Patents Examined by Henry Ng
  • Patent number: 11009231
    Abstract: To improve air/fuel mixing at low speed, the invention concerns an aerodynamic injection system (30) for a combustion chamber (8) of an aircraft turbine engine, the system comprising a central body (70) comprising a first air circulation space (72) and a swirler (74) allowing air to penetrate into the first air circulation space (72), the hollow body (70) also comprising a fuel circuit (92, 93, 82) arranged at least partially around the first space (72), the circuit comprising a second annular space (82) for a fuel film to circulate and fuel supply structures (92, 93) communicating with the second space (82), the spaces (72, 82) opening into a third air and fuel mixing space (86). According to the invention, the system comprises fuel injection openings (90) that bring the fuel circuit into communication with the first space (72).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Julien Marc Matthieu Leparoux, Haris Musaefendic, Zakaria El Gnaoui
  • Patent number: 10987733
    Abstract: A component formed by an additive manufacturing process includes a body and a first vibration damper. The body is formed from an additive manufacturing material, and defines at least a first cavity completely enclosed within the body. The first vibration damper is disposed within the first cavity. The first vibration damper includes a flowable medium and a first solidified element formed from the additive manufacturing material. The flowable medium surrounds the first solidified element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Daniel Jason Erno, Robert Arvin Hedeen, Prabhjot Singh
  • Patent number: 10982595
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine has a compressor section including a lower pressure compressor and a higher pressure compressor, and a turbine section. A core engine housing surrounds the compressor section and the turbine section. An outer intermediate housing wall defines an internal chamber between the core housing and the outer intermediate housing. A fan rotor and a fan casing surround the fan rotor to define a bypass duct between the fan case and the outer intermediate housing. A heat exchanger is mounted in the internal chamber and receives high pressure air for cooling the high pressure air and delivering the high pressure air into the core engine housing to be utilized as cooling air for a component. Air from the lower pressure compressor is utilized to cool the higher pressure air in the heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Frederick M. Schwarz, Paul W. Duesler
  • Patent number: 10961910
    Abstract: In a combustion cylinder, an outer-side region of a cooling part on an outer side with regard to a reference line orthogonal to a radial direction and an axial direction of a gas turbine and passing through a center of a combustor basket, and an inner-side region of the cooling part on an inner side with regard to the reference line are set. A connection angle at an intersection between an extension line of an outer surface of the combustor basket along the axial direction and an inner surface of a combustor transition piece is set. First regions are set at positions near the reference line, and second regions, with a larger connection angle than the first regions, are set at positions farther from the reference line than the first regions. The second regions are set to have a higher flow rate of a cooling medium than the first regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI POWER, LTD.
    Inventors: Kenji Sato, Kentaro Tokuyama
  • Patent number: 10941937
    Abstract: A gasket for installation within a cavity between a support shell and a liner panel of a combustor wall assembly, the support shell having a multiple of impingement holes, and the liner panel having a multiple of film holes, the gasket including a multiple of cells arranged with respect to the multiple of impingement holes and the multiple of film holes, wherein at least one of the multiple of cells segregate a respective subset of the multiple of impingement holes and a subset of the multiple of film holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen K. Kramer, Jose E. Ruberte Sanchez
  • Patent number: 10941939
    Abstract: The systems and methods described herein relate to a dome of a gas turbine assembly configured to suppress pressure pulsations. The systems and methods provide a dome having an aperture configured to surround an injector assembly of a combustor. The dome having a front panel extending radially from the aperture. The systems and methods couple a first cavity to the front panel. The first cavity includes a series of ducts. A first duct of the series of ducts is configured to receive airflow into the first cavity from a compressor and a second set of ducts of the series of ducts and a third duct of the series of ducts are configured to direct airflow to the combustor from the first cavity, wherein the third duct has a larger diameter than the second set of ducts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Owen Graham, Kwanwoo Kim, Nicholas Magina, Sharath Nagaraja, Fei Han
  • Patent number: 10895201
