Patents Represented by Attorney James W. Pemrick
  • Patent number: 8346514
    Abstract: A method and system is provided for calculating a number of wedges for a slot in a dynamoelectric machine. The method includes the steps of providing a computer that is programmed to perform a method for calculating, which includes the steps of acquiring a length of the slot, acquiring a length of one or more wedges, and calculating a number of wedges required for the slot. The number of wedges required for the slot is displayed on a display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brock M. Lape, Benjamin A. Mancuso, Michael C. Villani
  • Patent number: 8307593
    Abstract: A tower is provided having a foundation, at least one concrete tower section located above the foundation and one or more upper tower sections. An adapter section is located between the concrete tower section and one of the upper tower sections. The adapter section is connected to one of the upper tower sections by a fastening system and to the foundation by a plurality of tensioning cables, which are configured to induce a compressive force on the concrete tower section. The fastening system and the plurality of tensioning cables are substantially vertically aligned so that tower loads are transmitted from the upper tower sections to the plurality of tensioning cables.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Bharat Sampathkumaran Bagepalli
  • Patent number: 8276253
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing and installing combustion liners in a combustion case of a turbine is provided. The apparatus includes an elongated handle having a pin disposed at one end, and a bracket attached to the elongated handle. A tower clamp, for attaching to a flange of a combustion case, includes a tower portion having a plurality of notches for receiving the pin of the elongated handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John W. Herbold, Randall S. Corn, James B. Holmes
  • Patent number: 8276509
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for compression of a lamination stack for a dynamoelectric machine. The apparatus includes a plurality of hanger brackets attached to a face frame, a plurality of force application tubes secured to the brackets, a plurality of force applying rams located beneath the force application tubes, a plurality of pressing plates located beneath the force applying rams, and a plurality of weight distribution plates located beneath the pressing plates. A compressive force is applied to the lamination stack by the force applying rams via the pressing plates and weight distribution plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brock Matthew Lape, Nihan Basaran, Gary Robert Pink, Steven Charles Walko, Stuart Alan Oliver
  • Patent number: 8235369
    Abstract: A cart system is provided for a coil of a dynamoelectric machine. The cart system includes one or more support rails disposed substantially horizontally, a plurality of lifting rails disposed substantially vertically, and connected at one end to the one or more support rails, and a plurality of coil clamps for applying a compressive force. The coil clamps are attached to the lifting rails in a removable manner. The coil of the dynamoelectric machine can be placed on the cart system and the coil clamps can be arranged on the lifting rails to apply a compressive force to the coil to facilitate a testing procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brock M. Lape, Jeffrey D. Evans, Richard A. Harby
  • Patent number: 8235662
    Abstract: A wind turbine and system for controlling a wind turbine using a nosecone mounted metrology system is disclosed. The wind turbine comprises at least one wind sensor for determining at least one wind characteristic. The wind sensor is mounted on a boom and located at a predetermined distance outward from the wind turbine nosecone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ryan M. LeClair, Thomas P. Schmitt, Saskia G. Honoff, Clinton L. Williams, Thomas H. Siebers, Donald M. Rogers, Christopher J. Winslow
  • Patent number: 8230266
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for acquiring operational data from a wind turbine and analyzing trip events. One or more data buffers can store operational data obtained from at least one control subsystem. A trip event detection system can be connected to the data buffers, and monitors for the occurrence of a trip event. The data stored in the data buffers can be transferred to a trip log buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John C. Hamby, Susan J. Brown
  • Patent number: 8225447
    Abstract: An apparatus for treating a dovetail in a dynamoelectric machine is provided. The apparatus includes a housing, at least two pads for treating, cleaning or polishing a dovetail surface, at least a pair of guide wheels for aligning the apparatus within the dovetail, and at least one motor connected to the pads. The motor is operatively configured to rotate the pads. The dovetail surface is treated, cleaned or polished by sliding the apparatus along the dovetail and activating the motor to rotate the pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Dwight F. Calkins, Jr., Steven S. Mounnarat
  • Patent number: 8181326
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for installing a seal into a part. A main body of the apparatus has two wings, and a raised shoulder that extends along the main body and two wings. A bracket is attached to the main body, and has an internally threaded hole for engagement with a threaded knob. An installation member is attached to the main body, and includes an insertion wheel attached to a wheel carrier. The wheel carrier is configured to be slidably attached to the main body. The main body is mounted on a first portion of the part and the seal is at least partially installed in a second portion of the part, such that upon relative rotation between the first portion of the part and the second portion of the part the installation member installs the seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: George Rowan Silliman, Mark Steven Pape, Harvey Harmeet Kaura, Richard John Bever
  • Patent number: 8181528
    Abstract: A method and system for ultrasonically inspecting a ring gear of a gearbox is provided. The method and system can be used for the detection, characterization and/or sizing of defects in the ring gear. The ring gear has a plurality of teeth, which extend radially inward with respect to an outer surface of the gearbox. The method includes the steps of selecting an ultrasonic transducer productive of a test signal, positioning the ultrasonic transducer at an outer surface of the ring gear, orienting the ultrasonic transducer so as to direct the test signal to propagate through the ring gear, and activating the ultrasonic transducer so as to test the ring gear for defects therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Francis A. Reed, John T. Murphy, George R. Silliman
