Patents Represented by Attorney Cermak & Kenealy LLP
  • Patent number: 7017646
    Abstract: A method of casting a directionally solidified (DS) or single crystal (SX) article with a casting furnace having a heating chamber (4), a cooling chamber (5), a separating baffle (3) between the both chambers includes a first step in which the shell mould (12) is filled with liquid metal (15), and the liquid metal (15) is directionally solidified by withdrawing the shell mould (12) from the heating to the cooling chamber (4, 5). An inert gas impinges from nozzles (8) arranged below the baffle (3) on the shell mould (12) and in steep transitions in outer surface area of the shell mould (12) the flow of the inert gas (9) is reduced or even stopped and when a protruding geometrical feature has passed the impingement area of the gas jets, the gas flow (9) is restored to a value adjusted to the geometry of the cast part presently passing the impingement area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Martin Balliel, Dietrich Eckardt, Maxim Konter, Andreas Weiland
  • Patent number: 7013648
    Abstract: A premix burner includes a swirler (7) for a combustion air stream and a device for injection of fuel into the combustion air stream. The swirler (7) includes one or more inlet openings for combustion air of the combustion air stream entering the burner. The device for injection of fuel into the combustion air stream includes one or more first fuel lines (8) with first fuel injection openings (4). The opening diameter and/or the injection angle of the injection openings varies with respect to the axial and/or radial direction. Alternatively or in addition, some of the first fuel injection openings (4) may be arranged in one or more first groups of closely grouped fuel injection openings (4) so that each of the first groups forms one fuel jet with a large cross section. An improved mixing of the fuel with the combustion air is achieved with the burner in particular in cases in which the fuel is injected at the end of the burner facing the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Timothy Griffin, Frank Reiss, Dieter Winkler
  • Patent number: 7003960
    Abstract: A method and an appliance are described for supplying fuel to a premixing burner for operating a gas turbine, which premixing burner has at least one burner shell (1, 2) at least partially bounding an axially extending premixing burner space, having a premixing gas supply directed into the premixing burner space via the burner shell (1, 2), the premixing gas (6) being mixed with combustion inlet air and being ignited downstream external to the premixing burner, The invention is characterized by the fact that the premixing gas supply is carried out separately by means of at least two spatially axially separated regions (S1, S2) along the burner shell (1, 2), having a region (S1), which is arranged upstream, and at least a second region (S2), which is arranged downstream, by the fact that more than 60% of the total premixing gas supply takes place via the first region (S1) in order to start the gas turbine, and by the fact that a stepwise or continuous redistribution of the premixing gas supply to the second re
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology LTD
    Inventor: Adnan Eroglu
  • Patent number: 6986473
    Abstract: In an atomizer device for the production of a liquid-gas mixture (4), the mixture (4) is introduced, particularly for compression, into a nozzle arrangement (3) in which the kinetic energy of the mixture (4) is in large part converted into compression energy by a pressure rise of the air. The atomizer device (2) includes a central air feed (16) and a nozzle chamber (18) for the supply of liquid surrounding the air feed. At or in the atomizing device, means (17) are arranged in the nozzle chamber for producing a swirled liquid flow in the nozzle chamber (18), and the swirled liquid flow emerges via a nozzle aperture (19) surrounding the air feed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Peter Jansohn, Alexander Ni, Sasha Savic
  • Patent number: 6984912
    Abstract: A dynamoelectrical machine (20) has winding bars (13) which are inserted into slots provided for this purpose in the dynamoelectrical machine (20), with the slots each being closed by cover wedges (23), and with corrugated springs (16) being provided between the cover wedges (23) and the winding bars (13) located underneath them, which are prestressed by means of opposing wedges (21), which are arranged between the cover wedges (23) and the winding bars (13) located underneath them. In a machine such as this, fast and simple wedging is made possible in that the opposing wedges (21) are arranged between the cover wedges (23) and the corrugated springs (16), and in that fixed-position adjusting elements (22) are provided, by means of which it is possible to vary the distance between the cover wedges (23) and the opposing wedges (21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Paulo Gomes De Lima, Ueli Neff
  • Patent number: 6985742
    Abstract: A system for providing position-related information to a mobile user includes a mobile unit and a central site server. The mobile unit includes circuitry for determining present position information from position signals which may emanate from, for example, GPS satellites. The mobile unit further includes circuitry for establishing a wireless bidirectional communications link with the central site server via a terrestrial network, which may be accessed via a cellular telephone network. The central site server includes circuitry for receiving the present position information from the mobile unit. A table stored at the central site server includes different response information in correspondence with possible positions of the mobile unit. The response information may further be in correspondence with user preferences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Spatial Adventures, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael L. Giniger, Warren Scott Hilton
