Patents Assigned to General Electric
  • Patent number: 11920672
    Abstract: An air turbine starter that includes a housing with a divider structure dividing the housing into a wet chamber and an air chamber. The air turbine starter further including a bearing assembly, a turbine member, a first drive shaft, and a second drive shaft connecting the turbine member with a rotating assembly. A lubricant supply portion having at least one supply inlet fluidly coupled to the wet chamber and at least one supply outlet fluidly coupled to the bearing assembly whereby lubricant from the wet chamber can be supplied to the bearing assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignees: Unison Industries, LLC, General Electric Company
    Inventors: Roberto Karpik, Eliel Fresco Rodriguez, David Allan Dranschak, Shiloh Montegomery Meyers, Marcin Bialas
  • Patent number: 11920789
    Abstract: A combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine includes an outer liner that at least partially defines a combustion chamber. The outer liner extends between an aft end and a forward end generally along an axial direction within an outer casing of the gas turbine engine. The outer liner includes an inner surface facing the combustion chamber and an outer surface facing away from the combustion chamber. The combustor assembly includes a radial damper assembly disposed against the outer liner at a plurality of circumferential points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mark Willard Marusko, Michael Alan Stieg, Brian Christopher Towle
  • Patent number: 11920539
    Abstract: An exhaust nozzle for a gas turbine engine. The exhaust nozzle comprises a nozzle body having an upstream end axially spaced from a downstream end with respect to an axial centerline of the nozzle body, and a plurality of chevrons circumferentially spaced apart and extending downstream from the downstream end. Each chevron includes an inner wall radially spaced from an outer wall, a root and a tip axially spaced from the root. At least one chevron of the plurality of chevrons includes a first segment extending axially downstream from the root, a second segment extending axially downstream from the first segment, and a third segment extending axially downstream from the second segment to the tip. The inner wall extends along the first segment, the second segment, and third the segment. The first segment is distinguishable from the second segment and the second segment is distinguishable from the third segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kishore Ramakrishnan, Steven B. Morris, Nikolai N. Pastouchenko, Trevor Howard Wood
  • Patent number: 11920498
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a compressor comprising a rotor defining a radial direction and a circumferential direction, the rotor including a slot; a first blade and a second blade disposed in the slot, the first blade including a first platform and a first dovetail, the second blade including a second platform and a second dovetail; and a hollow block disposed circumferentially between the first blade and the second blade in the slot, the hollow block including: a platform interface portion to interface with the first platform and the second platform, the platform interface portion including a central opening defined by a circumferential face of the platform interface portion; and a hollow dovetail interface portion to couple the first dovetail and the second dovetail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Arvind N
  • Patent number: 11920796
    Abstract: A combustor for a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine defining a longitudinal centerline extending in a longitudinal direction, a radial direction extending orthogonally outward from the longitudinal centerline, and a circumferential direction extending concentrically around the longitudinal centerline, the combustor including: a forward liner segment; an aft liner segment disposed downstream from the forward liner segment relative to a direction of flow through the combustor, the forward and aft liner segments at least partially defining a combustion chamber; and an intermediate member disposed at least partially between the forward and aft liner segments and extending in the circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Karthikeyan Sampath, Pradeep Naik, Veeraraju Vanapalli, Perumallu Vukanti, Shai Birmaher, Daniel J. Kirtley, Deepak Ghiya, Rimple Rakeshkumar Rangrej, Saket Singh, Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Hiranya Kumar Nath, Michael Anthony Benjamin, Rajendra Mahadeorao Wankhade
  • Patent number: 11920493
    Abstract: An airfoil for a turbine engine, the airfoil having an outer wall defining an interior and a camber line extending through the airfoil, and at least one cell located within the interior. The at least one cell can include a forward portion and an aft portion with respect to the camber line. The forward portion and the aft portions can be connected by side portions. A braided fabric can be provided on at least one of the forward or aft portions, while a braided fiber can be provided on at least one of the side portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Douglas Lorrimer Armstrong, Devin R. Dilley, Elzbieta Kryj-Kos
  • Patent number: 11918943
    Abstract: A turbine engine having a compressor section, a combustor section, a turbine section, and a rotatable drive shaft that couples a portion of the turbine section and a portion of the compressor section. A bypass conduit couples the compressor section to the turbine section while bypassing at least the combustion section. At least one particle separator is located in the turbine engine having a separator inlet that receives a bypass stream, a separator outlet that receives a reduced-particle stream flows, and a particle outlet that receives a concentrated-particle stream comprising separated particles. A conduit, fluidly coupled to the particle outlet, extends through an interior of at least one stationary vane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Timothy Deryck Stone, Gregory Michael Laskowski, Robert Proctor, Curtis Stover, Robert Francis Manning, Victor Hugo Silva Correia, Jared Peter Buhler, Robert Carl Murray, Corey Bourassa, Byron Andrew Pritchard, Jr., Jonathan Russell Ratzlaff