  • Patent number: 8177510
    Abstract: A braking system for a wind turbine is provided. The system includes one or more motors for driving a part of the wind turbine, a first group of brakes for braking the part of the wind turbine, and a second group of brakes for braking the part of the wind turbine. The first group of brakes is in a normally closed condition and the second group of brakes is in a normally open condition, so that a default brake torque can be selectively chosen that is less than a maximum brake torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jacob Johannes Nies, Shanmuga-Priyan Subramanian, Mikael Lindberg, Kristina Anne Cruden, Arthur Lawrence Romano
  • Patent number: 8179002
    Abstract: A wind turbine having a generator is provided. The generator includes a rotor and a stator having a stator lamination, one or more flange rings and one or more core rings. The stator lamination includes a plurality of axial flow passages and the one or more core rings include a plurality of core ring axial flow passages that are aligned with the plurality of axial flow passages in the stator lamination. The plurality of axial flow passages in the stator lamination have a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas Mancuso, Sayantan Bhar, Sandip Shahaji Hirade, Peter Anthony DiLorenzo, Andrew David Maduskuie, Sadeo Ramtahal
  • Patent number: 8174144
    Abstract: A bearing is provided having an inner ring with one or more inner raceways, and an outer ring positioned substantially radially outward from the inner ring. The outer ring has one or more outer raceways. A plurality of rolling elements is positioned between the inner raceways and the outer raceways. A cage for maintaining separation between neighboring rolling elements is oriented substantially radially and extending around at least a portion of each of the plurality of rolling elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Jacob Johannes Nies
  • Patent number: 8147183
    Abstract: A wind turbine and a drivetrain for a generator is provided. The drivetrain includes a hub configured to provide an input rotational speed, and a planetary gearbox in communication with the hub. The planetary gearbox includes a stationary or rotatable carrier and a plurality of planet gears. The planetary gearbox is configured to convert the input rotational speed to an output rotational speed, and includes at least one sun gear. The hub can be rigidly connected to the rotatable ring gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James Henry Madge, Priyangu Chunilal Patel, Adam Daniel Minadeo
  • Patent number: 8125114
    Abstract: A locking wedge for a slot of a dynamoelectric machine is provided. The locking wedge includes a main body extending in an axial direction. The main body has a top surface and a bottom surface with a greater surface area than the top surface, and a first end surface and a second end surface opposed to the first end surface. First and second locking slots extend in the axial direction into a portion of the main body. The first locking slot begins in the first end surface and the second locking slot begins in the second end surface. A first locking member is disposed to fit into the first locking slot, and a second locking member is disposed to fit into the second locking slot. The first and second locking members can be inserted into the first and second locking slots, respectively, to lock the locking wedge in the slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brock M. Lape, Benjamin A. Mancuso, Michael C. Villani
  • Patent number: 8106540
    Abstract: A system is provided for compensating a power transmission line having one or more non-conventional power generating sources connected to the power transmission line. At least one series compensation circuit is connected to a portion the power transmission line, and at least one damping circuit is connected in parallel with the series compensation circuit. The damping circuit reduces subsynchronous series resonance caused by the series compensation circuit on the power transmission line, and the series compensation circuit compensates the power transmission line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Einar V. Larsen, Bruce E. English, Goran Drobnjak
  • Patent number: 8096538
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for organizing and cleaning fasteners used in a dynamoelectric machine. The apparatus includes a frame having a first end wall and a second end wall opposed to the first end wall, and a plurality of shelves connected to and located between the first end wall and the second end wall. At least one of the shelves includes a plurality of concave regions, that are configured to retain at least one of the fasteners. A mounting region is provided for the attachment of a fastener clamp. The fasteners from the dynamoelectric machine can be stored on the plurality of shelves and displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John W. Herbold, Ryan M. Pastrana, Kahwai G. Muriithi, Jennifer L. Gant, Coy Y. Jackson, Jeffrey J. Nelson
  • Patent number: 8096917
    Abstract: A gearbox is provided having multiple sun gears and one or more planet stages. The planet stages can include a first planet stage and a second planet stage. A first sun gear is connected to the first planet stage, and a second sun gear is connected to the second planet stage. The torque transmitted from the planet stages is at least partially distributed among the first sun gear and the second sun gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Pedro L. Benito
  • Patent number: 8091199
    Abstract: A method and system for repairing a wind turbine component in a wind turbine is provided. A damaged region of a drive assembly affects the wind turbine component. The method includes the steps of, providing a replacement wind turbine component, providing a mount for the replacement wind turbine component, and installing the replacement wind turbine component and mount in an undamaged region of the drive assembly. The replacement wind turbine component and mount are located to avoid interaction with the damaged region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Kurt J. Goodwin
  • Patent number: 8063515
    Abstract: A system for compensating a power transmission grid is provided. The system includes one or more non-conventional power generating sources that are connected to the power transmission grid. At least one series compensation circuit is connected to at least a portion of the power transmission grid, to compensate the power transmission grid. At least one damping circuit is connected to at least a portion of the power transmission grid, and it mitigates subsynchronous series resonance caused by the series compensation circuit on the power transmission grid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Einar V. Larsen, Bruce E. English