Patents Examined by Andrew Nguyen
  • Patent number: 10253693
    Abstract: A single, unitary thermal management system (TMS) manifold for a gas turbine engine is provided which comprises one or more interfaces for mounting various thermal management system components directly to the TMS manifold. The TMS manifold also defines fluid passages for transferring fuel, engine lubricant or generator oil from one component to another component. Packing numerous fuel system and lubricating system components within the TMS manifold reduces cost and weight and simplifies maintenance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Lawrence P. Roberts
  • Patent number: 10227924
    Abstract: An air-inlet duct includes an outer wall, an inner wall, and a splitter. The splitter cooperates with the outer wall to establish a particle separator which separates particles entrained in an inlet flow moving through the air-inlet duct to provide a clean flow of air to a compressor section of a gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignees: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc., University of Virginia Patent Foundation
    Inventors: Philip H. Snyder, Eric Loth, Dominic L. Barone
  • Patent number: 10202903
    Abstract: A particle separator for removing particles in a flow of air is provided. The particle separator having: a conduit for directing air towards a curved section of the conduit; and a drum in fluid communication with the conduit proximate to the curved section of the conduit, wherein particles in the air travelling towards the curved section will contact a surface of the drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shayan Ahmadian, Steven Bruce Gautschi, Mark F. Zelesky
  • Patent number: 10197279
    Abstract: A rich-quench-lean combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine includes a fuel nozzle and a dome, the fuel nozzle attached to the dome. The combustor assembly additionally includes a liner attached to or formed integrally with the dome, the liner and the dome together defining at least in part a combustion chamber. The liner extends between a forward end and an aft end. The liner includes a plurality of quench air jets positioned between the forward end and aft end. The quench air jets include a plurality of primary stage air jets and a plurality of secondary stage air jets. The plurality of primary stage air jets are each spaced from the plurality of secondary stage air jets along the axial direction and together provide the combustion chamber with a quench airflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gregory Allen Boardman, Pradeep Naik, Allen Michael Danis
  • Patent number: 10190438
    Abstract: A turbine engine includes a compressor, a combustion chamber, first and second turbines downstream from the combustion chamber, a first rotary shaft constrained to rotate at least with the compressor and the first turbine, a second rotary shaft constrained to rotate with the second turbine, the second rotary shaft nevertheless being free to rotate relative to the first rotary shaft, and a regulator for controlling the feed of fuel to the combustion chamber. The regulator cuts off the feed of fuel to the combustion chamber if the speed of rotation of the second rotary shaft exceeds a maximum threshold that varies as a function of at least one indicative physical parameter associated with mechanical power being extracted from the combustion gas by the second turbine. A method of regulating the turbine engine is also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: SAFRAN HELICOPTER ENGINES
    Inventors: Stephen Langford, Fabien Lescher
  • Patent number: 10184662
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor achieves improved product reliability and a reduced increase in pressure loss through improvements made on a cooling characteristic and structural intensity. The structure of the gas turbine combustor includes a plurality of circularity recesses formed on a side of an annular passage on a partial area of a combustion liner that requires cooling. Each of the circularity recesses has a rectangular surface forming a convex at a right angle with respect to a flowing direction of combustion air. The circularity recesses form a rectangular triangle having an oblique surface facing upstream of the flowing direction of the combustion air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Osami Yokota, Masataka Hidaka, Shohei Numata, Tetsuma Tatsumi
  • Patent number: 10174676
    Abstract: In a rotary machine, a method of assembling a rotary machine, and a method of performing maintenance of a rotary machine, a combustor casing as an outer casing configured from upper and lower casings defining a half split shape, an intermediate shaft cover as an inner casing configured from upper and lower casings defining a half split shape and supporting a combustor in the combustor casing, and a pressing support mechanism configured to press and support a portion to be fit of the combustor casing and a fitting portion of the intermediate shaft cover in an axial direction of a rotor are included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HITACHI POWER SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Shinya Hashimoto, Takuro Kameda
