Patents Assigned to General Electric Company
  • Patent number: 11859512
    Abstract: A turbine system component includes a body having an exterior surface, and a cooling passage defined in the body. The cooling passage has a first cross-sectional area in the body. The component also includes a hollow member defining a first exit opening at the exterior surface of the body and coupled in the cooling passage. The hollow member, at the first exit opening, has a second cross-sectional area that is less than the first cross-sectional area, creating an exit opening with a smaller dimension than the original cooling passage. The hollow member is made of a material having a melt temperature higher than an operating temperature of the turbine system. The hollow member(s) reduces the cooling capabilities of the cooling passage. A cooling profile of the component can be generated to identify those cooling passages having excess cooling so they can have their exit openings reduced in cross-sectional area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kyle J. Lewis, Caitlin Shea Lucking, Daniel J. Dorriety, Patrick Yerkes
  • Patent number: 11859819
    Abstract: A combustor for a turbomachine engine includes a dome made of a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) material, the dome being secured within a support structure. The combustor includes an outer liner made of the CMC material, the outer liner being secured to the dome within the support structure. The combustor also includes an inner liner made of the CMC material, the inner liner being secured to the dome within the support structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher Jones, Shai Birmaher, Nicholas John Bloom, Daniel J. Kirtley, Gerardo Antonio Salazar Lois, Anquan Wang, Trevor James Hahm
  • Patent number: 11863300
    Abstract: A system and method determine a clock drift and a clock variance of each node in plural nodes of a time-sensitive Ethernet network. An accumulated clock offset along a time-sensitive network path in the time-sensitive network is determined based on the clock drifts and the clock variances. A guard band having a dynamic size is determined based on the accumulated clock offset. The times at which Ethernet frames are communicated through the nodes are restricted by communicating the guard band with the dynamic size to one or more of the nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Stephen Francis Bush, Guillaume Mantelet
  • Patent number: 11858067
    Abstract: A build plate-clamping assembly may include a work station having a build plate-receiving surface and a lock-pin extending from the build plate-receiving surface of the work station. The lock-pin may include a hollow pin body, a piston disposed within the hollow pin body, with the piston axially movable from a retracted position to an actuated position, and a plurality of detents, with the plurality of detents radially extensible through respective ones of a plurality of detent-apertures in the hollow pin body responsive to the piston having been axially moved to the actuated position. A methods of working on workpieces may include lockingly engaging a build plate at a first work station, performing a first work-step, releasing the build plate from the first work station, lockingly engaging the build plate at a second work station, and performing a second work-step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Glen Charles Fedyk, Jinjie Shi, Joseph Edward Hampshire, Richard Roy Worthing, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11859550
    Abstract: Accelerators, methods of manufacturing accelerators, and gas turbine engines are provided. For example, an accelerator for a gas turbine engine defines a radial direction and an axial direction and comprises an annular outer wall, an annular inner wall, an annular channel defined between the outer and inner walls, and a plurality of vanes disposed within the channel. The channel has an inlet for ingress of a cooling fluid and an outlet for egress of the cooling fluid. Each vane extends from the outer wall to the inner wall adjacent the outlet, which is angled such that an exit angle of the cooling fluid is nonzero with respect to both the radial and axial directions. The accelerator may be manufactured using an additive manufacturing method. The accelerator outlet may be disposed immediately upstream of a first turbine rotor blade stage of a gas turbine engine to direct the cooling fluid thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James Daniel Longhurst, Antonio C. Gominho, Jordan Paule Tesorero, Jonathan David Baldiga, Orin J. Hall
  • Patent number: 11859515
    Abstract: There is provided apparatuses and methods for a gas turbine engine. The embodiments include a core section with a flow path. The flow path includes a stator vane array having outlet vanes. Each outlet vane has a trailing edge. A strut has a leading edge that is upstream of the trailing edges. Alternatively, the flow path includes a stator vane array having inlet vanes. Each inlet vane has a leading edge. The strut has a trailing edge that is downstream of the leading edges. There also is increased spacing between adjacent vanes and rotor blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Tsuguji Nakano, Darek Zatorski, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow
  • Patent number: 11859516