  • Patent number: 6981358
    Abstract: A reheat combustion system for a gas turbine comprises a mixing tube adapted to be fed by products of a primary combustion zone of the gas turbine and by fuel injected by a lance; a combustion chamber fed by the said mixing tube; and at least one perforated acoustic screen. The or each said acoustic screen is provided inside the mixing tube or the combustion chamber, at a position where it faces, but is spaced from, a perforated wall thereof. In use, the perforated wall experiences impingement cooling as it admits air into the combustion system for onward passage through the perforations of the said acoustic screen, and the acoustic screen damps acoustic pulsations in the mixing tube and combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Valter Bellucci, Peter Flohr, Christian Oliver Paschereit, Bruno Schuermans, Daniele Tabacco
  • Patent number: 6981308
    Abstract: A rotating electric machine (1) has a rotor, a stator (2), and stator windings (3, 4). The windings (3, 4) include high voltage cable drawn through slots (5, 6) in the stator (2). Support members (8) are arranged inside the slots (5, 6) along and in contact with the windings (3, 4), said support members (8) comprising a hose (8?) with a substantially triangular cross-section. A wire (9) is extending through and being attached to each support member (8). When mounting the support members (8) air inside a support member (8) is evacuated in order to shrink the support member (8). Then the wire (9) extending through the support member (8) is used to pull the evacuated support member (8) into a slot (5, 6), whereupon the evacuated support member (8) is expanded by releasing the vacuum inside in order to make it clamp a cable inside a slot (5, 6) of the stator (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology LTD
    Inventors: Olof Lundeberg, Pentti Virtanen
  • Patent number: 6975918
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a production system (1) for the series manufacture of products, comprising a processing device (2) which, as a function of control commands, actuates a tool for processing one of the products, a measuring device (3) for the automatic measuring of a geometric actual dimension at one of the processed products, a correcting device (4) which is coupled to the processing device (2) and to the measuring device (3) and which compares the actual dimension with a preset target dimension which lies within a tolerance interval. The correcting device intervenes in a corrective manner in the control commands of the tool if the actual dimension lies outside an intervention interval which lies within the tolerance interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology LTD
    Inventor: Christoph Bender
  • Patent number: 6966745
    Abstract: In a method and a device for intermediate cooling during compression in a gas turbine system, the gas turbine system includes at least one first (1) and one second compressor (2), a combustion chamber (3), and a turbine (4). At least one intermediate cooler (9) is located between the first (1) and second compressor (2). The intermediate cooling takes place at least in part or for the most part isentropically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Peter Jansohn, Alexander Ni, Sasha Savic
  • Patent number: 6965184
    Abstract: An apparatus (10) for supporting a winding (7) on a stator (1), in particular on a generator stator in a power station. The winding (7) has an end winding (9) which is supported axially on the core (2) of the stator (1) via winding supports (11) of the supporting apparatus (10). The winding supports (11) are supported on the end winding (9) via a stressing device (22), at right angles to an envelope surface (21). In order to improve the axial position between the winding support (11) and the end winding (9) during operation of the stator (1), a coupling device (23) is provided which allows relative movements between the end winding (9) and the winding support (11) in the circumferential direction and at right angles to the envelope surface (21), and prevents such relative movements in an envelope line direction (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Daniel Hediger, Hrvoje Lukacic, Duncan Madle, Francesco Stallone, Alfred Ziegler
  • Patent number: 6965187
    Abstract: In the case of a rotor (10) having a rotor spider (11), which is mounted such as it can rotate about an axis (15) and has two or more ribs (12), and having a laminated rim (14), which concentrically surrounds the rotor spider (11) and is composed of individual rim laminates (16), and which is connected to the rotor spider (11) by means of wedges (13) via a laminated rim wedge system, a simplified connection between the laminated rim (14) and the rotor spider (11) is achieved in that the wedges (13) and the rim laminates (16) are designed such that they engage in one another in an interlocking manner, forming a rigid connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventor: Ueli Neff
  • Patent number: 6962484
    Abstract: This arrangement relates to a moving blade (1), cast in one piece, for a turbomachine, in particular a turbine or compressor, comprising an aerodynamically shaped profile body (2) which has a shroud band (5). The shroud band (5) projects beyond the profile body (2) in the circumferential direction (6) and has a fin (12). The fin (12) possesses a base portion (14), a transitional portion (15) and a sealing portion (16). An axially measured wall thickness decreases in a transitional portion (15) from the base portion (14) to the sealing portion (16). To avoid a porous structure in the base portion (14), two depressions (17), which reduce the wall thickness of the base portion (14), are integrally molded on the outside of the base portion (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology LTD
    Inventors: Herbert Brandl, Alexander Hoffs
  • Patent number: 6960859
