Patents Examined by Jessica Kebea
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Patent number: 10072574Abstract: A dual cycle system for generating shaft power using a supercritical fluid and a fossil fuel. The first cycle is an open, air breathing Brayton cycle. The second cycle is a closed, supercritical fluid Brayton cycle. After compression of air in the first cycle, the compressed air flows through a first cross cycle heat exchanger through which the supercritical fluid from the second cycle flows after it has been compressed and then expanded in a turbine. In the first cross cycle heat exchanger, the compressed air is heated and the expanded supercritical fluid is cooled. Prior to expansion in a turbine, the compressed supercritical fluid flows through a second cross cycle heat exchanger through which also flows combustion gas, produced by burning a fossil fuel in the compressed air in the first cycle. In the second cross cycle heat exchanger, the combustion gas is cooled and the compressed supercritical fluid is heated.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2016Date of Patent: September 11, 2018Assignee: Peregrine Turbine Technologies, LLCInventor: David S. Stapp
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Patent number: 10066556Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods in interoperating with multiple clean energy sources, such as pneumatic energy, electrical energy, hydrogen energy and steam energy, with engine configurations employing theses clean energy sources dynamically and synchronously. Further embodiments including fossil fuel energies.Type: GrantFiled: January 19, 2011Date of Patent: September 4, 2018Inventor: Marvin W. Ward
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Patent number: 10054040Abstract: System for protecting a turbo-supercharging unit (T, C), in particular for preventing a respective damage when a pressure of a respective lubrication oil is insufficient, comprising first bypass means (OV, GB) of exhaust gas, controlled as a function of a pressure of the lubricating oil of the turbo-supercharging unit (T, C), in order to allow to at least a part of the exhaust gas to bypass the turbine (T) when the pressure is below a first predetermined threshold.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2014Date of Patent: August 21, 2018Assignee: FPT INDUSTRIAL S.P.A.Inventors: Michele Lafiandra, Enrico Sticchi
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Patent number: 10030577Abstract: A vehicle includes a transmission including an input shaft linked to a crankshaft of an engine so that power is transmitted therebetween, and an output shaft which is able to rotate at a rotational speed lower than a rotational speed of the input shaft. The snowmobile includes a driving device linked to the output shaft so that power is transmitted therebetween to generate a driving power, a supercharger including a rotation shaft linked to the output shaft so that power is transmitted therebetween, and a centrifugal clutch located between the crankshaft and the input shaft or between the output shaft and the rotation shaft.Type: GrantFiled: September 1, 2015Date of Patent: July 24, 2018Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Manabu Kai, Akihiko Nakamura
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Patent number: 10024253Abstract: A method includes operating a spark ignition engine and flowing low pressure exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) from an exhaust to an inlet of the spark ignition engine. The method includes interpreting a parameter affecting an operation of the spark ignition engine, and determining a knock index value in response to the parameter. The method further includes reducing a likelihood of engine knock in response to the knock index value exceeding a knock threshold value.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2015Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Assignee: Cummins Inc.Inventors: Marten H. Dane, J. Steven Kolhouse, Thomas M. Yonushonis, J. Stephen Wills, Samuel C. Geckler
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Patent number: 10024235Abstract: A gas turbine engine has a propulsion unit and a gas generating core. The propulsion unit includes a fan and a free turbine, wherein the free turbine is connected to drive the fan about a first axis. The gas generating core includes a compressor, a combustion section, and a gas generating core turbine. The compressor and the gas generating core turbine are configured to rotate about a second axis. An inlet duct is configured to deliver air from the fan to the gas generating core. The inlet duct has a crescent shaped cross-section near the fan.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2015Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATIONInventors: Gabriel L. Suciu, James D. Hill, Jesse M. Chandler
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Patent number: 10012153Abstract: A method for controlling an engine includes the steps of, in response to a transient operating event, determining a first amount of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) that if provided to an intake of the engine would avoid turbocharger compressor surge in a turbocharger, determining a second amount of EGR that if provided to the intake would avoid turbocharger compressor choke in the turbocharger, and determining a third amount of EGR that if provided to the intake would avoid engine smoking, and adjusting EGR provided to the intake of the engine in accordance with the determined first, second, and third amounts.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2014Date of Patent: July 3, 2018Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Manthram Sivasubramaniam, Manoj Gokhale, Venkateswarlu Andra, Ankur Sinha, Sanketh Bhat, Luke Henry, James Robert Mischler, Greg Thomas Polkus
