Patents Examined by Joshua R Beebe
  • Patent number: 11692492
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to gearboxes for aircraft gas turbine engines, in particular to arrangements for journal bearings such gearboxes, and to related methods of operating such gearboxes and gas turbine engines. Example embodiments include a gearbox for an aircraft gas turbine engine, the gearbox comprising: a sun gear; a plurality of planet gears surrounding and engaged with the sun gear; and a ring gear surrounding and engaged with the plurality of planet gears, each of the plurality of planet gears being rotatably mounted around a pin of a planet gear carrier with a journal bearing having an internal sliding surface on the planet gear and an external sliding surface on the pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Mark Spruce
  • Patent number: 11691352
    Abstract: A post-moulding station is described which is used in the manufacturing of a wind turbine blade. A blade shell forming part of a wind turbine blade is initially moulded in a blade mould, the blade shell subsequently transferred to a post-moulding station which allows for various post-moulding operations to be carried out on the blade shell away from the mould, thereby increasing the productivity of the blade mould in the manufacturing process. The post-moulding station may be operable to perform the closing of first and second blade shells to form a wind turbine blade, and may be formed from an adjustable structure which can provide relatively easy access to the contained blade shell for working thereon. Accordingly, the manufacturing equipment may be of reduced cost, combined with an increase in the overall productivity of the manufacturing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: LM WP PATENT HOLDING A/S
    Inventor: Bernard Willem De Waal Malefijt
  • Patent number: 11686217
    Abstract: An oil collector for a torque transmission device of an aircraft turbine engine, this oil collector being configured to collect sprayed oil, wherein it includes at least one wall formed at least in part by a mesh structure, and at least one recovery device located at one end of the wall and configured to recover the oil captured by the wall and intended to flow from this wall to the recovery device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignees: SAFRAN, SAFRAN TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS
    Inventors: Boris Pierre Marcel Morelli, Xavier Roger Betbeder-Lauque, Mathieu Jean Charrier
  • Patent number: 11686214
    Abstract: A turbomachine system includes a turbomachine provided with a turbomachine rotor. The turbomachine rotor is comprised of a turbomachine shaft with a first shaft end and a second shaft end. The turbomachine shaft is supported by active magnetic bearings for rotation in a turbomachine casing. The turbomachine system further includes a rotary machine drivingly coupled to the first shaft end, and a first closed cooling circuit adapted to circulate a cooling fluid therein and fluidly coupled to the active magnetic bearings to remove heat therefrom. The closed cooling circuit includes a cooling fluid impeller mounted on the turbomachine shaft for rotation therewith and adapted to circulate the cooling fluid in the closed cooling circuit. The closed cooling circuit further includes a heat exchanger adapted to remove heat from the cooling fluid. A method of operating a turbomachine system is further disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Nuovo Pignone Tecnologie SRL
    Inventors: Duccio Fioravanti, Giuseppe Iurisci, Paola Di Festa, Giuseppe Sassanelli
  • Patent number: 11661161
    Abstract: A propeller (1) and a respective use method are described, comprising a cylindrical casing (3), a hub (2) couplable to an engine and rotatably mounted at least partially in the cylindrical casing of the propeller, and at least one blade (4) rotatably pivoted to the cylindrical casing. The hub (2) is rotatable with respect to the cylindrical casing of the propeller, or vice versa, to adjust the fluid dynamic pitch of the at least one blade (4). The propeller further comprises at least one elastic element (8) interposed between the hub (2) and the cylindrical casing (3) and it is characterized in that the elastic element (8) is preloaded to prevent its deformation until the resistant torque opposing the propeller rotation is lower than the torque generated by the preload of the elastic element (8), wherein said at least one blade is arranged on at least one first fixed fluid dynamic pitch before the deformation of the elastic element (8) begins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Inventor: Massimiliano Bianchi
  • Patent number: 11655735
    Abstract: An onboard system and a method for draining an aeroengine. The onboard system comprises a buffer tank having an admission passage for admitting under gravity fluid coming from the aeroengine, a primary tank situated above the buffer tank and having an emptying passage for emptying the fluid coming from the aeroengine, and a lift circuit connecting the buffer tank to the primary tank in order to transfer the fluid coming from the aeroengine from the buffer tank to the primary tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Alméric Pierre Louis Garnier, Josselin Xavier Coupard
  • Patent number: 11643972
    Abstract: A gear assembly for use with a turbomachine comprises a sun gear, a plurality of planet gear layshafts that each support a first stage planet gear and a second stage planet gear, and a ring gear. The sun gear is configured to rotate about a longitudinal centerline of the gear assembly, and the plurality of planet gear layshafts have a tubular shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Inventors: Juraj Hrubec, Michele Gravina, Andrea Piazza
  • Patent number: 11644009
