Abstract: A fuel injector for injecting alternate fuels having a different energy density in a gas turbine is provided. A first fuel supply channel (18) may be fluidly coupled to a radial passage (22) in a plurality of vanes (20) that branches into passages (24) (e.g., axial passages) to inject a first fuel without jet in cross-flow injection. This may be effective to reduce flashback in fuels having a relatively high flame speed. A mixer (30) with lobes (32) for injection of a second fuel may be arranged at the downstream end of a fuel delivery tube (12). A fuel-routing structure (38) may be configured to route the second fuel within a respective lobe so that fuel injection of the second fuel takes place radially outwardly relative to a central region of the mixer. This may be conducive to an improved (e.g., a relatively more uniform) mixing of air and fuel.

Abstract: A method for monitoring a high-temperature region of interest in a turbine engine (10) is provided. The method includes providing an internally-cooled stationary vane (12). The method may further include locating at least one monitoring port (14) in the stationary vane and operatively connecting a monitoring instrument (16) to the monitoring port to provide a field of view of a region of interest.

Abstract: A static wear seal for an interface between two components is provided. The static wear seal includes a body portion including a receptacle configured to receive an insert portion. The insert portion is disposed within the receptacle. The receptacle is formed within the body portion at a surface of the body portion known to wear due to contact with a turbine component and includes a locking means such that the insert portion is retained within the receptacle. The insert portion is configured to receive wear due to contact with the turbine component. A transition seal assembly for a gas turbine engine including at least two seals wherein one of the two seals is a static wear seal is provided as well as a method to protect a wear surface of a static wear seal sealing an interface between the turbine components.

Abstract: An assembly having a positive locking device is provided. The assembly includes a solid body having a through hole arranged to receive a fastener. A fastener is disposed in the through hole of the solid body and secured to the solid body using a securing means. The locking plate positively locks the securing means onto the fastener. A generator including the assembly as well as a method to set a short circuit stop gap between the assembly and a support brace support the stator winding is also provided.

Abstract: Melting energy exemplified by an arc (24) is delivered to a metal alloy material (22, 23), forming a melt pool (26). A metal oxide material (34) is delivered (33) to the melt pool and dispersed therein. The melting energy and oxide deliveries are controlled (44) to melt the alloy material, but not to melt at least most of the metal oxide material. The deliveries may be controlled so that the melting energy does not intercept the metal oxide delivery. The melting energy may be controlled to create a temperature of the melt pool that does not reach the melting point of the metal oxide. Deliveries of the melting energy and the oxide may alternate so they do not overlap in time. A cold metal transfer apparatus (22) and process (18, 19, 20) may be used for example in combination with an oxide particle pulse delivery device (42, 46).

Abstract: A method of determining the risk of a stator failure is provided. The stator includes multiple stator coil windings. Each of the windings includes multiple conductive metal strands. The number of strand failures is determined from an image captured by a radiography. A risk analysis is assessed from the determined number of strand failures.

Abstract: There are provided systems and processes which enable the efficient biological treatment of high salt concentration fluid streams, e.g., spent caustics, to reduce COD concentrations in the fluid streams.

Abstract: System (10) and methods (1000) for structural braze repair of high gamma prime nickel base gas turbine components (1). The system may include a controller (200) operably connected to a heating system (100), e.g., a vacuum furnace, for controlling heat temperatures of the furnace for a specified or predetermined time period. A damaged component is placed in the furnace and heated to a first temperature, which is held for the specified time period before being cooled to about room temperature. The component is then heated to a second temperature higher than the first temperature, which is held for a second time period before being cooled again to about room temperature. After cooling the component may be braze repaired at a third temperature equal to or higher than the previous temperatures for a third time period.

Abstract: There are disclosed systems and processes that substantially prevent scaling in the treatment of a spent carbon material in a wet air oxidation (WAO) system.

Abstract: A method and system for recognizing (and/or predicting) failures of sensors used in monitoring gas turbines applies a sparse coding process to collected sensor readings and defines the L-1 norm residuals from the sparse coding process as indicative of a potential sensor problem. Further evaluation of the group of residual sensor readings is perform to categorize the group and determine if there are significant outliers (“abnormal data”), which would be considered as more likely associated with a faulty sensor than noisy data. A time component is introduced into the evaluation that compares a current abnormal result with a set of prior results and making the faulty sensor determination if a significant number of prior readings also have an abnormal value. By taking the time component into consideration, the number of false positives is reduced.

