Patents Examined by Ehud Gartenberg
  • Patent number: 11920520
    Abstract: In a rotary electric machine housing, a first bearing and a second bearing are provided for supporting a rotating shaft. A lubricating oil is supplied to the first bearing and the second bearing. At least one of the first bearing or the second bearing is sandwiched between the compressed air supplied from one side of the rotating shaft in an axial direction thereof and the compressed air supplied from another side of the rotating shaft in the axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Manabu Yazaki, Tatsuya Choji, Naoki Ito
  • Patent number: 11859552
    Abstract: A system includes a recirculation conduit that recirculates working fluid and a permanent magnet generator module in communication with the recirculation conduit. The working fluid from the recirculation conduit drives the permanent magnet generator module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: RTX Corporation
    Inventor: Sami Chukrallah
  • Patent number: 11859551
    Abstract: A fuel system can include a selection and shutoff valve (SSOV) configured to allow a primary flow having a primary flow pressure to pass therethrough in a first state such that the primary flow can travel to an output line. The SSOV can also be configured to shut off the primary flow in a second state to prevent the primary flow from travelling to the output line. In the second state, the SSOV can be configured to allow a secondary flow from a secondary flow source to pass therethrough such that the secondary flow can travel to the output line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Morgan O'Rorke, Todd Haugsjaahabink, Matej Rutar, Ryan Susca
  • Patent number: 11835064
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine comprises an engine core and an electric fan array. The engine core includes a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. The compressor compresses and delivers air to the combustor. The combustor mixes fuel with the compressed air received from the compressor and ignites the fuel. The hot, high-pressure products of the combustion reaction in the combustor are directed into the turbine to cause the turbine to rotate about an axis and drive the compressor. The electric fan array may include at least two non-concentric fans having parallel shafts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignees: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc., Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventors: Robert W. Heeter, Daniel E. Molnar, Jr., Kathryn A. Sontag, Michael G. Meyer
  • Patent number: 11828248
    Abstract: There is provided an exhaust mixer arrangement for a turbofan engine having a bypass passage for channelling a bypass flow and a core passage for channelling a core flow around a central axis. The exhaust mixer arrangement comprises a mixer body mounted for rotation about the central axis. The mixer body has an annular wall extending around the central axis. The annular wall defines a plurality of circumferentially distributed alternating inner and outer lobes, with each inner lobe protruding into the core passage, and each outer lobe protruding into the annular bypass passage. A driving unit is operatively connected to the mixer body for selectively driving the mixer body in rotation about the central axis. A controller is operatively connected to the driving unit for controlling a rotational speed of the mixer body as a function of a flight operating condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Michel Labrecque, Kevin Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11808210
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a plurality of rotating components housed within a compressor section and a turbine section. A tap connects to the compressor section. A heat exchanger connects downstream of the tap. A cooling compressor connects downstream of the heat exchanger, and the cooling compressor connects to deliver air to at least one of the rotating components. A core housing has an outer peripheral surface and a fan housing defines an inner peripheral surface. At least one bifurcation duct extends between the outer peripheral surface to the inner peripheral surface. The heat exchanger is disposed within the at least one bifurcation duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gabriel L. Suciu, Jesse M. Chandler, Brian D. Merry, Nathan Snape
  • Patent number: 11781535
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a cooling structure of heat pipe for superconducting magneto plasma dynamic thruster having a cylindrical structure and includes a cathode, an intermediate connector and an anode. The cathode is arranged inside the intermediate connector, the anode is arranged outside the intermediate connector; the cathode is provided with a cathode cooling mechanism, and the anode is provided with an anode cooling mechanism. The cathode cooling mechanism includes a cathode heat pipe and a cathode heat dissipation fin. The anode heat pipe cooling mechanism includes an anode heat pipe and an anode heat dissipation fin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: HEFEI INSTITUTES OF PHYSICAL SCIENCE, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
