Patents Examined by Filippo Manfredi
  • Patent number: 9587831
    Abstract: A cooled combustor seal having a plurality of channels enabling cooling air to pass from outside of a combustion chamber to cool an area inside the combustion chamber around the seal is disclosed. The channels may be provided through a slider, a housing, and/or a washer of the combustor seal. One set of channels or multiple of sets of channels may be provided in the combustor seal. Each of these sets of channels may be in the slider, housing, or washer. The cooled combustor seal may be used in conjunction with an igniter to purge a cavity between the seal and the igniter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jonathan M. Jause, Kevin Joseph Low, David Kwoka
  • Patent number: 9567914
    Abstract: Discrete bleed behind stator vane platform is provided. The discrete bleed behind stator vane platform relates to a system for bleeding off a working fluid from an inner volume (Vi) of a turbo-machine. The system includes a vane carrier with an annular rail and a vane device comprising at least one vane element, a vane platform and a vane root. The vane element is mounted to the vane platform and the vane root is mounted to the annular rail. A first annular cavity is formed between the vane platform and the annular rail, wherein an annular gap is formed between an edge of the vane platform and the vane carrier such that a part of the working fluid of the turbo-machine is bleedable through the annular gap into the first annular cavity. A second annular cavity is formed between the vane root, the annular rail and the vane carrier, wherein at least one inlet hole is formed into the annular rail for coupling the first annular cavity and the second annular cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventor: Philip Twell
  • Patent number: 9551491
    Abstract: The invention relates a method for mixing a dilution air with a hot main flow in a sequential combustion system of a gas turbine, wherein the gas turbine essentially comprises at least one compressor, a first combustor which is connected downstream to the compressor, and a second combustor. The hot gases of the first combustor are admitted to at least one intermediate turbine or directly or indirectly to at least one second combustor, wherein the hot gases of the second combustor are admitted to a further turbine or directly or indirectly to an energy recovery device. The method comprises a coaxial injection of first combustor liner cooling air with second combustor liner cooling air, the first combustor liner cooling air having a sufficient excess pressure margin with respect to the second combustor liner cooling air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventors: Adnan Eroglu, Ewald Freitag
  • Patent number: 9534786
    Abstract: There is provided a combustor comprising a dome and a shell extending from the dome defining a combustion chamber. A dome heat shield is mounted to the dome inside the combustion chamber. A front heat shield is mounted to the shell and spaced therefrom. The dome heat shield has a lip extending generally away from the dome heat shield and generally parallel to the shell and spaced inwardly of the front heat shield to define a gap between the lip and the front heat shield. The front heat shield has a leading edge opposite the lip. The combustor has impingement holes extending through the shell and disposed to direct impingement cooling jets to the upstream portion of the front heat shield. The leading edge, of the front heat shield has at least one scallop defining an opening and disposed to allow the impingement cooling jets to impinge directly on a portion of the peripheral lip adjacent the scallop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Sri Sreekanth, Michael Papple, Robert Sze
  • Patent number: 9528703
    Abstract: The present application provides a fuel plenum for a micro-mixer combustor. The fuel plenum may include a first assembly plate with a first assembly plate aperture, a second assembly plate with a second assembly plate aperture, a fuel tube extending through the first assembly plate aperture of the first assembly plate and the second assembly plate aperture of the second assembly plate, and an installation insert positioned between the fuel tube and the first assembly plate aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christopher Paul Willis, Patrick Benedict Melton, Lucas John Stoia
  • Patent number: 9476324
    Abstract: An exhaust collector for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The exhaust collector includes a front panel, a rear panel, and a side panel. The side panel includes a circumferential portion, a first contoured portion, and a second contoured portion. The circumferential portion extends about the exhaust collector axis with a constant radius. The first contoured portion and the second contoured portion are each between the circumferential portion and the exhaust outlet and include a plurality of curved sections with alternating concavity. Each of the plurality of curved sections extends from the front panel to the rear panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Incorporated
    Inventors: Kevin Kiyoto Hirako, Brian Alan Fox, Leslie John Faulder
  • Patent number: 9458764