    Abstract: Disclosed are a method and apparatus for detecting a yaw-to-wind abnormality. The method includes: acquiring a wind direction deviation angle within a specified time period; calculating a power performance index, wherein the power performance index is a dimensionless number used to characterize power generation performance of a wind turbine; determining an optimal wind direction deviation angle based on the power performance index; determining a current wind direction deviation angle according to probability distribution of the wind direction deviation angle; and if a difference between the optimal wind direction deviation angle and the current wind direction deviation angle is greater than a preset threshold, determining that a yaw-to-wind abnormality is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignees: ENVISION DIGITAL INTERNATIONAL PTE. LTD., SHANGHAI ENVISION DIGITAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yong Ai, Qingsheng Zhao, Zhongji Yin, Shu Wei
  • Patent number: 11629725
    Abstract: A centrifugal heat dissipation fan including a housing and an impeller is provided. The housing has at least one flow inlet. The impeller assembled in the housing and rotating about an axial direction includes a hub and a plurality blades disposed around the hub. The flow inlet is located in the axial direction and faces the hub. Each of the blades has a wing tab next to the flow inlet, and the wing tab extends from a main surface of the blade to another blade. The wing tab has an inclined surface facing toward a periphery of the flow inlet along a radial direction of the impeller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Acer Incorporated
    Inventors: Tsung-Ting Chen, Wen-Neng Liao, Cheng-Wen Hsieh, Yu-Ming Lin, Jau-Han Ke, Kuang-Hua Lin
  • Patent number: 11629648
    Abstract: An assembly for manually rotating a rotor includes a housing enclosing a first shaft and a second shaft accessible through an exterior wall of the housing. The first shaft extends from a first end rotationally coupled to the rotor to a second end selectively engageable with the second shaft. The second shaft includes a thrust plate extending from and rotatable with the second shaft. A spring disposed between the thrust plate and the housing biases the second shaft towards the exterior wall of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Craig Friedberg, Matthew Allen Slayter
  • Patent number: 11608753
    Abstract: A turbine includes a shaft configured to rotate about a rotor axis; a pair of rotating blade rows, the pair of rotating blade rows including a pair of disks that extend radially outward from the shaft and are disposed at an interval in a direction of the rotor axis, each one of the pair of rotating blade rows including a plurality of rotating blades arranged in a circumferential direction on an outer peripheral end of the disk; and a pair of stator vane rows disposed in a one-to-one manner on a first side of the pair of rotating blade rows in the direction of the rotor axis, each one of the pair of stator vane rows including a plurality of stator vanes arranged in the circumferential direction, wherein a number of the rotating blades on each one of the pair of rotating blade rows is the same, and a number of the stator vanes on each one of the pair of stator vane rows is the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Shigeki Senoo, Yoshihiro Kuwamura, Toshio Watanabe, Sotaro Takei
  • Patent number: 11598268
    Abstract: A turbojet engine including a shaft surrounded by a low-pressure rotor surrounded by a coaxial and independent high-pressure spool, this turbojet engine including from upstream to downstream: a fan driven by the shaft; a low-pressure compressor carried by the rotor; an inter-compressor casing; a high-pressure compressor and a high-pressure turbine carried by the high-pressure spool; an inter-turbine casing; a low-pressure turbine carried by the rotor; an exhaust casing; this turbojet engine including an upstream rotor bearing carried by the inter-compressor casing; a downstream rotor bearing carried by the exhaust casing; a gearbox downstream of the downstream bearing and through which the rotor drives the shaft; a downstream shaft bearing downstream of the downstream rotor bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Guillaume Claude Robert Belmon, Cédric Zaccardi
  • Patent number: 11592002
    Abstract: Disclosed embodiments provide a renewable power generation apparatus. In embodiments, the renewable power generation apparatus is driven by wind. In other embodiments, the renewable power generation apparatus is driven by water. Disclosed embodiments utilize two cylindrical turbines placed adjacent to each other. A diverter directs wind towards both turbines, causing them to rotate about their respective longitudinal axis. The turbines are coupled to a driveshaft that drives a generator to generate power. Embodiments utilize an airfoil adjacent to each turbine. The airfoil causes air to move faster over the airfoil surface to create low pressure which increases the performance of the turbines. The renewable power generation apparatus of disclosed embodiments is relatively compact compared to a traditional wind turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Inventor: Nathaniel Wood
  • Patent number: 11591970
    Abstract: The invention relates to an assembly for holding an epicyclic gear train in a turbomachine comprising an annular housing in which are engaged a first annular part and a second annular part which are locked against rotation in the housing by first annular interlocking means and second annular interlocking means, respectively, wherein the first annular interlocking means are configured to allow a first circumferential clearance between the first annular part and the housing, the second annular interlocking means are configured to allow a second circumferential clearance between the second annular part and the housing, and the first circumferential clearance is strictly less than the second circumferential clearance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Christophe Paul Jacquemard, Didier Gabriel Bertrand Desombre, François Marie Paul Marlin
