Patents Assigned to Turbine, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20120210043
    Abstract: Systems and methods for managing data input/output operations are described. In one aspect, a device driver identifies a data read operation generated by a virtual machine in a virtual environment. The device driver is located in the virtual machine and the data read operation identifies a physical cache address associated with the data requested in the data read operation. A determination is made regarding whether data associated with the data read operation is available in a cache associated with the virtual machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2011
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: IO Turbine, Inc.
    Inventors: Vikram Joshi, Yang Luan, Manish R. Apte, Hrishikesh A. Vidwans, Michael F. Brown
  • Patent number: 8186162
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle for a turbine engine has a central body member with a pilot, a surrounding barrel housing, a mixing duct and an air inlet duct. The fuel nozzle additionally has a main fuel injection device located between the air inlet duct and the mixing duct. The main fuel injection device is configured to introduce a flow of fuel into the barrel member to create a fuel/air mixture which is then premixed with a swirler. The fuel/air mixture then further mixes in the mixing duct and exits the nozzle into a combustor for combustion. The geometry of the fuel nozzle ensures that pressure waves from the combustor do not create a time varying fuel to air equivalence ratio in the flow through the nozzle that achieves a resonance with the pressure waves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas J. C. Rogers, Christopher Z. Twardochleb, James W. Blust, Mario E. Abreu, Donald J. Cramb
  • Patent number: 8167534
    Abstract: In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a turbine engine. The engine may include a main housing defining a compressor compartment and an air intake housing mounted to the main housing. The engine may also include a rotor including a compressor portion disposed within the compressor compartment, and a hub portion extending from the compressor compartment through an opening in the air intake housing into a bearing compartment defined by the air intake housing. The engine may further include a seal mounted in the opening in the air intake housing in an annular gap between the hub portion of the rotor and the air intake housing and configured to form a seal between the bearing compartment and the compressor compartment. The seal may be configured to be removed from the opening in the air intake housing while the air intake housing is mounted to the main housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: Charles C. Cornelius, Gabriel J. Glynn
  • Patent number: 8166763
    Abstract: A fuel injector for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The fuel injector includes an injector housing having a longitudinal axis. The injector housing includes one or more fuel inlets, one or more fuel galleries annularly disposed about the longitudinal axis, and an air inlet. The fuel injector also includes a premix barrel having a proximal end and a distal end circumferentially disposed about the longitudinal axis. The premix barrel is fluidly coupled to the fuel galleries and the air inlet at the proximal end, and configured to mechanically couple to a combustor of the gas turbine engine at the distal end. The fuel injector also includes a pilot assembly disposed radially inwards of the premix barrel. The pilot assembly may include a first end and a second end. The second end is removably coupled to the injector housing, and the first end is proximate the distal end of the premix barrel. The pilot assembly is fluidly coupled to the fuel galleries, the air inlet, and the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: James Scott Piper, Hongyu Wang
  • Patent number: 8152496
    Abstract: A method of operating a compressor of a compressor system uses three models. Each model of the three models describes a surge line of the compressor as a function of any two of three operating parameters of the compressor. The three operating parameters include head (H), flow (Q), and speed (N). The method includes measuring operating characteristics of the compressor system using sensors, and determining a current value of the three operating parameters based on at least some of the measured operating characteristics. The method also includes locating operating points of the compressor on each of the three models based on the current value of the operating parameters, and identifying a sensor fault that affects the determination of at least one of the operating parameters. The method further includes avoiding surge of the compressor using one model of the three models. The one model being a model that is a function of two operating parameters unaffected by the sensor fault.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventor: Robert C. White
  • Patent number: 8137072
    Abstract: A turbine blade is disclosed. The turbine blade may have an airfoil extending from a first surface of a turbine platform. The turbine blade may further have a first side pocket of the turbine platform that is configured to substantially entirely house a first moveable seal between a forward wall of the first side pocket and an aft wall of the first side pocket. The first side pocket may have a convex surface, extending between the forward wall and the aft wall, and a concave surface. The turbine blade may also have a second side pocket of the turbine platform configured to receive a portion of a second moveable seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: Hyun Dong Kim, Marius Dumitrascu, Michael Eugene Greenspan, Yungmo Kang, Yong Weon Kim