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine defining a centerline and a circumferential direction, the gas turbine engine including: a turbomachine comprising a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section arranged in serial flow order, the turbomachine defining a working gas flowpath and a fan duct flowpath; a primary fan driven by the turbomachine defining a primary fan tip radius R1 and a primary fan hub radius R2; a secondary fan located downstream of the primary fan and driven by the turbomachine, at least a portion of an airflow from the primary fan configured to bypass the secondary fan, the secondary fan defining a secondary fan tip radius R3 and a secondary fan hub radius R4, wherein the secondary fan is configured to provide a fan duct airflow through the fan duct flowpath during operation to generate a fan duct thrust, wherein the fan duct thrust is equal to % Fn3S of a total engine thrust during operation of the gas turbine engine at a rated speed during standard day operating conditions; wherein a ra
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: David Marion Ostdiek
  • Patent number: 11859818
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, a system includes a combustor liner disposed about a combustion chamber of a combustor of a gas turbine system. The combustor liner includes an inner wall portion exposed to the combustion chamber, an outer wall portion disposed about the inner wall portion, and multiple channels between the inner and outer wall portions of the combustor liner. Each channel of the multiple channels is configured to direct a coolant along the combustor liner to convectively cool the combustor liner, and each channel of the multiple channels includes a cross-sectional area that progressively changes along a length of each channel of the plurality of channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Scott Robert Simmons, Ronald James Chila
  • Patent number: 11859817
    Abstract: A system and method of igniting a coal air-fuel mixture, including a burner having a burner tube operable to carry a flowing mixture of fuel and air to a furnace for combustion therein and a first flow directing device disposed within the tube, operable to direct a first portion of the flowing fuel and air mixture to a location in the burner tube. The system also includes a laser igniter within the burner tube, the laser igniter including a laser tube having a first end with a laser light input and a second end with a light output, and a laser light source operably coupled to the laser light input. The laser light source, including a laser. The laser ignitor directing photons from the light output at the location in the burner tube to ignite at least a part of the first portion of the fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Sameer Dinkar Vartak, Sreenivasa Rao Gubba, Kamesh Lakshmi Narayanan, Arun Kumar Sridharan, Ankur Maheshwari, Dragisa Ristic, Moorthi Subramaniyan
  • Patent number: 11859500
    Abstract: A method of operating a gas turbine engine comprising: extracting a flow of air from a compressor section of the gas turbine engine into a first conduit; flowing the extracted flow of air through the first conduit to a first location at a turbine section of the turbine section, wherein a second conduit is in fluid communication with the turbine section at a second location; flowing a heat transfer fluid to a first heat exchanger positioned in thermal communication with the flow of air through the first conduit, the heat transfer fluid in thermal communication with the extracted flow of air through the first conduit via the first heat exchanger; and modulating, via a flow control device, a portion of the flow of air extracted from the first conduit to the second conduit downstream of the first heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignees: General Electric Company, General Electric Deutschland Holding GmbH, General Electric Company Polska Sp. z o.o.
    Inventors: Ashish Sharma, Piotr Jerzy Kulinski, Adam Tomasz Pazinski, Tomasz Jan Bulsiewicz, Scott Alan Schimmels
  • Patent number: 11859820
    Abstract: A combustion section defines an axial direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction. The combustion section includes a casing that defines a diffusion chamber. A combustion liner is disposed within the diffusion chamber and defines a combustion chamber. The combustion liner is spaced apart from the casing such that a passageway is defined between the combustion liner and the casing. A fuel cell assembly is disposed in the passageway. The fuel cell assembly includes a fuel cell stack that has a plurality of fuel cells each extending between an inlet end and an outlet end. The inlet end receives a flow of air and fuel and the outlet end provides output products to the combustion chamber. The outlet end of the plurality of fuel cells extends through the combustion liner and partially defines the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Seung-Hyuck Hong, Richard L. Hart, Honggang Wang, Anil Raj Duggal, Michael Anthony Benjamin, Andrew Wickersham, Narendra Digamber Joshi
  • Patent number: 11859546
    Abstract: A gearbox for a gas turbine engine. The gearbox including a rotor and a gutter. The oil system is configured to supply oil to the gearbox. The rotor is rotatable about a rotation axis. The rotor expels oil radially outward when the rotor rotates. The gutter is positioned radially outward of the rotor to collect oil expelled by the rotor when the rotor rotates. The gutter is positioned eccentrically with respect to the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignees: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, GE AVIO S.R.L.