  • Patent number: 11572886
    Abstract: An electric submersible pump (ESP) seal section assembly. The assembly comprises a seal section filled with dielectric oil; a coupling body partially inserted into the seal section, and a coupling body, wherein the coupling body is substantially cylindrical and has a first outside diameter at an upper end of the coupling body, has a second outside diameter smaller than the first diameter below the first outside diameter, has a circumferential tapered shoulder between the portion of the coupling body having the first diameter and the portion of the coupling body having the second diameter; a service-less flange coupled to the seal section, wherein the service-less flange defines a circumferential opening having a circumferential tapered shoulder on an upper edge that contacts the circumferential tapered shoulder of the coupling body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Pyron, Jeffrey Frey
  • Patent number: 11560876
    Abstract: The nacelle of a horizontal axis wind turbine is fixedly mounted on a tower, and the tower is mounted off-center with respect to a ring around which it is rotatable. The tower is a tripod. Two legs of the tripod are of fixed length and lie in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the turbine blades. The third leg of the tripod is of adjustable length and is aligned with the axis of rotation of the turbine blades. The third leg thus may be controlled to adjust for pitching of the base and other purposes. Multiple turbines, spaced apart laterally, may be mounted on a platform in a fixed orientation, with the platform rotatably mounted off-center relative to a base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Inventor: George J. Syrovy
  • Patent number: 11555736
    Abstract: A method calibrates a load sensor in a rotor blade of a wind turbine. The method includes checking a state and/or operating parameters of the wind turbine; continuously measuring a calibration condition for the wind turbine and comparing the measured calibration condition with predefined calibration prerequisites; switching to a calibration mode when the measured calibration condition meets the predefined calibration prerequisites or switching to a restricted production mode when the measured calibration condition does not meet the predefined calibration prerequisites; and, collecting measurement data in the calibration mode. The calibration mode is terminated when the required data have been collected for the calibration; and, switched from the calibration mode to an interruption mode. The mode is switched from the interruption mode to the restricted production mode when the measured calibration condition does not meet the predefined calibration prerequisites for longer than a predefined period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Nordex Energy SE & Co. KG
    Inventor: Kurt Fischle
  • Patent number: 11542873
    Abstract: Gearboxes for aircraft gas turbine engines, in particular arrangements for journal bearings such gearboxes, and related methods of operating such gearboxes and gas turbine engines. A gearbox for an aircraft gas turbine engine includes: a sun gear; a plurality of planet gears surrounding and engaged with the sun gear; and a ring gear surrounding and engaged with the plurality of planet gears, each of the plurality of planet gears being rotatably mounted around a pin of a planet gear carrier with a journal bearing having an internal sliding surface on the planet gear and an external sliding surface on the pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventor: Mark Spruce
  • Patent number: 11519276
    Abstract: A vibration damping element for a vibration damping system for a turbine nozzle or blade includes an elongated body and a wire mesh member that surrounds the elongated body. The wire mesh member has a first outer dimension in an inoperative state and a second, larger outer dimension in an operative state. In the operative state, the wire mesh member frictionally engages with an inner surface of a body opening in the turbine nozzle or blade to damp vibration. In the inoperative state, the wire mesh member slides freely in the body opening in the turbine nozzle or blade. A retention system includes a retention member on the elongated body that fixes the wire mesh member relative to a length of the elongated body in the operative state in the body opening of the turbine nozzle or blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Zachary John Snider, John McConnell Delvaux
  • Patent number: 11512711
    Abstract: A centrifugal fan frame body structure includes a lower case body and a cover body. The lower case body has a bottom section and an outer wall section. The outer wall section is formed with a wind outlet. The cover body and the lower case body are correspondingly mated with each other to form a space. In the space, the lower case body and the cover body define therebetween a first height. The lower case body and the cover body define therebetween a second height at the wind outlet. The second height is larger than the first height. The height of the wind outlet is enlarged, whereby the wind outlet will not be blocked by the cooperative heat dissipation component (module) so that the flow field efficiency is enhanced and the noise is lowered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Asia Vital Components Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung-Wei Sun, Ming-Che Lee