  • Patent number: 10156206
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine that has a fan case radially surrounding a fan hub, and plural fan exit guide vanes rotatably connected between the fan hub and the fan case. The fan section also has a thrust reverser opening within the case, axially upstream of the guide vanes. The gas turbine engine also has a core case containing a core engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Gabriel L. Suciu, Brian D. Merry
  • Patent number: 10156359
    Abstract: A component according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a wall and a vascular engineered lattice structure formed inside of the wall. The vascular engineered lattice structure includes at least one of a hollow vascular structure and a solid vascular structure configured to communicate fluid through the vascular engineered lattice structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mark F. Zelesky, Joel H. Wagner, Tracy A. Propheter-Hinckley, Michael F. Blair, Thomas N. Slavens, Dominic J. Mongillo
  • Patent number: 10156205
    Abstract: A nacelle for a turbofan engine includes a variable area fan nozzle (VAFN) and a proximity sensor that is attached to a nacelle forward portion to sense the presence of the VAFN when stowed. The proximity sensor is not attached to the VAFN, thereby enabling the use of a proximity sensor such as linear variable displacement transformer having a relatively compact operational stroke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: Rohr, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Robert Scanlon, Geoffrey Pinto
  • Patent number: 10151244
    Abstract: A transportable gas turbine module including a baseplate supporting at least a gas turbine and a load drivingly connected to the gas turbine. The module further comprises a structure surrounding the gas turbine and the load and connected to the baseplate. The baseplate is designed such that it can support a heavy duty as turbine having a rated power of not less than 80 MW.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Nuovo Pignone Srl
    Inventors: Marco Giancotti, Stefano Caverni
  • Patent number: 10138758
    Abstract: The quatro generation system of the present invention includes: a power generation engine driven by fuel gas; an exhaust-heat boiler configured to utilize energy of exhaust gas discharged from the power generation engine to produce steam from boiler water; a boiler-water circulation device configured to supply the steam produced by the exhaust-heat boiler to a steam-energy recovery unit, and to return condensed water of the steam to the exhaust-heat boiler after the steam-energy recovery unit recovers energy of the steam; a condensation economizer configured to utilize condensation latent heat of exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust-heat boiler to heat a heat medium; and a heat-medium circulation device configured to supply the heat medium heated by the condensation economizer to a thermal-energy recovery unit, and to return the heat medium to the condensation economizer after the thermal-energy recovery unit recovers energy of the heat medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Yagita, Kouji Abe, Takao Koide, Toshihide Noguchi, Tomoaki Nakai, Hiroaki Ishikawa, Hiroyuki Esashi, Jun Hyodo
  • Patent number: 10125993
    Abstract: A burner having a plurality of pre-mixing chambers each having a fuel nozzle for two fuels, the fuel nozzle has a fuel lance extending in a flow direction, in which fuel lance first outlet openings for a first fuel are introduced. The fuel lance is surrounded by an outer pipe having at least one second outlet opening for a second fuel, the first outlet openings oriented radially and the second outlet opening oriented axially, a flow cross-section is formed between the fuel lance and the inside of the pre-mixing chamber and vortex generators are arranged on the fuel lance. At least one vortex generator is arranged upstream of the first outlet openings and downstream of the second outlet opening. The distance of the first outlet openings from an end of the pre-mixing chamber is at least three times as large as a cross-section of the pre-mixing chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Christian Beck, Stefan Dederichs, Olga Deiss, Berthold Köstlin
  • Patent number: 10125721
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a turbojet engine nacelle having a downstream section including a cowl which is ended with a hinged flap constituting a nozzle. In particular, the hinged flap is hingedly and translatably hinged to the cowl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: AIRCELLE
    Inventors: Olivier Kerbler, Olivier Gilo, Patrick Gonidec
  • Patent number: 10119468
