Patents Assigned to Northern Research & Engineering Corporation
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Patent number: 6280866Abstract: A fuel cell includes a cathode having a first surface and a second surface, and an anode having a first surface and a second surface, with the anode underlying the cathode so that the first surface of the anode faces the second surface of the cathode. The fuel cell includes an electrolyte sandwiched between the first surface of the anode and the second surface of the cathode and a fuel distributor underlying the anode for directing a flow of fuel over the second surface of the anode. The fuel cell also has an oxidizing agent flow distributor having a plurality of flow path levels, the oxidizing agent flow distributor being adapted for passing an oxidizing agent toward the first surface of the cathode and transferring heat from the first surface of the cathode to the oxidizing agent as the oxidizing agent moves toward the cathode so that the temperature of the oxidizing agent reaching the first surface of the cathode is increased for minimizing thermal stresses upon the fuel cell.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 1999Date of Patent: August 28, 2001Assignee: Northern Research & Engineering CorporationInventor: Elia P. Demetri
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Patent number: 5586429Abstract: A Brayton cycle air compressor system having two turbinecompressors and a recuperated combustion chamber interconnected. A portion of the hot compressed high pressure air is used as combustion air for the combustion chamber. In addition, a portion of the combustion air is used as the heat source for regenerating the desiccant in the air dryers.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 1994Date of Patent: December 24, 1996Assignee: Northern Research & Engineering CorporationInventors: James B. Kesseli, Stephen P. Baldwin
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Patent number: 5564270Abstract: A fuel and air mixing apparatus for a combustor and gas turbine generator. A primary portion of the fuel is injected into the mixing air at long distances from the combustor prechamber. The primary portion of the fuel is almost completely mixed with the mixing air. A secondary portion of fuel is injected into the mixing air in the boundary layer at a short distance form the combustor prechamber. This minimally mixed second portion provides some rich portions of fuel-air in the prechamber to improve stability and reduce the chances of blowout.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 1994Date of Patent: October 15, 1996Assignee: Northern Research & Engineering CorporationInventors: James B. Kesseli, Eric R. Norster
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Patent number: 5509315Abstract: The invention is an in-line torque meter for use with an absorption dynamometer in which the twist of a rotating shaft that transmits torque from an engine to an air dynamometer is measured by a single sensor on the adjacent stationary structure. The torque shaft is supported at the dynamometer end by a splined attachment to the shaft of the dynamometer and at the engine end in a pair of preloaded angular contact ball bearings. Torque from the engine causes the shaft to twist. Attached to and rotating with the shaft are two sleeves with projecting teeth, one sleeve attached at each end of the torque shaft. The projecting teeth are interleaved and are located so that both sets of teeth can be sensed by an adjacent single sensor. When the shaft is twisted by the applied torque, the teeth on the two sleeves are angularly displaced with respect to each other. This angular displacement is measured as a phase shift in the signal generated by the sensor.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 1995Date of Patent: April 23, 1996Assignee: Northern Research & Engineering CorporationInventors: Walter L. Brassert, Paul N. Dahlstrand
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Patent number: 5450724Abstract: A fuel and air mixing apparatus for a combustor and gas turbine generator. A primary portion of the fuel is injected into the mixing air at long distances from the combustor prechamber. The primary portion of the fuel is almost completely mixed with the mixing air. A secondary portion of fuel is injected into the mixing air in the boundary layer at a short distance form the combustor prechamber. This minimally mixed second portion provides some rich portions of fuel-air in the prechamber to improve stability and reduce the chances of blowout.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 1993Date of Patent: September 19, 1995Assignee: Northern Research & Engineering CorporationInventors: James B. Kesseli, Eric R. Norster
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Patent number: 5426986Abstract: The invention is an in-line torque meter for use with an absorption dynamometer in which the twist of a rotating shaft that transmits torque from an engine to an air dynamometer is measured by a single sensor on the adjacent stationary structure. The torque shaft is supported at the dynamometer end by a splined attachment to the shaft of the dynamometer and at the engine end in a pair of preloaded angular contact ball bearings. Torque from the engine causes the shaft to twist. Attached to and rotating with the shaft are two sleeves with projecting teeth, one sleeve attached at each end of the torque shaft. The projecting teeth are interleaved and are located so that both sets of teeth can be sensed by an adjacent single sensor. When the shaft is twisted by the applied torque, the teeth on the two sleeves are angularly displaced with respect to each other. This angular displacement is measured as a phase shift in the signal generated by the sensor.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 1994Date of Patent: June 27, 1995Assignee: Northern Research & Engineering CorporationInventors: Walter L. Brassert, Paul N. Dahlstrand
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Patent number: 5391024Abstract: A method for determining machining instructions for flank milling of a workpiece which reduces the undercut by analyzing the cutter orientation at a plurality of orientations to determine an orientation which results in a minimum undercut, smooths the machining instructions by analyzing the movement of the cutter and the workpiece in spherical coordinates and improves machinability by analyzing for near-axial conditions and selecting a modified cutter orientation for such near-axial conditions using a multi-criteria weighting factor.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 1994Date of Patent: February 21, 1995Assignee: Northern Research & Engineering CorporationInventors: Alan R. Levine, Brad W. Amidon
