Patents Assigned to Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
  • Patent number: 12234765
    Abstract: A rotary engine, has: an outer body defining a rotor cavity; a rotor within the rotor cavity, the outer body and the rotor defining a combustion chamber; a pilot subchamber defined by the outer body and having an outlet communicating with the rotor cavity; a pilot injector having a pilot tip in communication with the pilot subchamber; a main injector having a tip in communication with the rotor cavity, the main injector having a fuel inlet fluidly connected to a fuel source, a fluid inlet fluidly connected to a fluid source, and an injector outlet in fluid communication with the rotor cavity independently of the pilot subchamber, the main injector having: a fuel-injection configuration in which the main injector connects the fuel source to the combustion chamber vi; and a fluid-injection configuration in which the main injector connects the fluid source to the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2024
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Etienne Plamondon, Jonathan Brulatout
  • Patent number: 12235186
    Abstract: A method of evaluating compliance of a component of an aircraft engine with flow requirements has: obtaining experimental data from experimental testing on a prototype of the component; obtaining a digitized model of a production model of the component, the digitized model including digitized apertures having geometrical data corresponding to that of apertures defined in the production model; computing a nominal mass flow rate through the digitized apertures using the geometrical data and flow parameters from the experimental data; correcting the nominal mass flow rate of the digitized model to obtain a computed mass flow rate of the production model; and assigning at least one parameter to the production model, the at least one parameter indicative of installation approval of the production model of the component for installation on the aircraft engine when the computed mass flow rate is determined to be within a prescribed range of the flow requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Mizanur Rahman, Bruno Rivest
  • Patent number: 12226882
    Abstract: A tool for mounting a bearing and shaft subassembly in an aircraft engine component, including a rod extending from a first end to a second end and adapted to extend through a hollowed shaft, the rod having a shaft seating portion at the first end adapted to engage a first end of the shaft. A holder is engageable to the second rod end to receive a second end of the shaft. The holder is displaceable towards the shaft seating portion during engagement to the second rod end. At least one sleeve is adapted to wrap about a shaft outer surface, removably securable to the shaft, and having an end defining a bearing facing surface to axially engage the bearing. The holder is displaceable towards that surface to axially load the bearing against the sleeve and maintain the shaft between the holder and the shaft seating portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Martine Boissonneault, Philippe Boro
  • Patent number: 12228052
    Abstract: An integrally bladed rotor for an aircraft engine includes a hub and a circumferential array of blades extending from the hub. Each blade has an airfoil extending from a gaspath side of a platform provided at a periphery of the hub. The platform has a radial thickness T. An edge of the airfoil is disposed at an axial distance L1 from an adjacent axial edge of the platform. A projection extends radially inwardly from an interior side of the platform opposite to the gaspath side. The projection has an axial thickness t, a radial height h from the interior side of the platform, and an axial distance L2 from the adjacent axial edge of the platform. T is a radial thickness of the platform at an axial location of the projection, and 0 . 2 ? T t ? 5 ; 1 ? h t ? 10 ; and ? 0 ? L 2 L 1 ? 1 ? 0 .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Dikran Mangardich, Krishna Prasad Balike
  • Patent number: 12228284
    Abstract: In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a nozzle assembly comprises a first fuel conduit defined between a nozzle body and a fuel swirler and extending along a longitudinal axis from an inlet of the first fuel conduit to an outlet of the fuel nozzle assembly. A second fuel conduit is defined between the fuel swirler and a heat shield and extending along the fuel swirler along the longitudinal axis from an inlet of the second fuel conduit to the outlet of the fuel nozzle assembly. An air conduit extends through the heat shield along the longitudinal axis from an inlet of the air conduit to the outlet of the fuel nozzle assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Oleg Morenko, Sandeep Vishal Dhalla
  • Patent number: 12229544
    Abstract: There is provided a software update method and system for an aircraft. Software data is obtained at a computing device mounted to the aircraft, the software data comprising a software loader and one or more software files containing an update to a software configuration of at least one target device mounted to the aircraft and communicatively coupled to the computing device. The software loader is executed at the computing device to install the one or more software files into the at least one target device and thereby modify the software configuration of the at least one target device according to the update.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Daniele Berdah, James Mood
  • Patent number: 12228085
    Abstract: A method and system for correlating engine thrust and engine thrust lever angle (TLA) during operation of a gas turbine engine powered aircraft is provided. The method includes: a) providing current flight conditions including a Mach number of the aircraft, altitude of the aircraft, and a TLA; b) determining a corrected fan speed value based on a sensed fan speed and flight conditions; c) determining a first corrected net thrust value based on the corrected fan speed value and the Mach number; d) determining a compensation factor using the corrected fan speed value, the Mach number, and the corrected net thrust value; e) determining a second corrected net thrust value as a function of the TLA; and f) correlating an engine fan speed to the TLA using the second corrected net thrust value as a function of the TLA and the compensation factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2025
