Patents Examined by Katheryn Malatek
  • Patent number: 11629664
    Abstract: An airflow profile structure having a leading and/or trailing edge profiled with a serrated profile. The serrated profile has a succession of teeth and depressions, characterized in that, along the leading and/or trailing edge, from a first location to a second location, the teeth of the serrated profile are individually inclined towards the second location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Safran Aircraft Engines
    Inventors: Fernando Gea Aguilera, Matthieu Fiack, Mathieu Simon Paul Gruber
  • Patent number: 11624317
    Abstract: Supercritical fluid systems and aircraft power systems are described. The systems include a compressor, a turbine, and a generator. A primary working fluid flow path has a primary working fluid that passes through the compressor, a separator, the turbine, and back to the compressor. A secondary working fluid flow path having a secondary working fluid that passes through the generator, the compressor, the separator, and back to the generator. The primary working fluid and the secondary working fluid are compressed and mixed within the compressor to form a mixture of the two fluids and the separator separates the mixture of the two fluids to direct the primary working fluid back to the turbine and the secondary working fluid to the generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Brian M. Holley, Christopher Britton Greene
  • Patent number: 11619178
    Abstract: A gas turbine includes a compressor configured to compress air; a combustor configured to mix and combust fuel and compressed air compressed by the compressor; a turbine configured to obtain rotational power using combustion gas generated by the combustor; an inlet guide vane disposed at an intake of the compressor to adjust a flow rate of air flowing into the compressor; a bleed line configured to return a part of the compressed air pressurized in the compressor to the intake of the compressor; and an on-off valve disposed in the bleed line. When the output of the gas turbine increases, a preset maximum value limit of the inlet guide vane is corrected based on a valve opening degree command value of the on-off valve and a compressor intake temperature such that the gas turbine achieves a predetermined performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Erina Otsuka, Makoto Kishi, Atsushi Kakiuchi
  • Patent number: 11614037
    Abstract: A method and system for bleed flow power generation is provided. The engine includes a core flowpath formed by a compressor section, a heat addition system, and an expansion section in serial flow arrangement. A bleed circuit is extended from the core flowpath to extract a portion of compressed fluid from the core flowpath. The method and system include bleeding compressed fluid through a bleed circuit extended in fluid communication from the core flowpath of the engine; flowing the compressed fluid through the bleed circuit to a turbine rotor positioned at the bleed circuit; extracting, via the turbine rotor, energy from the flow of compressed fluid across the turbine rotor; and receiving energy at an electric machine operably coupled to the turbine rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Jeffrey Douglas Rambo
  • Patent number: 11603768
    Abstract: A liner cooling device for cooling a liner of a gas turbine is provided. The liner cooling device may include a support portion disposed between a liner and a transition piece of a gas turbine and configured to include a cooling flow passage through which cooling air moves to the transition piece. The support portion includes a support member disposed between the liner and the transition piece and an auxiliary support member disposed in the cooling flow passage and having a hole through which the cooling air passes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: DOOSAN ENERBILITY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Dong Gon Lee, Jae Won Seo
  • Patent number: 11591973
    Abstract: A aircraft gas turbine engine and operation method, the engine including: a staged combustion system having pilot and main fuel injectors, and operates in a pilot-only range wherein fuel delivers to pilot fuel injectors, and a pilot-and-main operation range wherein fuel is delivered to at least the main fuel injectors. The engine further includes a fuel delivery regulator to pilot and main fuel injectors, which receives fuel from a first and second source containing fuels each with different characteristics. The staged combustion system switches between pilot-only and pilot-and-main range operation when in steady cruise mode, the mode defining a boundary between first and second engine cruise operation range. The fuel delivery regulator delivers fuel to pilot fuel injectors during at least part of the first engine cruise operation with different fuel characteristics from fuel delivered to one or both pilot and main fuel injectors the second engine cruise operation range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Peter Swann, Christopher P Madden, Craig W Bemment
  • Patent number: 11592181
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustion chamber, having a combustion chamber housing, a burner positioned at least partially in the combustion chamber housing and a flame tube positioned in the combustion chamber housing. An upstream end of the flame tube has a flame tube cover. In the region of the flame tube cover radially inside the flame tube cover a mixing tube of the burner extends, which defines a pre-primary combustion zone. Between the mixing tube of the burner and the flame tube cover an axial air flow passage is formed, via which air can be conducted in the axial direction outside along the mixing tube, and into the flame tube cover radial air flow passages are introduced via which the air following the axial air flow passage can be conducted in the radial direction of the flame tube cover for cooling the flame tube cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: MAN ENERGY SOLUTIONS SE