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Patent number: 10012094Abstract: The invention relates to a carrier ring for a high-pressure gas turbine of a gas turbine plant, which has a high-pressure combustion chamber upstream of the high-pressure gas turbine, a compressor upstream of the high-pressure combustion chamber, a low-pressure combustion chamber downstream of the high-pressure gas turbine, a low-pressure gas turbine downstream of the low-pressure combustion chamber, and a rotor that carries rotor blades for the compressor, for the high-pressure gas turbine, and for the low-pressure gas turbine. The carrier ring carries guide blades and/or heat shields of the high-pressure gas turbine and can be fastened to the high-pressure combustion chamber. The installation of the carrier ring can be simplified by segmenting the carrier ring at least in the area of the guide blades thereof and/or of the heat shields thereof in the circumferential direction, wherein the segmented carrier ring has at least two ring segments that carry the guide blades and/or the heat shields.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2014Date of Patent: July 3, 2018Assignee: ANSALDO ENERGIA SWITZERLAND AGInventors: Marc Rauch, Felix Hoenig
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Patent number: 10011754Abstract: Method of maintaining or widening the long-term operating temperature range of a heat transfer medium and/or heat storage medium comprising a nitrate salt composition selected from the group consisting of alkali metal nitrate and alkaline earth metal nitrate and optionally alkali metal nitrite and alkaline earth metal nitrite, wherein the nitrate salt composition is brought into contact with an additive comprising the components nitric acid and/or nitrous acid and oxygen-comprising gas having an oxygen partial pressure which is equal to or greater than that in air and/or oxygen-generating compounds and optionally nitrogen oxides and/or compounds which generate further nitrogen oxide.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2014Date of Patent: July 3, 2018Assignee: BASF SEInventors: Jürgen Wortmann, Michael Lutz, Johan ter Maat, Kerstin Schierle-Arndt, Stephan Maurer, Michael Ladenberger, Florian Garlichs, Katharina Kaleta
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Patent number: 10006382Abstract: An apparatus for detecting inter-cylinder air-fuel ratio imbalance in an engine is provided. The apparatus includes a turbocharger, a bypass passage configured to bypass a turbine of the turbocharger, a waste gate valve configured to selectively close the bypass passage, an air-fuel ratio sensor installed in a portion of an exhaust passage which portion is located on a downstream side of a junction between a downstream side of the turbine and a downstream side of the bypass passage, and a determination unit programmed to compare a value of a degree of fluctuation in an output from the air-fuel ratio sensor or a parameter correlated therewith with a predetermined threshold to perform inter-cylinder air-fuel ratio imbalance determination. The determination unit is programmed not to perform the imbalance determination when an opening degree of the waste gate valve is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference value.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2013Date of Patent: June 26, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takashi Tsunooka, Wataru Fukui
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Patent number: 10001057Abstract: An opposed-piston engine includes an inline cylinder block with an open exhaust chamber that contains all of the engine's exhaust ports. Exhaust outlets open from the exhaust chamber through opposing sides of the cylinder block. A turbocharger is positioned on each side of the cylinder block and has an inlet closely coupled with a respective exhaust outlet. The exhaust chamber is divided into separate collector sections, each collector section containing the exhaust ports of one or more cylinders, and each turbocharger has a first inlet closely coupled with a first collector section and a second inlet closely coupled with a second collector section. The engine has a cylinder firing sequence which alternates between the cylinders in the first and second collector sections.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 2014Date of Patent: June 19, 2018Assignee: ACHATES POWER, INC.Inventor: Kevin B. Fuqua
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Patent number: 9963989Abstract: A vane seal assembly for a gas turbine engine comprises of a case including a first connector. A notch in the case adjoins the groove. A vane having a second connector mates with the first connector. A seal assembly is provided between the vane and the case to provide a sealed cavity adjoining the notch.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2014Date of Patent: May 8, 2018Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATIONInventors: Anton G. Banks, Robert L. Hazzard
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Patent number: 9945263Abstract: There is provided a steam power cycle system in which steam power cycles using pure materials as a working fluid is used in a multiple stage to reduce pressure loss in the flow channels in the respective heat exchanger so that the fluid serving as heat sources has been caused to make an effective heat exchange with the working fluid. More specifically, not only that the respective flow channels for the fluid serving as heat sources in the evaporator and the condenser in the respective steam power cycle units are connected in series to each other, but the evaporator and the condenser comprise a cross-flow type heat exchanger and are arranged respectively in a flowing direction of the fluid serving as heat source. Consequently, it is possible to reduce the length of the flow channels to the minimum necessary, simplify the flow channel structure, and reduce the pressure loss.Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 2014Date of Patent: April 17, 2018Assignee: SAGA UNIVERSITYInventors: Yasuyuki Ikegami, Sadayuki Jitsuhara, Taro Watanabe, Shin Okamura
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Patent number: 9945328Abstract: A low-pressure-loop EGR apparatus of an engine includes an EGR passage to allow part of exhaust gas discharged from a combustion chamber to return as EGR gas to the combustion chamber, and an EGR valve to regulate a flow of EGR gas in the EGR passage. This passage has an inlet connected to an exhaust passage downstream of a turbine and an outlet connected to an intake passage upstream of a compressor. In the intake passage, an intake bypass passage is provided to connect an upstream portion and a downstream part from the compressor. An ABV is provided in the passage. To remove EGR gas remaining in the ABV, one end of a residual gas removal passage is connected to the intake passage downstream of a throttle valve and the other end of the same passage is connected to the ABV.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 2014Date of Patent: April 17, 2018Assignee: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Mamoru Yoshioka, Takehide Nakamura