    Inventors: Xiaohua Zhang, Bugra H. Ertas, Walter J. Smith, Flavia Turi
  • Patent number: 11859509
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a composite component defining a component aperture extending between a first surface and a second surface. The composite component includes an insert having an insert annular wall positioned in the component aperture. The insert annular wall defines an insert aperture therethrough. An insert flange extends radially outwardly from the insert annular wall and contacts the first surface of the composite component. The insert flange includes a diameter about 1.5 times to about 5 times greater than a smallest diameter of the component aperture defined by the composite component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Bernard James Renggli
  • Patent number: 11859539
    Abstract: An aircraft propulsion system and computing system are provided. The propulsion system includes a low pressure (LP) spool and a core engine having a high pressure (HP) spool. A frame is positioned in serial flow arrangement between an HP turbine and an LP turbine. The frame includes an inter-turbine burner including a strut forming an outlet opening into a core flowpath of the propulsion system. A first fuel system is configured to flow a liquid fuel to a combustion section for generating first combustion gases. A second fuel system is configured to flow a gaseous fuel to the core flowpath via the inter-turbine burner for generating second combustion gases. The propulsion system forms a rated power output ratio of the core engine and the inter-turbine burner with the LP spool between 1.5 and 5.7.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Jeffrey Douglas Rambo
  • Patent number: 11859743
    Abstract: A system for spacing and fastening tubular structures, and a related method. The system includes a spacer element configured to engage a plurality of tubular structures, to spatially separate the plurality of tubular structures from one another, and to distribute stress in the plurality of tubular structures. The system further includes a fastening element configured to extend around at least a portion of an outer surface of the plurality of tubular structures, and to fasten the plurality of tubular structures to the spacer element in an adaptively spaced configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Naleen Kumar Verma, Mario Alberto Bolaños Jimenez, Arun Ramachandra, Jeffrey P. Darnell, Michael E. Sandy, José Torre
  • Patent number: 11859533
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine system includes a gas turbine engine including a compressor, combustor including a plurality of late lean fuel injectors supplied with secondary fuel; gas turbine, and wash system configured to be attached and in fluid communication with the late lean fuel injectors. The wash system includes a water source including water; first fluid source including a first fluid providing vanadium ash and vanadium deposit mitigation and removal from internal gas turbine components; a mixing chamber in communication with the water source and first fluid source; a water pump to pump the water to the mixing chamber; a first fluid pump the first fluid to the mixing chamber; a fluid line in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and late lean fuel injectors so fluid from the mixing chamber is injected into the combustor at the late lean fuel injectors while the gas turbine engine is on-line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Alston Ilford Scipio, Sanji Ekanayake
  • Patent number: 11859823
    Abstract: A combustor includes an inner liner and an outer liner defining a combustion chamber. The inner liner includes an inner mesh structure, a plurality of hot side planks mounted to a hot side of the inner mesh structure, and a plurality of cold side planks mounted to a cold side of the inner mesh structure. The outer liner includes an outer mesh structure, a plurality of hot side planks mounted to a hot side of the outer mesh structure, and a plurality of cold side planks mounted to a cold side of the outer mesh structure. The combustor further includes a plurality of clips configured to couple the plurality of hot side planks and the plurality of cold side planks to a plurality of structural elements of the inner mesh structure and the outer mesh structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Hiranya Nath, Daniel J. Kirtley
  • Patent number: 11858615
    Abstract: A rotating airfoil assembly including a rotation axis and a plurality of rotating airfoils configured to rotate about the rotation axis. Each rotating airfoil of the rotating airfoils includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, a suction surface between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and a pressure surface between the leading edge and the trailing edge. The suction surface and the pressure surface are positioned on opposite sides of the rotating airfoil such that, when airflows over the suction surface and the pressure surface of the rotating airfoil as the rotating airfoil rotates about the rotation axis, the rotating airfoil generates lift. At least one opening is located on one of the suction surface or the pressure surface. The at least one opening is configured to eject air or to draw air into the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Kevin E. Turner, Suryarghya Chakrabarti, Drew M. Capps
  • Patent number: 11859824
    Abstract: A combustor including a skeleton structure. The combustor further includes at least one liner operably coupled to the skeleton structure to at least partially define a combustion chamber, and a plurality of first planks mounted to a first side of the at least one liner and a plurality of second planks mounted to a second side of the at least one liner. The combustor also includes at least one dilution hole structure provided with a portion of the skeleton structure, and including at least one dilution hole configured to allow fluid to pass therethrough into the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Hiranya Nath
  • Patent number: 11859547
    Abstract: A turbine engine having a drive shaft rotatable about an axis, a multi-stage compressor, a turbine section, a thrust bearing, and a balance cavity. The thrust bearing being provided between the drive shaft and at least a portion of the multi-stage compressor section and rotationally supporting the drive shaft. During operation of the turbine engine, a first axial force is applied to the thrust bearing by the drive shaft and a second axial force is applied to the thrust bearing in an opposite direction of the first axial force by the balance cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Joseph G. Rose, Atanu Saha, Bhaskar Nanda Mondal, Craig W. Higgins, Darek Zatorski, Vaibhav Deshmukh M