    Abstract: An air-to-air cooler has a heat exchanger integrated to a housing. A first passage extends through the housing for directing a flow of cooling air through the heat exchanger. A second passage extends through the housing for directing a flow of hot air to be cooled through the heat exchanger. The first passage has a cooling air outlet tube disposed downstream of the heat exchanger. The cooling air outlet tube extends across the second passage between the heat exchanger and a hot air inlet of the second passage. The hot air inlet is disposed to cause incoming hot air to flow over the cooling air outlet tube upstream of the heat exchanger. An ejector drives the flow of cooling air through the first passage of the air-to-air cooler. A portion of the hot air flow may be used to drive the ejector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Daniel Alecu, Richard Kostka
  • Patent number: 9453478
    Abstract: A thrust reverser for a turbojet engine nacelle includes a movable cowl, cascade vanes and a portion forming a movable variable nozzle. The cowl translates between a closing position and a maintenance position which is located beyond a thrust reversal position. In the maintenance position, the cowl opens a passage within the nacelle and allows access the inside of the nacelle. The variable nozzle is translated by an actuator between reduced ejection section and increased section positions. In particular, the cascade vanes move between retracted and active positions and are housed in an envelope formed by a fan casing and an outer cowl in the retracted position. In the active position, the cascade vanes are displaced downstream by an actuator through a passage open by the movable cowl in the nacelle. The actuator of the cascade vanes is dissociable from the actuator driving the variable nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: AIRCELLE
    Inventors: Pierre Caruel, Peter Segat
  • Patent number: 9447972
    Abstract: A cooled combustor seal having a plurality of channels enabling cooling air to pass from outside of a combustion chamber to cool an area inside the combustion chamber around the seal is disclosed. The channels may be provided through a slider, a housing, and/or a washer of the combustor seal. One set of channels or multiple of sets of channels may be provided in the combustor seal. Each of these sets of channels may be in the slider, housing, or washer. The cooled combustor seal may be used in conjunction with an igniter to purge a cavity between the seal and the igniter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jonathan M. Jause, Kevin Joseph Low, David Kwoka
  • Patent number: 9347398
    Abstract: A cascade support structure for a cascade type thrust reverser system is provided. One or more cascades may comprise one or more flanges. One or more actuators may also comprise one or more flanges. The cascades may be coupled to and/or supported by the actuators via the flanges. The cascades and/or actuators may also be configured to couple to one or more track beams via the ore or more flanges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: ROHR, INC.
    Inventor: Michael Ray Aten
  • Patent number: 9347378
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine outer premix barrel is disclosed. The outer premix barrel includes a body portion, a barrel portion, and a plurality of vanes. The body portion includes vent air inlets. The barrel portion extends axially aft from the body portion. The plurality of vanes extends axially forward from the body portion. Each vane includes an inward surface located at a radially inner end of the vane, and a plurality of vent passages exiting the vane at the inward surface. Each vent passage is in flow communication with at least one vent air inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Incorporated
    Inventors: Donald James Cramb, James Scott Piper, Sean Kelly Spivey, Michael John Ramotowski, Matthew Mayer
  • Patent number: 9335050
    Abstract: A swirler assembly for a gas turbine engine includes an outer annular injector which at least partially surrounds an inner injector. In sonic embodiments, a combustor section for a gas turbine engine comprises an inner injector which defines an axis, an outer annular injector which surrounds said inner injector, and a combustor vane along said axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Frank J. Cunha, Nurhak Erbas-Sen
  • Patent number: 9328664
    Abstract: An adjustable transition duct support system for a transition duct that channels hot gases from a combustor exit to a gas turbine inlet of a turbine engine. The adjustable transition duct support system includes an adjustable forward transition flexible support assembly in contact with a transition duct body, whereby the forward transition flexible support assembly may be formed from a base extending toward the transition duct body and first and second side support arms extending from the base to the transition duct body. The first and second side support arms may be formed from a plurality of flex plates spaced from each other with spacers that provide rigidity in circumferential and radial directions and flexibility in an axial direction. The number of flex plates used may be varied to accommodate different turbine engines. The adjustable transition duct support system may have natural frequencies for circumferential and radial modes above two engine orders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: SIEMENS ENERGY, INC.