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Patent number: 9945329Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a cylinder block defining first and second cylinders, and a cylinder head coupled to the block. The engine also includes a passage having a first outlet and a second outlet for exhausting post-combustion gasses from the cylinder head. The engine additionally includes a mechanism for selectively activating and deactivating the first cylinder and a turbocharging system having a low-flow turbocharger and a high-flow turbocharger. The low-flow turbocharger is driven by gasses from the first outlet and the high-flow turbocharger is driven by gasses from the second outlet. The turbocharging system also includes a first flow-control device that directs the gasses via the first and second outlets to the turbochargers when the first and second cylinders are activated. The first flow-control device also directs the gasses via the first outlet only to the low-flow turbocharger and blocks the second outlet when the first cylinder is deactivated.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2014Date of Patent: April 17, 2018Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventor: Ko-Jen Wu
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Patent number: 9945305Abstract: An engine control system performs a first control in the first place at the time of acceleration. Then, when an actual supercharging pressure is increased to a specified supercharging pressure, the engine control system performs a second control. In this way, at the time of acceleration, a turbine capacity and a valve overlap amount of an intake valve and an exhaust valve of an engine are optimized in correspondence to a driving state of an engine, whereby the intake valve and the exhaust valve of the engine can be made to overlap each other on the condition that a scavenging effect is larger than the effect of an exhaust interference during a valve overlap period.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2015Date of Patent: April 17, 2018Assignee: DENSO CORPORATIONInventor: Naoki Osumi
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Patent number: 9932884Abstract: A power system includes an engine including an exhaust line, a turbine in the exhaust line, a bypass line connected to the exhaust line upstream of the turbine and comprising a controllable bypass valve, and a controller arranged to control opening of the bypass valve to bypass the turbine when, for example, the engine is operated such that power is transmitted from the crankshaft to the turbine shaft, and/or at least one of an engine load, an engine speed, and an exhaust line pressure are below predetermined levels. A method of operating a power system is also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2011Date of Patent: April 3, 2018Assignee: Volvo Lastvagnar ABInventor: Thomas Alan Horne
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Patent number: 9920697Abstract: An engine control method includes: generating a torque request for an engine based on a driver input; and based on the torque request, controlling: opening of a wastegate of a turbocharger; opening of a throttle valve based on the torque request; and an intake valve phaser and an exhaust valve phaser. The engine control method also includes selectively determining an expected future increase in the torque request. The engine control method also includes, based on the expected future increase and before the torque request increases based on the expected future increase: decreasing the opening of the wastegate; and at least one of: decreasing the opening of the throttle valve; and adjusting at least one of the intake valve phaser and the exhaust valve phaser to decrease a volumetric efficiency of the engine.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 2014Date of Patent: March 20, 2018Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Klaus Pochner, Christopher E. Whitney
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Patent number: 9909508Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to a system including: a computing device in communication with a combustion system, wherein the computing device is configured to perform actions including: issuing an input to the combustion system; determining whether one of a dynamic output and an emission output corresponding to the input to the combustion system exceeds a first boundary condition; and adjusting the input to the combustion system by one of a first step change and a second step change; wherein the first step change corresponds to the dynamic output and the emission output not exceeding the first boundary condition, and the second step change corresponds to one of the dynamic output and the emission output exceeding the first boundary condition, the second step change being less than the first step change.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2014Date of Patent: March 6, 2018Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Rebecca Kathryn Jaiven, Benjamin David Laskowski, Richard Lazzuri
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Patent number: 9903585Abstract: A catalytic burner comprising a burner chamber and a utilization chamber, the burner chamber functionally divided into a fuel-oxidant mixing zone and a catalytic combustion zone. The burner chamber occupies a space disposed between outer and inner tubular walls of the burner. The utilization chamber, which is a space bounded by the inner tubular wall, remains hollow for secondary useful purposes, for example, connection to a heat sink of a Stirling engine and/or incorporation of a second heat source (e.g., solar or geothermal heat source). Auxiliary system components can also be packaged into the utilization chamber. The burner can function in hybrid flame and/or flameless modes, and can further include a recuperator to capture heat by-passing the heat sink.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2015Date of Patent: February 27, 2018Assignee: PRECISION COMBUSTION, INC.Inventors: Bruce Crowder, Subir Roychoudhury, Richard Mastanduno