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Poissant, Robert Pontarelli, Cristina Crainic
  • Patent number: 12221221
    Abstract: A method of operating a hybrid engine for an aircraft, the hybrid engine having a thermal engine and an electric motor. The method includes verifying, using an engine control unit of the hybrid engine, that a selected power level is under a predetermined threshold for operation of the hybrid engine in a sub-idle hybrid mode. The method further includes operating the hybrid engine in the sub-idle hybrid mode, using the engine control unit, by controlling the thermal engine to operate in a standby mode, and by controlling the electric motor to operate in an active mode wherein the electric motor provides a majority of a propulsive power to the aircraft, wherein in the standby mode the thermal engine operates in a sub-idle condition to provide at most minimal propulsive power to the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2024
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Mert Cevik, James Robert Jarvo, Keith Morgan, Elizabeth Gioia
  • Patent number: 12221927
    Abstract: An aircraft engine reservoir system includes a reservoir inner chamber containing a flammable fluid. A chamber inlet is fluidly connectable to a flammable fluid source pressurizing the fluid. The chamber includes an outlet. An air source operates at a pressure that is lower that a flammable fluid pressure during an engine operational condition. A valve selectively fluidly connecting the chamber to the air source is movable between a closed position, in which the chamber flammable fluid pressure acting on the valve exceeds the air source pressure acting on the valve such that the valve blocks the air from entering the chamber, and an open position, in which the chamber flammable fluid pressure acting on the valve is lower than the air source pressure acting on the valve such that the valve allows the air to flow into the chamber and evacuate the flammable fluid from the chamber through the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Sylvain Lamarre, Kashif Mohammed, John Sgouromitis
  • Patent number: 12221971
    Abstract: A compressor has: a rotor and a shroud having a internal and external sides and an air outlet; an annular case mounted to the external side and enclosing a plenum, the annular case having inner and outer sides and defining an aperture; a valve mounted to the annular case at the aperture and having: a support secured to the annular case and defining a seat surrounding a bleed passage, the seat located on the outer side, the support defining a guiding aperture, and a valve member having a head and a stem slidably received within the guiding aperture, the valve member having a closed position and an open position, the head abutting the valve seat in the closed position and offset from the valve seat in the open position; and an actuator engaged to the valve member for moving the valve member between the closed position and the open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: David Menheere, Andrew Marshall
  • Patent number: 12215597
    Abstract: An aircraft propulsion system includes a bladed rotor configured for rotation about a rotational axis. A rotor blade of the bladed rotor of rotor blades includes a blade body. The blade body has a blade span extending between and to a base end and a tip end. The blade body has a blade chord extending between and to a leading edge and a trailing edge. The blade body forms a pressure side surface and a suction side surface. The blade body forms a recess at the pressure side surface. The recess includes a recess surface portion forming a portion of the pressure side surface. The recess surface portion has a recess height. The recess height is greater than or equal to a Y-value of 0.025 for a normalized two-dimensional curve of a surface profile of the recess surface portion taken along a Y-Z plane orthogonal to the rotational axis for a recess span.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2024
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Anthony Bruni, Jason Nichols, Ramy Rashad, Mohammadreza Amiralaei
  • Patent number: 12215630
    Abstract: An engine system is provided that includes an engine rotating structure, an electric machine rotating structure and a flex coupler. The flex coupler rotatably connects the electric machine rotating structure to the engine rotating structure. The flex coupler includes a first mount, a second mount and a flex plate. The first mount includes a plurality of first mount fingers arranged circumferentially about an axis. The second mount includes a plurality of second mount fingers arranged circumferentially about the axis. The flex plate connects the first mount to the second mount. The flex plate includes a plurality of first flex plate fingers and a plurality of second flex plate fingers. Each of the first flex plate fingers is attached to a respective one of the first mount fingers. Each of the second flex plate fingers is attached to a respective one of the second mount fingers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventor: David Menheere
  • Patent number: 12214454
    Abstract: A machining system includes a machining assembly, a rotary table, a dimensional measurement assembly, and a controller. The controller is configured to control the dimensional measurement assembly to identify first position and a first orientation for a point on a surface of a workpiece with at least one dimensional measurement sensor, determine a first machine-workpiece vector and a first rotation-workpiece vector for the point, control the rotary table to rotate the workpiece about a rotational axis by a rotation angle, calculate a second position and a second orientation for the point subsequent to rotating the workpiece, update a workpiece position and a workpiece orientation in a part coordinate system (PCS) for the workpiece using the second position and the second orientation, and control the machining assembly to machine the workpiece using the updated workpiece position and the updated workpiece orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Rachid Guiassa, Visal Ing
  • Patent number: 12215868