    Abstract: A Roebel bar (10) for an electrical machine comprises a plurality of essentially parallel, transposed conductor elements (11, 12, 13), which, lying over and/or next to one another, form a bar with an essentially rectangular cross section, which is surrounded on the outside by an insulation (19) and has between the insulation (19) and the conductor elements (11, 12, 13) means (14, 14?; 15, 15?; 17, 18) for forming an inner corona protection (ICP). In the case of such a Roebel bar, particularly effective inner corona protection is achieved by the fact that the means for inner corona protection comprise preformed, angled profiles (17, 18) of an electrically conducting material, which, running in the longitudinal direction of the Roebel bar (10), enclose the edges of the bar formed by the conductor elements (11, 12, 13), and to which the insulation (19) is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: Alstom Technology LTD
    Inventors: Thomas Baumann, Peter Klee
  • Patent number: 6960455
    Abstract: An amino acid such as threonine, homoserine, isoleucine, lysine, valine and tryptophan is produced using a bacterium belonging to the genus Escherichia which has been constructed from sucorse non-assimilative strain belonging to the genus Escherichia and which harbors sucrose non-PTS (phosphoenol pyruvate-dependent sucrose-6-phosphotransferase system) genes and has an ability to produce the amino acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Vitaliy Arkadyevich Livshits, Vera Georgievna Doroshenko, Sergei Vlsdimirovich Mashko, Valery Zavenovich Akhverdian, Yury Ivanovich Kozlov
  • Patent number: 6957917
    Abstract: Hydrodynamic plane thrust bearing (26) for a generator (10), preferably operable with a water turbine, with a rotor (12), a track ring (30) rotating with the shaft (20) of the rotor (12), and a bearing segment (32) not rotating with the shaft (20) of the rotor (12) and supported on a bearing housing (24), characterized in that the track ring (30) substantially consists of a plastic matrix with reinforcing fibers embedded therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Celine Mahieux, Axel Guenter Albert Fuerst
  • Patent number: 6954345
    Abstract: A generator for producing high voltages and having at least one generator winding (12) is connected via a generator circuit (10) to a network (19), which generator circuit has means (15, . . . , 17) for protection against overvoltages. Improved protection against higher voltages is achieved in that the at least one generator winding (12) is subdivided into a number of winding sections (12a-c) whose winding insulation is designed such that the insulation level is graduated, and in that the overvoltage protection means have a number of overvoltage protection elements (15, . . . , 17), which are associated with the respective individual winding sections (12a-c) and whose response levels are matched to the requirements of the associated winding section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Richard Blatter, Reinhard Joho, Sture Lindahl, Erland Soerensen
  • Patent number: 6952926
    Abstract: When loading a power station in a grid without any energy, this power station must be able to cover all the short-term power requirements, and at the same time to keep the grid frequency within a permissible tolerance band. The invention specifies a method of providing this capability by means of an efficient combination system. According to the invention, the gas turbine (1) is loaded in a lower power range such that it is controlled in accordance with a predetermined load program, without having to react to load transients in the grid (50). Before the power station is connected to the grid, the heat recovery steam generator (5) is heated up as an energy store, and a steam turbine (2) is raised at least to its rated rotation speed, with the steam control valves (9, 15) being highly restricted. The steam turbine reacts in the event of short-term load requirements from the grid, which cannot be covered by the gas turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Richard Blatter, Peter Mueller, Stephan Hepner
  • Patent number: 6945052
    Abstract: In a power generation plant having at least one gas turbine cycle with heat-recovery boiler (4) and at least one steam turbine cycle operated via the heat-recovery boiler (4), the gas turbine cycle being designed to be semi-closed and essentially free of emissions and essentially comprising a compressor (1), a combustion chamber (2) arranged downstream of the compressor (1), a gas turbine (3) arranged downstream of the combustion chamber (2), a heat-recovery boiler (4) arranged downstream of the gas turbine (3), and at least one generator (8) coupled to the gas turbine (3), modes of operation with the gas turbine cycle stopped and start-up using fresh air are made possible by first means (12) being arranged which alternatively or additionally allow hot gas to be fed into the hot-gas path (23) between gas turbine (3) and heat-recovery boiler (4), and by second means (15) being arranged which alternatively or additionally allow exhaust gas to be expelled from the exhaust-gas path (40) downstream of the heat-rec
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Hans Ulrich Frutschi, Timothy Griffin, Daniel Holmberg, Roland Span
  • Patent number: 6942022
    Abstract: The heat transfer surfaces of a condensation heat exchanger are provided with a coating according to the invention which comprises a sequence of layers which includes at least one hard layer which comprises amorphous carbon or a plasma polymer and at least one soft layer which comprises amorphous carbon or a plasma polymer. The hard and soft layers are applied alternately, the first layer on the heat transfer surface being a hard layer and the last layer of the coating being a soft layer. The last, soft layer is distinguished in particular by hydrophobic properties. The layer sequence ensures condensation of drops and, at the same time, protects against drop impingement erosion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Francisco Blangetti, Harald Reiss