    Inventors: Keith W. Piersall, Yevgeniy Shteyman, Robert Angel, Ashley N. Girdich, Robert T. Brooks, James Alfonso, James Marshall
  • Patent number: 9322336
    Abstract: A gas turbine system includes a fuel nozzle. The fuel nozzle includes a first fluid conduit defining a first fuel passage, a second fluid conduit defining a second fuel passage, and a third fluid conduit defining an oxidant passage. A first plurality of orifices is disposed along the first fluid conduit and is configured to fluidly couple the first fuel passage to the oxidant passage. A second plurality of orifices is disposed on the third fluid conduit and is configured to fluidly couple the second fuel passage to the oxidant passage. A first diameter of the first plurality of orifices is less than a second diameter of the second plurality of orifices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mahesh Bathina, Madanmohan Manoharan, Stephen Robert Thomas
  • Patent number: 9322557
    Abstract: A combustor includes a tube bundle that extends radially across at least a portion of the combustor. The tube bundle includes an upstream surface axially separated from a downstream surface. A plurality of tubes extends from the upstream surface through the downstream surface, and each tube provides fluid communication through the tube bundle. A baffle extends axially inside the tube bundle between adjacent tubes. A method for distributing fuel in a combustor includes flowing a fuel into a fuel plenum defined at least in part by an upstream surface, a downstream surface, a shroud, and a plurality of tubes that extend from the upstream surface to the downstream surface. The method further includes impinging the fuel against a baffle that extends axially inside the fuel plenum between adjacent tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Jong Ho Uhm, Willy Steve Ziminsky, Thomas Edward Johnson, William David York
  • Patent number: 9309774
    Abstract: An arrangement is provided for delivering gases from a plurality of combustors of a can-annular gas turbine combustion engine to a first row of turbine blades including a first row of turbine blades. The arrangement includes a gas path cylinder, a cone and an integrated exit piece (IEP) for each combustor. Each IEP comprises an inlet chamber for receiving a gas flow from a respective combustor, and includes a connection segment. The IEPs are connected together to define an annular chamber extending circumferentially and concentric to an engine longitudinal axis, for delivering the gas flow to the first row of blades. A radiused joint extends radially inward from a radially outer side of the inlet chamber to an outer boundary of the annular chamber, and a flared fillet extends radially inward from a radially inner side of the inlet chamber to an inner boundary of the annular chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: SIEMENS ENERGY, INC.
    Inventors: Richard C. Charron, David A. Little, Gary D. Snyder
  • Patent number: 9303590
    Abstract: An aircraft nacelle having a fixed structure fixed relative to an aircraft pylon, a translating thrust reverser sleeve translatable aftward, relative to the fixed structure, and a translating variable area fan nozzle (VAFN) panel translatable aftward, relative to the translating thrust reverser sleeve. The nacelle may also include a VAFN actuator mounted on the translating thrust reverser sleeve and a VAFN drive unit attached to the fixed structure. The VAFN drive unit may be coupled to drive the VAFN actuator via first and second coupling components when the translating thrust reverser sleeve is stowed. When the translating thrust reverser sleeve is deployed, the first and second coupling components may decouple, disconnecting the VAFN drive unit from the VAFN actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Randall Ray West, Joe Everet Sternberger
  • Patent number: 9212822
    Abstract: A fuel injection assembly for use in a turbine engine is provided. The fuel injection assembly includes an end cover, an endcap assembly, a fluid supply chamber, and a plurality of tube assemblies positioned at the endcap assembly. Each of the tube assemblies includes housing having a fuel plenum and a cooling fluid plenum. The cooling fluid plenum is positioned downstream from the fuel plenum and separated from the fuel plenum by an intermediate wall. The plurality of tube assemblies also include a plurality of tubes that extends through the housing. Each of the plurality of tubes is coupled in flow communication with the fluid supply chamber and a combustion chamber positioned downstream from the tube assembly. The plurality of tube assemblies further includes an aft plate at a downstream end of the cooling fluid plenum. The plate includes at least one aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jonathan Dwight Berry, Thomas Edward Johnson, William David York, Jong Ho Uhm
  • Patent number: 9206741
    Abstract: A fluid system for use with a gas turbine engine includes a reservoir having a reservoir inlet and a reservoir outlet and includes a supply assembly positioned in the reservoir. The supply assembly includes a first passage, a second passage, and a valve disc. The first and second passages are fluidically connected to the reservoir outlet. The valve disc is positioned in the first passage. The valve disc is pivotable about an axis and is weighted to have a center of gravity offset from the axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: JinQuan Xu
  • Patent number: 9194298
    Abstract: A fuel boost module for a gas turbine engine having a base, a fuel inlet configured to receive fuel from a fuel supply, a fuel outlet configured to deliver fuel to the gas turbine engine, a filter assembly configured to filter the fuel, a fuel controller configured to regulate pressure of the fuel that will be delivered to the gas turbine engine, a boost pump configured to pressurize the fuel, and a main pump configured to pressurize the fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Incorporated
    Inventors: James Allen Thompson, Paul Alan LeBlanc, Neil V. Fry