    Abstract: A turbofan engine that comprises a primary flow channel inside of which a primary flow flows through a gas generator during operation, a secondary flow channel inside of which a secondary flow is guided past the gas generator during operation, and an oil separator of a lube oil system that has a pipeline for exhausting breather air, wherein the pipeline forms a pipeline end. It is provided that the pipeline end is arranged inside the secondary flow channel, and is provided and configured for the purpose of discharging breather air directly from the pipeline end into the secondary flow channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE DEUTSCHLAND LTD & CO KG
    Inventors: Juergen Beier, Markus Blumrich
  • Patent number: 10895157
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine component includes a hot side surface that is configured for exposure to a hot gas flow path, a second surface that is opposite the hot side surface and not exposed to the hot gas flow path, and an effusion cooling aperture positioned along the hot side surface. The effusion cooling aperture includes a recessed portion including a void area beginning at the hot side surface and extending inwardly therefrom, a forward surface, an entirety of which is angled at 90 degrees or greater than 90 degrees with respect to the hot side surface, defining a forward end of the recessed portion, an inward surface, angled with respect to the hot side surface, and connecting the forward surface to the hot side surface, and an overhang portion connected with the hot side surface and extending aftward from the forward surface and over the void area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Rodolphe Dudebout, Paul Yankowich
  • Patent number: 10837645
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a coupling assembly for a turbomachine. The coupling assembly includes a liner and a sleeve at least partially positioned circumferentially around the liner. A frame is positioned between the liner and the sleeve. The frame includes a first side wall, a second side wall, and a base wall extending from the first side wall to the second side wall. A block is positioned between the liner and the sleeve and is movable relative to the frame to permit the block to move toward and away from the base wall. Moving the block away from the base wall causes the block to exert an inward force on the liner and the base wall to exert an outward force on the sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas Michael Merlau, Joseph Daniel Becker, Stuart Craig Hanson
  • Patent number: 10823115
    Abstract: A hybrid rocket motor includes a solid fuel element, and an oxidizer tank containing an oxidizer. The solid fuel element adjoins and at least partially defines a combustion chamber in which the solid fuel and the oxidizer are burned, to produce thrust from the hybrid rocket motor. The oxidizer tank is at least partially within the combustion chamber, and the entire oxidizer tank may be within the combustion chamber. The oxidizer tank may be protected by an insulating material, which may also serve as a structural material that contains the pressure of the oxidizer. The insulating material and the fuel material may both be polymer-based materials, although they may be different materials having different characteristics, for example including different additives to the same polymer material. The fuel element and the oxidizer tank may be made by additive manufacturing processes, for example by adding different materials in different locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Matt H. Summers, Jeremy C. Danforth
  • Patent number: 10823413
    Abstract: A combustion chamber assembly comprises a combustion chamber and a plurality of nozzle guide vanes. Each nozzle guide vane comprises an inner platform, an outer platform and an aerofoil. The combustion chamber comprises an annular wall which includes at least one box like structure. An outer wall of each box has a plurality of apertures for the supply of coolant into the box and the interior of the box is divided into at least two regions. The upstream end of each box has apertures to supply coolant from a first region of its interior onto an inner surface of the inner wall to form a film of coolant. The downstream end of each box has apertures to supply coolant from a second region of its interior onto a surface of the inner or outer platform of the nozzle guide vanes to form a film of coolant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Stephen C Harding
  • Patent number: 10781751
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine for an aircraft such as a UAV includes a compressor connected to a turbine with a combustor to produce a hot gas stream. The rotor is supported by two radial foil bearings. An axial thrust bearing assembly is positioned between the compressor disk and the turbine disk and includes an axial thrust bearing radial disk extending from a hollow axial tube. Compressed air is bled off from the compressor and passed into an axial thrust balance chamber to provide the axial thrust balance for the rotor. The compressed air from the thrust bearing chamber then flows through both of the radial foil bearings for cooling, is collected in and around the hollow tube, and then discharged into the inlet of the turbine. An orifice can be adjusted to meter and control a pressure occurring in the thrust balance chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Russell B Jones, Cheryl A Schopf
  • Patent number: 10746059