  • Patent number: 8127546
    Abstract: An end cap for a fuel injector of a turbine engine is disclosed. The end cap includes an annular first surface including a plurality of perforations. The annular first surface is exposed to a combustion chamber of the turbine engine. The end cap is coupled to an end face of the fuel injector to define an enclosed cavity. The enclosed cavity and the plurality of perforations form an array of Helmholtz resonators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventor: Roger James Park
  • Patent number: 8127553
    Abstract: A jet impingement array design and method are disclosed for efficiently cooling the liner of a gas turbine combustion chamber, while eliminating almost all effects of coolant gas crossflow. The design includes an array of extended jet ports for which the distance between the ends of the jet ports and the surface to be cooled progressively decreases from upstream to downstream. Spent air from upstream jets is directed away from downstream jets, thereby reducing the detrimental effects of crossflow, and optimizing heat transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: Srinath Varadarajan Ekkad, Eric Ian Esposito, Yong Weon Kim
  • Patent number: 8128865
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a shrouded impeller is disclosed. The method includes providing an open faced impeller, the open faced impeller including a plurality of blades extending at least partially radially from a hub. The method also includes performing a first powder metallurgical process to form a first material over at least part of the open faced impeller. The method further includes forming a shroud circumferentially disposed about the hub and connected to one of more of the blades. Forming the shroud includes performing a second powder metallurgical process to metallurgically bond the shroud to at least some of the blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: David Brian Jahnz, Jess Lee Freeman
  • Patent number: 8099940
    Abstract: A pilot assembly for a fuel injector of a gas turbine engine may include a longitudinal passageway having an outlet end. A mass flow in the longitudinal passageway may generally flow towards the outlet end during operation of the engine. The pilot assembly may also include a liquid fuel nozzle that is positioned to direct a mixture of liquid fuel and air near the outlet end, and a compressed air inlet that is configured to direct air compressed by a compressor of the engine to a compressor discharge pressure into the longitudinal passageway without a substantial loss of pressure. The longitudinal passageway may also include a flow restriction section. The flow restriction section may be a narrowed section of the longitudinal passageway, in which an upstream side of the flow restriction section may have compressed air at substantially the compressor discharge pressure and a downstream side may have air at a lower pressure and a higher velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Zdzislaw Twardochleb, John Frederick Lockyer, Mario Eugene Abreu
  • Publication number: 20120006411
    Abstract: A fluid compression system is disclosed. The fluid compression system may include a first compressor disposed in a first fluid conduit, a first valve disposed in the first fluid conduit upstream of the first compressor, a second valve disposed in the first fluid conduit downstream of the first compressor, a second compressor in fluid communication with the first compressor and configured to selectively pump fluid from the first compressor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Applicant: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: Rainer Kurz, R. C. White
  • Patent number: 8028512
    Abstract: A combustion control system for a turbine engine is disclosed. The combustion control system includes a fuel injector having a main fuel supply and pilot fuel supply coupled to a combustor of the turbine engine. The combustion control system also includes a sensor coupled to a transfer tube. The transfer tube is fluidly coupled to the combustor, and the sensor is configured to detect a pressure pulse in the combustor. A semi-infinite coil is also coupled to the transfer tube. The combustion control system also includes a controller electrically connected to the sensor. The controller is configured to compare an amplitude of the pressure pulse within a frequency range to a threshold amplitude, and adjust the pilot fuel supply in response to the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Eleazar Mendoza, Paul Elliot Morrison, Marco Ezra Leon, Tiziano Marco Bognuda, Satoshi Ito, Shari Turner, legal representative
  • Patent number: 8024934
    Abstract: A system and method for modifying the supply of fuel to injectors to attenuate combustion oscillations in a gas turbine engine. The gas turbine engine may comprise a combustor, a plurality of injectors and a manifold. The plurality of injectors may be operable to provide fuel to the combustor. The manifold may be configured to supply fuel to all of the plurality of injectors or to only a portion of the plurality of injectors in reaction to a determination of an existence of combustion oscillations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: Mario E. Abreu, Gwenn A. Peters, Terry R. Tarver, Chris Z. Twardochleb, James W. Blust
  • Patent number: 8015134