    Inventors: Jaman El Masalme, Stefan Clauss, Jan-Niklas Bleyl
  • Patent number: 11592177
    Abstract: A mixing assembly for a combustor includes: a pilot mixer including a pilot housing extending along a mixer centerline and a pilot fuel nozzle; a main mixer surrounding the pilot mixer; a fuel manifold between the pilot and main mixers; a mixer foot extending from a main housing of the main mixer; a main swirler body surrounding the main housing defining a mixing channel between the main housing and the main swirler body; and a main fuel ring in the mixing channel connected to the main housing by main fuel vanes, at least one of the main fuel ring and main fuel vanes including fuel injection ports for discharging fuel into the mixing channel, wherein the fuel injection ports are disposed non-uniformly relative to the mixer centerline, so as to produce a static pressure difference therebetween in response to mixer air flow passing around the main fuel ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Hari Ravi Chandra, Jayanth Sekar, Gurunath Gandikota, Michael A. Benjamin
  • Patent number: 11585280
    Abstract: The aircraft can have a first engine secured to a first wing on a first side of a fuselage, and a second engine secured to a second wing on a second side of the fuselage, the second wing having a proximal end secured to the fuselage, and a distal end extending away from the fuselage. While operating the first engine, compressed gas can be conveyed from the first engine to a thrust generating device located at the distal end of the second wing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Santo Chiappetta, David H. Menheere, Timothy Redford, Daniel Van Den Ende
  • Patent number: 11585281
    Abstract: A control device includes a load fuel quantity calculation unit, an allowable fuel quantity calculation unit, a flow rate low value selection unit, a basic drive quantity calculation unit, a fuel deviation calculation unit, and a correction unit. The load fuel quantity calculation unit determines a load fuel quantity based on a required output. The allowable fuel quantity calculation unit determines an allowable fuel quantity to protect a gas turbine. The flow rate low value selection unit selects a minimum fuel quantity from among the determined fuel quantities. The basic drive quantity calculation unit determines a basic drive quantity of an air intake quantity regulator. The fuel deviation calculation unit determines a fuel deviation between the allowable fuel quantity and the minimum fuel quantity. The correction value calculation unit determines a correction value corresponding to the fuel deviation which is then used to correct the basic drive quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yosuke Fujitomi, Tsukasa Ito
  • Patent number: 11578668
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor section, a combustor, and a turbine section. The turbine section includes a high pressure turbine comprising a plurality of turbine blades. The gas turbine engine includes a tap for tapping air that is compressed by the compressor, to be passed through a heat exchanger to cool the air, the cooled air to be passed to the plurality of turbine blades. A sensor is located downstream of a leading edge of the combustor, and is configured to measure a characteristic of the cooled air. A controller is configured to compare the measured characteristic to a threshold and control an operating condition of the gas turbine engine based on the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan Ortiz, Taryn Narrow, John H. Mosley, Zachary Mott, Paul R. Hanrahan
  • Patent number: 11578621
    Abstract: One or more cooling systems for ventilating a turbine and rotary shaft of a gas turbine system is provided. The gas turbine system includes a gas turbine engine and a turbine exhaust collector in separate enclosures. A first cooling system includes an educator that sucks exhaust gas through a diffuser and directs it out of the turbine exhaust collector enclosure based on suction pressure created from the high velocity of exhaust gas. A second cooling system include struts that enable the exhaust gas to flow from the diffusers to a ventilation flow stack. A third cooling system includes exhaust gas sucked from an opening to a top duct based on suction pressure created from the rotation of the rotary shaft disposed about a coupling. A guideway associated with the third cooling system also directs the exhaust gas to flow to the top duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ravinder Yerram, Balakrishnan Ponnuraj, Vineet Sethi, Jose Emmanuel Guillen, Tho Vankhanh Nguyen, Douglas Alan Jones, Abhinash Reddy Konatham
  • Patent number: 11560844
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine, has: a compressor; a turbine having a rotor; and an inertial particle separator located upstream of the turbine downstream of the compressor, the inertial particle separator having: an intake conduit in fluid flow communication with the compressor and defining an elbow, a splitter, a leading edge of the splitter located downstream of the elbow, the splitter located to divide a flow into a particle flow and an air flow, and an inlet conduit and a bypass conduit located on respective opposite sides of the splitter, the inlet conduit receiving the air flow, the inlet conduit in fluid flow communication with a cavity containing the rotor for cooling the rotor of the turbine section, the bypass conduit receiving the particle flow, the bypass conduit in fluid flow communication with an environment outside the gas turbine engine while bypassing the cavity containing the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Ivan Sidorovich Paradiso
  • Patent number: 11555456