Abstract: Methods of treating a high suspended solids liquor having a waste stream and a suspended solids content including powdered activated carbon and biological material by contacting the high suspended solids liquor with a membrane unit are disclosed. Methods of treating a waste stream by combining the waste stream with powdered activated carbon and biological material to produce the high suspended solids liquor and contacting the high suspended solids liquor with a membrane unit are also disclosed. Treatment systems including a membrane unit fluidly connected to a source of a high suspended solids liquor are disclosed. Treatment systems including a bioreactor fluidly connected to a source of a waste stream and a membrane unit are also disclosed.

Abstract: A system that applies a counteracting voltage or current to a rotating shaft to minimize a grounding voltage signal of the shaft, measures and analyzes the counteracting signal, and provides expert system logic that compares prior learned waveforms and models of baseline, fault, and degradation waveforms to operational waveforms to determine and predict faults and degradation events. Self-learning logic analyzes the operational waveforms to look for changes, and finds or predicts fault and degradation events in relation to archived characteristics of earlier waveforms. It then adds characteristics of predictive waveforms to the database of model waveforms, and updates rules and thresholds in the expert logic based on the found predictors. It may further calculate and continuously refine a counteracting signal waveform to minimize the shaft grounding waveform.

Abstract: A gas turbine engine having a rotor centering cooling system for cooling struts within an exhaust diffuser and turbine case to reduce tip rub during hot restarts is disclosed. In particular, the rotor centering cooling system may be positioned within struts in the exhaust diffuser downstream from a turbine assembly for limiting thermal gradients between top and bottom struts to prevent the exhaust bearing body from becoming off-center during steady state operation as a result of the top struts becoming hotter than the bottom struts. The rotor centering cooling system may reduce the temperature at the exhaust diffuser and turbine case, thereby reducing the thermal gradient between the top and bottom struts and top and bottom of the turbine case. As such, the exhaust bearing body remains centered, thereby preventing a tighter blade tip clearance at the top of the turbine assembly than at the bottom of the assembly.

Abstract: There are provided electrooxidation systems and processes which provide an elevated pressure at which components are oxidized in an electrooxidation cell. The elevated pressure reduces power consumption for the cell at least in part by reducing the formation of gas bubbles, which typically leads to increased resistance and an increased power output.

Abstract: A method for estimating a time of flight of an acoustic signal in a hot gas flow path having background noise wherein a plurality of transceivers each generate an acoustic signal. The method includes providing an acoustic signal of interest that travels in a direction opposite a reference acoustic signal on a first acoustic path between a pair of transceivers. The method also includes identifying at least one minimum peak height in the acoustic signal of interest having a peak height that is greater than the background noise. Further, the method includes obtaining time of flight information of other acoustic paths having substantially the same path length as the first path to provide a range of time of flights wherein a time of flight that falls within the time of flight range and is associated with a minimum peak height forms the estimated time of flight.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for testing a stator core of a generator are presented. The apparatus includes a power supply. The power supply provides an excitation current having a base frequency. A frequency convertor is connected to the power supply. The frequency convertor converts the base frequency of the excitation current to an excitation frequency that is greater than the base frequency. An excitation cable connects the frequency convertor to a rotor at two axial ends. The rotor is excited by the excitation current with the excitation frequency as a single excitation winding for simulating an operation state of the generator causing hot spots on the stator core without overheating the rotor.

Abstract: Systems and methods for volumetrically fabricating 3D objects. The system includes at least a controller operably connected to a build volume and one or more energy sources. The build volume defines a volumetric buildable size of the object to be fabricated and includes media for fabricating the object therein. The energy source(s) is configured to emit at least a first and second energy beam therefrom. The controller is configured to direct the first and second emitted energy beams towards an intersecting point in the build volume to begin fabricating the media therein. The energy from each of the first and second beams is not sufficient to fabricate the object out of the media. The object is fabricated once multiple beams intersect, as collectively, the energy of the intersecting beams is sufficient to fabricate the object.

Abstract: A method for braze repair of tight cracks in a superalloy component is provided. The method includes directing energy, e.g., from an acoustic energy source, towards surfaces of the tight crack to break up one or more contaminants, corrosion products, or oxides at the surface. The directed energy may cause opposed walls of the tight crack to vibrate to break up the oxides, and to generate a modest heat for allowing infiltration of the tight crack with a braze material. The braze material is then melted at a melt temperature of the braze material but below the melt temperature of the component. The braze material is then solidified to repair the tight crack.

Abstract: There are provided herein methods and systems for increasing efficiency in a multi-stage activated carbon system. The methods and systems provide a cleaned carbon solids fraction and a waste liquor from wet air regeneration, and direct the same to a second stage and a first stage, respectively, of the multi-stage activated carbon system to enhance removal efficiency therein.

Abstract: Catalytic systems and methods for treating process streams are disclosed. Catalytic wet oxidation and hydrolysis techniques may be used to treat one or more undesirable constituents. Methane may be produced in connection with at least some embodiments.