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method is provided for determining a corrective action. The method may include obtaining diagnostic data and calculating, using the diagnostic data, a prognostic. The method may also include retrieving, when the prognostic is above an alarm level, historical records and calculating a Bayesian posterior probability using the diagnostic data and the historical records. Further, the method may include calculating a prognostic prescience metric using the diagnostic data and the historical records and determining, based on the Bayesian posterior probability, the prognostic prescience metric, and an economic calculation, the corrective action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony J. Grichnik, Michael Seskin, Brian Lee Boggs
  • Patent number: 7980069
    Abstract: An exhaust treatment system is provided. The system may include a particulate trap configured to remove one or more types of particulate matter from an exhaust flow, the exhaust flow including at least a portion of a totality of exhaust gases produced by an engine. The system may further include a burner assembly configured to increase a temperature of gases in the exhaust flow at a location upstream from the particulate trap. The burner assembly may include an exhaust inlet oriented in a direction along a first axis and configured to direct the exhaust flow into the burner assembly and an exhaust outlet oriented in a direction along a second axis at an angle relative to the first axis, the exhaust outlet being configured to direct the exhaust flow out of the burner assembly toward the particulate trap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: Leonel Arellano, Vu Phi, Anthony Fahme, Alan Kubasco, Kenneth Smith
  • Patent number: 7976266
    Abstract: A power system includes a gas turbine engine. The gas turbine engine may include a first portion, a second portion, and a longitudinal axis. The power system may also include a first moveable support engaged to the first portion of the gas turbine engine. The first moveable support may be operable to at least partially constrain movement of the first portion of the gas turbine engine during operation of the gas turbine engine. Additionally, the first moveable support may be operable to at least partially support the first portion of the gas turbine engine as the first portion of the gas turbine engine is moved away from the longitudinal axis independently of the second portion of the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc
    Inventors: Ian Trevor Brown, Daniel James Doll
  • Patent number: 7975487
    Abstract: A combustor liner assembly includes a liner assembly, including a hot dome, a hot wall, and an impingement shield. The liner assembly further includes a convector assembly. The combustor liner assembly further includes an impingement dome assembly, including a ring-shaped portion defining a plurality of apertures configured to receive a plurality of fuel injectors, and a face. The ring-shaped portion and the face define an annular passage, and the face defines a plurality of apertures and a plurality of orifices. The convector assembly and the impingement dome assembly are operably coupled to one another, and the plurality of orifices of the face are configured such that the hot dome is exposed to air flowing in the annular passage of the impingement dome assembly. The combustor liner assembly is configured to provide flow communication between the annular passage of the impingement dome assembly and the plurality of fuel injectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: John F. Lockyer, Stuart A. Greenwood, Partha X. Dutta, Ted E. Groocock, Michael D. Fox
  • Patent number: 7966832
    Abstract: A combustor includes a first wall, a second wall, an injector grommet, a combustor longitudinal axis, and a connection assembly indirectly connecting the first wall to the second wall. A portion of the injector grommet is disposed within a groove of the connection assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc
    Inventors: John Frederick Lockyer, Stuart Alexander Greenwood
  • Patent number: 7928393
    Abstract: A method of correlating thermal sensors data with temperature sensor data is disclosed. The method may include generating one or more temperature sensor data points and receiving the one or more temperature sensor data points at a remote location. The method may also include generating one or more thermal sensor data points or images and receiving the one or more thermal sensor data points or images at the remote location. Additionally, the method may include correlating the one or more thermal sensor data points or images based on the one or more temperature sensor data points and generating a notification when a temperature of one or more correlated thermal sensor data points or images fails to maintain a determined relationship with a preset limit in one or more locations other than the location of one or more temperature sensor data point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin C. Brady, Michael Seskin, Anthony J. Grichnik
  • Publication number: 20110027087
    Abstract: A turbine, suitable for use as a water or wind turbine, for generating rotary motion from fluid flow wherein the axis of rotation of the turbine is transverse to the direction of flow. The turbine has two foils, which may meet at the axis of rotation, and the turbine is helical and tapered. The turbine has a quasi-conical base. The non-mount end of the turbine is preferably tilted downstream with the turbine axis of rotation in the range of about 5° to 15° from perpendicular to the flow direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2008
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Applicant: Art Turbine Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew Byron Rhys Rokeby-Thomas