    Abstract: A method of operating a fuel delivery system of an aircraft engine of an aircraft includes operating the aircraft engine in a standby mode by maintaining combustion in a combustor of the aircraft engine by supplying fuel to the combustor via a first set of fuel nozzles of a first fuel manifold while providing a trickle flow of fuel via a second set of fuel nozzles of a second fuel manifold into the combustor during engine operation, the trickle flow being defined as a fuel flow rate selected to prevent flame-out of the combustion while providing one of: substantially no motive power to the aircraft, and no motive power to the aircraft, via the combustion of the trickle flow of fuel. An aircraft gas turbine engine is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Oleg Morenko, Aleksandar Kojovic, Jeffrey Richard Verhiel
  • Patent number: 11555451
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine article includes a ceramic body that defines a flange, first and second cooling passages partitioned from each other by the flange, a through-hole in the rib that connects the first and second cooling passages, a thermal insulation bushing that lines the through-hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tyler G. Vincent, Howard J. Liles
  • Patent number: 11543132
    Abstract: A combustor liner used for a gas turbine combustor and forming a combustion chamber includes: an outer side wall made of metal; a panel attached to an inner side of the outer side wall and made of a ceramic matrix composite material, the panel including a panel body facing the combustion chamber, and a connection piece rising from an exterior surface of the panel body at a side portion of the panel body and protruding in a lateral direction; and a connection unit configured to connect the panel to the outer side wall, the connection unit including an elastic member configured to bias at least one of the outer side wall and the connection piece, and a fixation member made of metal and configured to fix at least one of the connection piece and the elastic member to the outer side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masayoshi Kobayashi, Takeo Oda, Takeo Nishiura, Tomoko Tsuru, Takaya Hamamoto, Takeshi Takagi, Osamu Hisamatsu, Hirotaka Kurashima
  • Patent number: 11542875
    Abstract: Methods and systems for determining an engine temperature for a gas turbine engine are provided. An estimated combustor temperature is determined based on at least one operating condition of the gas turbine engine and an estimated vane mass flow. A corrected vane mass flow is determined based on the estimated combustor temperature, the estimated vane mass flow, and a combustor pressure. The corrected vane mass flow is compared to a reference vane mass flow to obtain the mass flow correction factor. When a condition associated with the mass flow correction factor is not satisfied, the estimated combustor temperature is adjusted based on the mass flow correction factor to produce an adjusted combustor temperature; and the mass flow correction factor is updated based on the adjusted combustor temperature. When the condition associated with the mass flow correction factor is satisfied, the estimated combustor temperature is assigned as the engine temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Yves Cloutier
  • Patent number: 11536197
    Abstract: A valve opening degree determination device includes an object operating state acquisition unit configured to acquire an object operating state which is an operating state of a gas turbine before control, and a valve opening degree calculation unit configured to calculate the valve opening degree such that a disk cavity temperature after control is equal to or lower than a target temperature, based on the object operating state. The valve opening degree calculation unit is configured to determine an input value of the valve opening degree such that a prediction value of the disk cavity temperature is equal to or lower than the target temperature as the valve opening degree, based on a prediction model generated based on a plurality of previous data in which the operating state, the disk cavity temperature, and an actual opening degree of the cooling-air adjustment valve previously acquired are associated with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Koki Tateishi, Shinichi Yoshioka, Hironao Nagai, Ryuji Takenaka, Koshiro Fukumoto
  • Patent number: 11530651
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine for an aircraft. The gas turbine comprises a staged combustion system having pilot injectors and main injectors, a fuel metering system configured to control fuel flow to the pilot injectors and the main injectors, and a fuel system controller. The controller is configured to identify an atmospheric condition, determine a ratio of pilot fuel flow rate for the pilot injectors to main fuel flow rate for the main injectors in response to the atmospheric condition, and inject fuel by the pilot injectors and the main injectors in accordance with said ratio to control an index of soot emissions caused by combustion of fuel therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventors: Christopher P. Madden, Peter Swann
  • Patent number: 11530652
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine for an aircraft. The gas turbine comprises a combustor, a fuel injection system connected with a source of fuel and configured to inject fuel into the combustor, a water injection system connected with a source of water and which is configured to inject water into the combustor, and a control system. The control system is configured to identify an atmospheric condition; determine a water-fuel ratio for injection into the combustor of the gas turbine engine in response to the atmospheric condition; and control injection of fuel and water by the fuel injection system and the water injection system according to said water-fuel ratio to control an soot emissions caused by combustion of fuel therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventors: Christopher P. Madden, Peter Swann