    Abstract: An exhaust diffuser that is mounted at an outlet of a gas turbine to eject exhaust gas to the outside and includes hollow cylindrical internal diffuser guide and external diffuser guide. Further, the exhaust diffuser includes struts disposed between the internal diffuser guide and the external diffuser guide to space the internal diffuser guide and the external diffuser guide at a predetermined distance from each other, ejection areas formed on an outer side of the internal diffuser guide and having ejection holes for ejecting exhaust gas in a flow direction of exhaust gas, and suction areas formed on the outer side of the internal diffuser guide, disposed close to the ejection areas, and having suction holes for suctioning exhaust gas in the opposite direction to a flow direction of the ejected exhaust gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Doosan Heavy Industries Construction Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Dae Hyun Kim
  • Patent number: 10677465
    Abstract: A combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine is provided. The combustor assembly generally includes an annular dome and a liner that at least partially define a combustion chamber. The annular dome defines a plurality of circumferentially spaced fuel injection ports and a plurality of mounting assemblies are configured for receiving and supporting a plurality of fuel injector assemblies within the fuel injection ports. Each mounting assembly includes a ferrule positioned adjacent to and extending around a peripheral edge of the respective fuel injection port. A spring finger is coupled to an interior surface of the ferrule and extends toward a centerline of the fuel injection port to form a seal with the fuel injector assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Marco Venturato, Douglas Downey Turner, Valeria Proano Cadena, Brian Michael Royer, Steven Craig Steffens
  • Patent number: 10670270
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustion chamber with an inner combustion chamber wall and an outer combustion chamber wall, which form an annular combustor, is provided. Mixing air holes are formed in the inner combustion chamber wall and the outer combustion chamber wall in a circumferentially distributed manner. The respective combustion chamber wall is bulged in the area of the mixing air holes towards the interior space of the combustion chamber wall and the mixing air hole is arranged inside the bulge. The mixing air hole is formed at an inflow surface of the bulge with respect to the through-flow direction of the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE DEUTSCHLAND LTD & CO KG
    Inventor: Carsten Clemen
  • Patent number: 10662779
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine component includes a passage and a wall adjacent the passage. The wall includes a first side bordering the passage and a second side opposite the first side. The second side includes an array of cells. The wall also includes an array of channels. Each of the channels is located proximate a corresponding one of the cells. A coating is disposed over the cells. When the coating degrades the channels open to permit impingement air flow through the channel onto sidewalls of the cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eric A. Hudson, Tracy A. Propheter-Hinckley
  • Patent number: 10654576
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a cooling air system, a coolant system, and a thermoelectric heat exchanger adapted for selective operation in response to operational states of the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas D. Dierksmeier, Daniel K. Vetters, Michael A. Karam
  • Patent number: 10612468
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor, a cooling source, and a thermoelectric intercooler adapted for selective operation in response to operational states of the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas D. Dierksmeier, Daniel K. Vetters, Michael A. Karam
  • Patent number: 10563615
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine and thrust reverser assembly having a set of outer doors movable between a stowed position and a deployed position, where the set of outer doors extends outwards from the nacelle and a set of blocker doors movable between a stowed position and an deployed position, where the set of blocker door extends into an air flow conduit defined by the bypass duct to deflect air outwards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: MRA SYSTEMS, LLC
    Inventors: Graham Frank Howarth, Andrew Michael Roach, Timothy Robert Beasman
  • Patent number: 10544803
    Abstract: A method of controlling a clearance gap in a rotatable machine and a cooling fluid distribution system are provided. The cooling fluid distribution system includes a component to be cooled having a body extending along a longitudinal centerline of the component and including a radially outer surface at least partially circumscribing the longitudinal centerline. A cooling fluid distribution duct assembly includes a cooling fluid distribution duct extending along and spaced from the radially outer surface for a predetermined length. An outlet hole extends through the cooling fluid distribution duct along a length of the cooling fluid distribution duct. A cooling runner channel is coupled in flow communication with the cooling fluid outlet hole and extends a distance away from the cooling fluid distribution duct toward the radially outer surface. A distal end of the cooling runner channel includes a plurality of cooling holes directed toward the radially outer surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Neil Fraser Cunningham