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Patent number: 5353597Abstract: An inlet air cooling system for natural gas compression. The system provides both inlet air refrigeration for the internal combustion engine and additional natural gas compression. Also provided is a leakage control system for any natural gas or hydrocarbon leakage from the combined cycle system. The leakage is collected and introduced into a low pressure portion of the engine air intake system where it is burned along with the normal engine fuel. An alternate embodiment uses the compressed natural gas to drive an expansion turbine which provides additional power to the inlet air turbocharger.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 1993Date of Patent: October 11, 1994Assignee: Northern Research & Engineering CorporationInventors: Henry B. Faulkner, Michael C. Swarden
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Patent number: 5345827Abstract: The invention is an in-line torque meter for use with an absorption dynamometer in which the twist of a rotating shaft that transmits torque from an engine to an air dynamometer is measured by a single sensor on the adjacent stationary structure. The torque shaft is supported at the dynamometer end by a splined attachment to the shaft of the dynamometer and at the engine end in a pair of preloaded angular contact ball bearings. Torque from the engine causes the shaft to twist. Attached to and rotating with the shaft are two sleeves with projecting teeth, one sleeve attached at each end of the torque shaft. The projecting teeth are interleaved and are located so that both sets of teeth can be sensed by an adjacent single sensor. When the shaft is twisted by the applied torque, the teeth on the two sleeves are angularly displaced with respect to each other. This angular displacement is measured as a phase shift in the signal generated by the sensor.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 1993Date of Patent: September 13, 1994Assignee: Northern Research & Engineering CorporationInventors: Walter L. Brassert, Paul N. Dahlstrand
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Patent number: 5324175Abstract: A two stage free piston pneumatically operated air compressor having an integral and coaxial power piston, first stage piston and second stage piston. The discharge of the compressor first stage is the inlet for the compressor second stage. A piston-type throttling valve is used to control the speed of the reciprocating piston. The piston-type throttling valve is responsive to the pressure drop across a fixed orifice.Type: GrantFiled: May 3, 1993Date of Patent: June 28, 1994Assignee: Northern Research & Engineering CorporationInventors: Harold P. Sorensen, Ward H. Robinson
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Patent number: 5312235Abstract: An apparatus for reducing the pressure pulse amplitudes in the discharge piping of a screw compressor. A stub pipe is added to the compressor discharge piping. By tuning the stub pipe dimensions, the reflected pulse from the stub pipe is combined with the reflected pulse from the discharge piping so that the pulse arriving back at the discharge of the compressor is out of phase with the compressor discharge pulse, reducing the pulse amplitude in the pipe.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 1993Date of Patent: May 17, 1994Assignee: Northern Research & Engineering CorporationInventor: Paul McHugh
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Patent number: 4212585Abstract: An improvement for extending the stable operating range of a centrifugal compressor comprises a circumferentially extending series of slots adjacent the leading edges of a series of compressor vanes such that there is relative motion between the series of slots and the vanes as the compressor impeller is driven in rotation.Type: GrantFiled: January 20, 1978Date of Patent: July 15, 1980Assignee: Northern Research and Engineering CorporationInventors: Michael C. Swarden, Shankar S. Magge, Willem Jansen, Anthony F. Carter
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Patent number: 4040251Abstract: A gas turbine has a combustion chamber of toroidal configuration that includes separation structure dividing the combustion chamber into an annular primary zone and an annular dilution zone. Injection of compressor discharge air into the primary zone sets up a toroidal recirculation pattern of generally circular cross-sectional configuration. Fuel slinger structure at the inner periphery of the primary zone has a generally cylindrical surface for receiving and distributing fuel in a thin sheet for discharge in a radially outward direction as minute droplets towards the center of the toroidal recirculation pattern. The radial flow of the fuel droplets interacts with said toroidal recirculation pattern and provides intimate mixing of fuel and air, and resulting efficient combustion within said primary zone. The resulting combustion product flows from the primary zone past the separation structure into the dilution zone.Type: GrantFiled: January 16, 1976Date of Patent: August 9, 1977Assignee: Northern Research and Engineering CorporationInventors: Arnold M. Heitmann, Walter L. Brassert, Donald N. Chouinard
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Patent number: 4038815Abstract: A gas turbine includes a rotatable unit having a compression component and an expansion component, and a toroidal combustion chamber between the compression and expansion components. The gas turbine has a gas flow path serially through the compression component, the combustion chamber and the expansion component. A first bearing assembly is positioned on the side of the compression component remote from the combustion chamber and a second bearing assembly is positioned on the side of the expansion component remote from the combustion chamber so that the rotatable unit is unsupported between the compression and expansion components and no bearing structures are in the vicinity of the combustion chamber.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 1975Date of Patent: August 2, 1977Assignee: Northern Research and Engineering CorporationInventors: Arnold M. Heitmann, Walter L. Brassert, Donald B. Chouinard
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Patent number: D355253Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 1993Date of Patent: February 7, 1995Assignee: Northern Research & Engineering CorporationInventors: Willem Jansen, Steve H. Pancygrau, Bradford R. Myrick, John M. Griffith