  • Patent number: 11920521
    Abstract: Control schemes for controlling a gas turbine engine in response to disturbances associated with a load mechanically coupled with the gas turbine engine are provided. In one aspect, a gas turbine engine mechanically coupled with a load has a controller that includes executable control logic. The control logic includes a feedforward module, an aggressive control module, and a power turbine governor module. By executing the modules, the controller seeks to maintain a constant power turbine speed stably and subtly in response to small disturbances associated with the load and aggressively in response to large disturbances associated with the load, as well as smooth transitions between the responses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jessie Thorup, Christopher David King
  • Patent number: 11920500
    Abstract: A passive flow modulation device for a machine defining an axial direction and a radial direction, the passive flow modulation device including: a first ring with a first coefficient of thermal expansion; a second ring disposed coaxially with the first ring and positioned at least partially inward of the first ring along the radial direction, spaced from the first ring along the axial direction, or both, the first ring, the second ring, or both defining at least in part one or more passages, the second ring with a second coefficient of thermal expansion that is less than the first coefficient of thermal expansion to passively modulate a size of the one or more passages during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Steven Douglas Johnson, Yu-Liang Lin, Craig Alan Gonyou, Scott Alan Schimmels, Jeffrey Douglas Rambo, Brian Gregg Feie
  • Patent number: 11920790
    Abstract: A combustor liner for a combustor of a gas turbine includes an outer liner having a plurality of outer liner segments, and an inner liner having a plurality of inner liner segments. Each segment of the inner liner and the outer liner includes at least one slotted dilution opening therethrough extending in a circumferential direction, and each slotted dilution opening includes a deflector wall extending radially from the respective liner into a dilution zone of a combustion chamber between the outer liner and the inner liner. The at least one slotted dilution opening may be a curved slot (either concave or convex) dilution opening, and the curved slot dilution openings for each segment of the outer liner and the inner liner may be connected so as to provide a wavy slotted dilution opening extending annularly through the outer liner and the inner liner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Saket Singh, Pradeep Naik, Rimple Rangrej, Ranganatha Narasimha Chiranthan, Krishnendu Chakraborty, Shai Birmaher
  • Patent number: 11920791
    Abstract: A trapped vortex reverse flow combustor for a gas turbine includes a first dome structure having a plurality of first-dome vortex driver airflow openings for providing a first vortex generating mid airflow therethrough to a trapped vortex cavity. A second dome structure is arranged downstream of the first dome structure and includes a plurality of second-dome vortex driver airflow openings providing a first vortex generating outer airflow therethrough to the trapped vortex cavity, and a plurality of primary driver airflow openings providing a primary driver airflow therethrough radially inward of the trapped vortex cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Nicholas R. Overman
  • Patent number: 11923586
    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 having a plurality of fuel cells each extending between an inlet end and an outlet end. Each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells includes an air channel and a fuel channel each fluidly coupled to the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Seung-Hyuck Hong, Richard L Hart, Honggang Wang, Anil Raj Duggal, Michael Anthony Benjamin, Andrew Wickersham, Shih-Yang Hsieh
  • Patent number: 11923687
    Abstract: A bipole power transmission scheme with two independent converts, two power feed and one return conduit. During operation of the bipole power transmission scheme under abnormal conditions, when a return conduit is faulty and unable to provide a return current path, each converter controller is programmed to monitor the first power feed in the first transmission conduit and the second power feed in the second transmission conduit and, if the first power feed in the first transmission conduit and the second power feed in the second transmission conduit differ from one another, at least one converter controller modifies the power infeed from its corresponding power source to reduce the difference between the first power feed and the second power feed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH
    Inventors: Mita Babu Narayanan, Omar Jasim
  • Patent number: 11923117
    Abstract: A method for magnetizing a section of one or more permanent magnets arranged substantially in a V-shape, comprising: applying a first magnetic field such that magnetic flux lines are substantially perpendicular to a first leg of the V-shape, and removing the first magnetic field. Then the method comprises applying a second magnetic field such that magnetic flux lines are substantially perpendicular to a second leg of the V-shape, and removing the second magnetic field. Systems and methods for magnetizing sections of permanent magnet modules are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L.