    Inventors: Jinxing Zheng, Mingzhun Lei, Pinghui Zhao, Zhou Yin, Haiyang Liu, Ming Li, Fei Liu, Cheng Zhou, Ge Wang
  • Patent number: 11773773
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. The compressor compresses gases entering the gas turbine engine. The combustor receives the compressed gases from the compressor and mixes fuel with the compressed gases. The turbine receives the hot, high pressure combustion products created by the combustor by igniting the fuel mixed with the compressed gases. The turbine extracts mechanical work from the hot, high pressure combustion products to drive the compressor and a fan, shaft, or propeller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Mazur, Rex M. Little
  • Patent number: 11773785
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine has a first spool having a low pressure compressor section disposed forward of an air inlet along a direction of travel of the engine, and a low pressure turbine section disposed forward of the low pressure compressor section and drivingly engaged thereto. A second spool has a high pressure compressor section disposed forward of the low pressure compressor section, and a high pressure turbine section disposed forward of the high pressure compressor section and drivingly engaged thereto. The high pressure turbine section is disposed aft of the low pressure turbine section. An output drive shaft drivingly engages the low pressure turbine section and extends forwardly therefrom to drive a rotatable load. A method of operating a gas turbine engine is also discussed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Keith Morgan, Robert Peluso, Ghislain Plante, Eugene Gekht, Eric Durocher, Jean Dubreuil
  • Patent number: 11773777
    Abstract: An improved power generation system for aircraft and methods of its operation are provided, wherein the system combines a wave reformer providing a contiguous fuel supply to a jet engine, and use of ammonia as the fuel source from which hydrogen and/or a duel supply of ammonia and hydrogen will be supplied to aircraft jet engines leading to a higher thermal efficiency than existing engines with low to no direct emission footprint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Inventors: Pejman Akbari, Stefan Tuchler
  • Patent number: 11753995
    Abstract: A turbofan engine includes a fan, a core turbine engine having one or more turbines and an exhaust section, and a hydrogen-exhaust gas heat exchanger in flow communication with the exhaust section and hydrogen flowing along a hydrogen supply line. The hydrogen-exhaust gas heat exchanger defines a load capacity factor determined by raising a product to a one-quarter power, the product being determined by multiplying a heat transfer surface area density associated with the hydrogen-exhaust gas heat exchanger by a process conductance parameter that relates characteristics of hydrogen, ambient air, and exhaust gas at takeoff, as well as a fan diameter of the fan and a number of turbine stages of the turbofan engine. The load capacity factor is between 4.37 and 28.65 for the fan diameter being between 0.5 and 3.5 meters and the heat transfer surface area density being between 500 m2/m3 and 10,000 m2/m3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Eyitayo James Owoeye, William Morton
  • Patent number: 11739694
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor section arranged in serial flow order with a turbine section, and an electric motor assembly. The electric motor assembly has a rotor assembly that is coupled to, or integrated within, a stage of compressor rotor blades of the compressor section and a stator assembly. The stator assembly is operable with the rotor assembly to rotate the rotor assembly relative to the stator assembly and drive the stage of compressor rotor blades about the axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Michael Todd Bonnoitt, William Joseph Solomon
  • Patent number: 11725543
    Abstract: An exhaust duct for a fossil fuel powered engine includes an exhaust gas passage, a cooling fluid passage, a mixing device for mixing cooling fluid with the hot exhaust gas and a selective catalytic reduction catalyst for removing nitrogen oxides arranged in the exhaust gas passage. The mixing device has a mixing chamber with a first wall and an opposed second wall, the first and second wall arranged upstream of the selective catalytic reduction catalyst in the exhaust gas passage and extending over the cross-sectional area of the exhaust gas passage, both walls perforated by through holes, wherein through holes of the first wall are connected with through holes of the second wall in pairs by pipes extending through the mixing chamber, the pipes perforated by at least one hole into the mixing chamber and the cooling fluid passage ending into the mixing chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: NEM ENERGY B.V.