    Abstract: An injector for a gas turbine engine includes an annular gas nozzle, a hydrogen feed conduit, and a disc. The annular gas nozzle is disposed along a central nozzle axis and includes a forward face, a frustoconical interior surface, and gas feed conduits that open at the frustoconical interior surface. The hydrogen feed conduit extends along the central nozzle axis through the annular gas nozzle. The hydrogen feed conduit and the frustoconical interior surface define there between an annular mixing chamber. The hydrogen feed conduit has an end portion that is axially displaced from the forward face. The end portion includes feed holes that open into the mixing chamber. The disc is disposed on the end portion and is diametrically larger than the end portion so as to form a forward boundary of the annular mixing chamber. The disc may have multiple teeth, serrated edges, single or multiple bleed holes that are normal or angularly drilled to enhance fuel and air mixing, and improve flame stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2024
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Tin Cheung John Hu
  • Patent number: 12215590
    Abstract: A method for checking a closing point for a bleed-off valve for a gas turbine engine includes determining a modulation characteristic curve for the bleed-off valve, determining a nominal closing point value for the bleed-off valve on the modulation characteristic curve, operating the gas turbine engine and increasing an engine power of the gas turbine engine until the gas turbine engine parameter reaches a predetermined testing value, and determining a bleed-off valve measured value and a gas turbine engine measured value when the gas turbine engine parameter reaches the predetermined testing value. The gas turbine engine measured value is different than the nominal closing point value. The method further includes determining an extrapolated closing point value and checking the closing point for the bleed-off valve by comparing the bleed-off valve measured value or the gas turbine engine measured value to the extrapolated closing point value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventor: Louis Duranleau-Hendrickx
  • Patent number: 12208910
    Abstract: A cooling system for an engine of an aircraft of a having hybrid-electric propulsion system including a nacelle body including a bottom cooling air intake disposed below a propeller hub for supplying air to an oil-air cooler, wherein the bottom cooling air intake includes a splitter dividing the bottom cooling air intake into a first channel and a second channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Frank Becker, Eric LaTulipe, Xi Wang
  • Patent number: 12209535
    Abstract: An aircraft propulsion system is provided that includes a turbine engine and an intercooler (IC). The turbine engine includes a source of non-hydrocarbon fuel, and a low pressure compressor having an LPC air inlet and outlet, and a high pressure compressor having an HPC air inlet and outlet. The intercooler has an IC air inlet, an IC air outlet, a U-shaped air passage, and crossflow tubes. The IC air inlet is in fluid communication with the LPC air outlet. The IC air outlet is in fluid communication with the HPC air inlet. The U-shaped air passage is in fluid communication with the IC air inlet and outlet. The crossflow tubes extend through the U-shaped air passage. The crossflow tubes are in fluid communication with the source of non-hydrocarbon fuel, and are configured to contain a flow of the non-hydrocarbon fuel therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Scott Smith, Russell Stratton
  • Patent number: 12203391
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a composite guide vane with a metallic leading edge includes receiving a layup of fiber-reinforced composite sheets of continuous, substantially parallel and non-interlaced fibers impregnated with a resin. A vane body is formed from the layup of sheets. The vane body includes a body mid portion for interacting with a fluid and a body end portion. The method includes applying a metallic sheath on part of the vane body. The metallic sheath defines a leading edge of the guide vane. The method includes overmolding a head or a foot of the guide vane onto part of the vane body and onto part of the metallic sheath.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Barry Barnett
  • Patent number: 12203920
    Abstract: Magnetic chip detectors and associated for detecting metallic chips in engine fluid of an engine are provided. A magnetic chip detector includes first and second magnetic chip capture zones. The first magnetic chip capture zone includes a first electrically conductive terminal spaced apart from a second electrically conductive terminal to define a first chip-receiving gap therebetween. The second magnetic chip capture zone includes a third electrically conductive terminal and either the second electrically conductive terminal or a fourth electrically conductive terminal to define a second chip-receiving gap therebetween. The magnetic chip detector includes an electric circuit including both the first chip-receiving gap and the second chip-receiving gap. The electric circuit provides an output indicative of a chip detection by one or both of the first magnetic chip capture zone and the second magnetic capture zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Guy Riverin
  • Patent number: 12203381
    Abstract: An aircraft engine, has: a fluid system including a component adapted for containing a volume of the fluid, the fluid circuit further including a bypass conduit bypassing the component, and a valve fluidly connected to the fluid circuit upstream of the component relative to a flow of the fluid towards the component, the valve having an open configuration fluidly connecting the source of the fluid to the bypass conduit through the valve and a closed configuration in which the valve connects the source of the fluid to the component, the valve movable from the open configuration to the closed configuration in response to the fluid being at a first temperature, and the valve movable from the closed configuration to the open configuration in response to the fluid exerting an opening force on the valve and the fluid being at a second temperature different than the first temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Kashif Mohammed