    Inventors: Mikhail Avanesov, Neus Galles Raventos, Cesar Muñiz Casais, Julio Cesar Urresty
  • Patent number: 11923783
    Abstract: A method for operating a multi-level bridge power converter includes arranging a plurality of switching devices including at least four inner switching devices and at least two outer switching devices in an active neutral point clamped topology. The method also includes determining whether any of the switching devices is experiencing a failure condition by implementing a failure detection algorithm. The failure detection algorithm includes generating a blocking state logic signal by comparing a switching device voltage and a threshold reference voltage for each of the switching devices, determining an expected voltage blocking state for each of the switching devices based on gate drive signals of the switching devices and an output current direction, and detecting whether a failure condition is present in any of the switching devices based on the blocking state logic signals and the expected voltage blocking states of the switching devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L.
    Inventors: Kapil Jha, Fernando Arturo Ramirez Sanchez, Nathaniel Robert Michener, Arvind Kumar Tiwari, Robert Gregory Wagoner, Joseph Kiran Banda
  • Patent number: 11923569
    Abstract: A fuel cell unit that includes a support structure having a plurality of flow channels and an active layer membrane coupled with the support structure, the active layer membrane comprising at least one electrode layer. Each flow channel of the plurality of flow channels is configured to direct one of air and fuel across at least one electrode layer of an active layer membrane to create electric current. Each flow channel of the plurality of flow channels includes at least one enhancement feature that is configured to disrupt a formation of a boundary layer near a surface of the active layer membrane where reactions occur. The plurality of flow channels can be positioned in a zig-zag configuration to allow for an increase in power density of the fuel cell unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Hendrik Pieter Jacobus de Bock, Richard L. Hart, Honggang Wang, Narendra D. Joshi
  • Patent number: 11920230
    Abstract: Methods for processing an iron cobalt alloy, along with components formed therefrom, are provided. The method may include: pre-annealing a sheet of an iron cobalt alloy at a pre-anneal temperature (e.g., about 770° C. to about 805° C.); thereafter, cutting a component from the sheet; thereafter, heat-treat annealing the component at a treatment temperature (e.g., about 845° C. to about 870° C.) for a treatment period (e.g., about 1 minute to about 10 minutes); and thereafter, exposing the component to oxygen at an oxidizing temperature to form an insulation layer on a surface of the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Fabian Isaza, Pablo Gabriel Piazza Galarza
  • Patent number: 11921204
    Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system includes light sources configured to generate separate beams of light, a lens array configured to receive the separate beams of light from the light sources and to collimate the separate beams of light into collimated outgoing light that is directed toward an examined area of interest, a light sensitive detector configured to sense reflection of at least part of the collimated outgoing light, and one or more processors configured to determine a distance to one or more objects off which the at least part of the collimated outgoing light was reflected toward the light sensitive detector. The one or more processors are configured to determine the distance based on the reflection of the at least part of the collimated outgoing light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mark Marshall Meyers, Michael Feldmann, Loucas Tsakalakos
  • Publication number: 20240068372
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly for a turbine engine, including an airfoil blade including an inner diameter end and an outer diameter end, a lower blade carrier coupled to the inner diameter end of the airfoil blade and rigidly coupled to a disk via a pin, an upper blade carrier coupled to the outer diameter end of the airfoil blade, and an outer drum coupled to the upper blade carrier via a radial joint. The radial joint supports radial motion of the upper blade carrier relative to an axis extending through a center of the rotor blade assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2022
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Vinod Shashikant Chaudhari, Bhaskar Nanda Mondal, Thomas O. Moniz
  • Publication number: 20240067347
    Abstract: An aircraft includes a gas turbine engine, an electric motor, and a propulsion device. The gas turbine engine and the electric motor are configured to provide a target cumulative output to the propulsion device. An electronic control unit is configured to set the gas turbine engine to a first engine mode to provide a first engine output to the propulsion device, set the electric motor to a first motor mode to provide a first motor output to the propulsion device, a sum of the first engine output and the first motor output being within a predetermined range of the target cumulative output, and in response to a speed of the aircraft reaching a target speed and the first engine output increasing to a second engine output, set the electric motor to a second motor mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2022
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Vinod S. Kumar