    Inventor: Richard Toonssen
  • Patent number: 11719117
    Abstract: In a gas turbine engine of the type having a high-pressure (HP) spool and a low-pressure (LP) spool, methods of increasing surge margin and compression efficiency at a given thrust are provided. One method increases compression efficiency and comprises transferring mechanical power from the HP spool to the LP spool to reduce a corrected speed of a HP compressor therein and raise a working line of a LP compressor therein. Another method increases surge margin and comprises transferring mechanical power from the LP spool to the HP spool to increase a corrected speed of a HP compressor therein and lower a working line of a LP compressor therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Caroline L Turner
  • Patent number: 11719189
    Abstract: A ducted fan housing for directing a duct flow includes an annular cowling and an adjustable fan duct nozzle. The nozzle includes a flexible sleeve having rigid areas arranged circumferentially around the nozzle orifice and connected by flexible areas so as to form a unitary sleeve structure. The rigid areas are radially moveable between a normal configuration in which the orifice is smaller and a dilated configuration in which the orifice is larger. A drive mechanism uses drive elements to move at least some of the rigid areas between the configurations to adjust the size of the orifice. The rigid areas may be constructed from laminated graphite and epoxy, and the flexible areas may be constructed from laminated graphite and soft resin. If the housing includes a thrust reverser, then a flexible joint area extends circumferentially around the housing and connects the flexible sleeve to a thrust reverser cowl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventor: Henry Arnold Schaefer
  • Patent number: 11692483
    Abstract: A system for lubricating components of a gas turbine engine includes a supply pump to pump lubricant from a reservoir through a supply conduit to lubricated component. An outer body deicing circuit is fluidly coupled in series with the supply conduit. Moreover, a scavenge conduit extends from the lubricated component to the reservoir and a scavenge pump pumps the lubricant from the lubricated component through the scavenge conduit. In addition, a valve is fluidly coupled in series with the supply conduit and the scavenge conduit and a bypass conduit extends from the valve to a location on the supply conduit downstream of the deicing circuit. When the lubricant is supplied to the valve, the valve directs the lubricant flowing through the scavenge conduit into the reservoir. When the supply of lubricant to the valve is halted, the valve directs the lubricant flowing through the scavenge conduit into the bypass conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: James John Luz, Robert Burton Brown, Thomas Bradley Kenney, Thomas Charles McCarthy, Firas Younes
  • Patent number: 11692513
    Abstract: Electric engine to provide thrust to fly an aircraft. Engine includes housing, air inlet, shaft, bladed rotor having a plurality of magnets secured on shaft, stator having plurality of coils positioned so as to interact with plurality of magnets and an exhaust nozzle. Powering coils causes interaction with magnets that results in bladed rotor rotating and pressurizing and accelerating air received via air inlet and expelling via exhaust nozzle to provide thrust. Engine may include generator having stator with coils secured to shaft via bearings and plurality of rotors with magnets secured to shaft to rotate with shaft. Magnets rotating past coils results in electric generation. Second hollow shaft may be mounted to shaft with bearings and generator may be located with hollow shaft. Second bladed rotor may be connected to, and rotate, second shaft. Engine may include ducts external to bladed rotor and fan to route air therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Inventor: Yuriy Radzikh
  • Patent number: 11674686
    Abstract: A coating occlusion resistant effusion cooling hole to form a film of a cooling fluid on a surface of a wall. The cooling hole extends along a longitudinal axis. The cooling hole includes an inlet section defined so as to be spaced apart from the surface. The inlet section is to receive the cooling fluid. The cooling hole includes a metering section fluidly coupled downstream of the inlet section. The cooling hole includes an outlet section fluidly coupled downstream of the metering section. The outlet section includes an overhang portion, a recessed portion, a first sidewall and a second sidewall. The first sidewall and the second sidewall interconnect the overhang portion with the recessed portion along a portion of the outlet section, and the first sidewall and the second sidewall converge and diverge in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Nagaraja Rudrapatna, Rodolphe Dudebout
  • Patent number: 11674444
    Abstract: A system includes a flow inlet conduit and a primary conduit that branches from the flow inlet conduit for delivering flow to a set of primary nozzles. An equalization bypass valve (EBV) connects between the flow inlet conduit and a secondary conduit for delivering flow to a set of secondary nozzles. The EBV is connected to an equalization conduit (EC). A pressure equalization solenoid is connected to the EC to selectively connect a servo supply pressure conduit and/or a return pressure (PDF) conduit into fluid communication with the EC. An EBV rate limiting orifice (RLO) is connected in the PDF conduit. A bypass conduit branches from the PDF conduit on a first side of the EBV RLO and reconnects to the PDF conduit on a second side of the EBV RLO. An orifice bypass valve (OBV) is connected to the bypass conduit and acts to selectively bypass the EBV RLO.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Charles E. Reuter, Aaron F. Rickis, Francis P. Marocchini, Matej Rutar, August M. Coretto, Sachin Ramprashad
  • Patent number: 11655763
    Abstract: Described herein are embodiments of systems and methods for the removal of a direct drive unit (DDU) housed in an enclosure, such as a direct drive turbine (DDT) connected to a gearbox for driving a driveshaft connected to a pump for use in hydraulic fracturing operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: BJ Energy Solutions, LLC
    Inventors: Tony Yeung, Ricardo Rodriguez-Ramon, Joseph Foster, Nicholas Tew