality of noise reduction features is connected to one of the plurality of reinforcing members and defines a width. Each of the plurality of reinforcing members causes the connected noise reduction feature to have a variable stiffness throughout at least a portion of the width of the connected noise reduction feature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2010
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Robert Karl Huck
  • Publication number: 20110142637
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade having a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root, the rotor blade further defining a pitch axis. The rotor blade assembly further includes a noise reducer mounted to the rotor blade. The noise reducer includes a base plate defining a base line, a plurality of noise reduction features extending from the base line, and a plurality of apertures defined in the base plate. Each aperture is positioned on an opposite side of the base line from the plurality of noise reduction features such that the aperture is fully defined in the base plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2010
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Scott Gabell Riddell, Traci Marlene Vandervort, Juergen Esser, Roger Drobietz
  • Publication number: 20110142664
    Abstract: A method of manipulating a boundary layer across a wind turbine rotor blade. The method includes coupling at least one vortex generator to the rotor blade. The vortex generator includes at least one sidewall that extends outwardly a radial distance from an outer surface of the rotor blade. The vortex generator is selectively positionable between a first position and a second position. A control system calculates a condition of the boundary layer. The vortex generator is positioned at one of the first position and the second position based on the calculated condition of the boundary layer for moving the vortex generator between the first position and the second position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2010
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Inventors: EswaraRao V. S. J. Anjuri, Biju Nanukuttan, Jaikumar Loganathan, Stefan Herr
  • Publication number: 20110142666
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade having surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root. The rotor blade further includes a noise reducer configured on a surface of the rotor blade, the noise reducer comprising a plurality of serrations, each of the plurality of serrations defining a centerline.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2010
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Roger Drobietz, Klaus Ulrich Koegler, Kevin Wayne Kinzie, Murray Fisher, Jamie Livingston
  • Publication number: 20110142635
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly is disclosed. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade and a blade extension. The rotor blade has a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root. The rotor blade further has an aerodynamic profile. The blade extension is mounted to the rotor blade. The blade extension includes a cutaway mounting portion for mounting the blade extension to the rotor blade such that the blade extension is generally flush with at least one of the pressure side or the suction side of the rotor blade. The cutaway mounting portion defines a notch configured to locate the blade extension relative to the rotor blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2010
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Peter James Fritz
  • Patent number: 7931444
    Abstract: A wind turbine includes a rotor with wind turbine blades each having a root end connected to a hub of the wind turbine and a tip end, the tip end of each of which being equipped with a winglet extending a distance in a direction perpendicularly to a longitudinal direction of the blade. A new and much more slim design of the outer part of the wind turbine blade is disclosed, i.e. with a shorter chord length designed within a narrow band of values defined with respect to the length of the winglet, i.e. the extension in the direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventors: Kristian Balschmidt Godsk, Thomas Steiniche Bjertrup Nielsen