    Abstract: A bleed air supply system for a gas turbine engine comprising a duct having an inlet end and extending to an outlet end. The inlet end of the duct is provided with a central insert. In another feature, there may be a plurality of ducts, and inlet ends of the plurality of ducts being spaced by at least 90°. In another feature, a compressor may have a diffuser with a shroud ending upstream of the downstream end of an inner shroud, having an outer shroud ending at a location upstream of a downstream end of an inner shroud at locations circumferentially aligned with an inlet end of the duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Cheng-Zhang Wang, Thomas G. Phillips, David F. Cloud, Peter M. Munsell
  • Patent number: 10119465
    Abstract: A geared turbofan engine includes a fan rotatable about an engine axis. A compressor section compresses air and delivers the compressed air to a combustor where the compressed air is mixed with fuel and ignited to drive a turbine section that in turn drives the fan and the compressor section. A gear system is driven by the turbine section for driving the fan at a speed different than the turbine section. The gear system includes a carrier attached to a fan shaft. A plurality of planet gears are supported within the carrier. Each of the plurality of planet gears includes a first row of gear teeth and a second row of gear teeth supported within the carrier. A sun gear is driven by a turbine section. The sun gear is in driving engagement with the plurality of planet gears. At least two separate ring gears circumscribe the plurality of planet gears. Each of the at least two ring gears are supported by a respective flexible ring gear mount that enables movement relative to an engine static structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: William G. Sheridan
  • Patent number: 10094570
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure provide an apparatus including: an injector in fluid communication with an aft section of a reheat combustor in a power generation system, the aft section being positioned downstream of a combustion reaction zone in the reheat combustor, and positioned upstream of a turbine stage of the power generation system, wherein the turbine stage includes a turbine nozzle and a turbine blade row; and a conduit in fluid communication with the injector, wherein the conduit delivers at least one of a fuel from a fuel supply line and a carrier gas to the injector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Lewis Berkley Davis, Jr., Gregory Thomas Foster, Kaitlin Marie Graham, Krishnakumar Venkataraman, Stanley Kevin Widener
  • Patent number: 10094565
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor and a gas turbine include a pilot burner, a plurality of main burners, and a flame stabilizer. A first air ejection portion is adapted to eject first air toward a tip end portion side between the main burners and the flame stabilizer, a second air ejection portion is adapted to circulate second air toward a tip end portion side outside the flame stabilizer and eject the second air toward a radially outward direction, and a change member is adapted to change an ejecting direction of the second air ejected through the second air ejection portion to an axial center direction of the flame stabilizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HITACHI POWER SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Tanaka, Satoshi Takiguchi, Keijiro Saito, Shinji Akamatsu
  • Patent number: 10094571
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus including: a first injector located on a surface of a turbine nozzle of a turbine stage positioned downstream of a reheat combustor, wherein the turbine stage includes the turbine nozzle and a turbine blade row; a second injector located on a wall of the reheat combustor; and at least one conduit in fluid communication with each of the first injector and the second injector, wherein the at least one conduit delivers at least one of a fuel from a fuel supply line and a carrier gas to an aft section of the reheat combustor through at least one of the first injector and the second injector, and wherein the aft section is positioned downstream of a combustion reaction zone in the reheat combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Lewis Berkley Davis, Jr., Gregory Thomas Foster, Kaitlin Marie Graham, Krishnakumar Venkataraman, Stanley Kevin Widener
  • Patent number: 10094569
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus comprising: a reaction chamber positioned between a first turbine stage of a power generation system and a turbine stage of the power generation system, wherein the turbine stage comprises a turbine nozzle and a turbine blade row; a plurality of injectors positioned on a wall of the reaction chamber; and a conduit in fluid communication with the plurality of injectors, wherein the conduit delivers at least one of fuel from a fuel supply line to the reaction chamber through the plurality of injectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Lewis Berkley Davis, Jr., Gregory Thomas Foster, Kaitlin Marie Graham, Krishnakumar Venkataraman, Stanley Kevin Widener