Patents Examined by Laert Dounis
  • Patent number: 11965510
    Abstract: A compressor body includes a compression mechanism including a screw rotor that compresses gas, a casing that accommodates the compression mechanism and defines a compression working chambers therein, a suction side bearing that rotatably supports the screw rotor, a bearing chamber that accommodates the suction side bearing, and a liquid supply port that communicates with the compression working chambers and supplies liquid supplied from the outside of the casing into the compression working chambers. The casing has an internal liquid supply flow path that extends from a discharge side of the compression working chambers as an upstream side to a suction side of the compression working chambers as a downstream side and that supplies the liquid to the liquid supply port. The internal liquid supply flow path has a downstream portion reaching the bearing chamber and supplies the liquid to the suction side bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeyuki Yorikane, Masahiko Takano, Kenji Morita, Yoshitaka Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 11959480
    Abstract: A compression unit of a rotary compressor includes a cylinder, an upper end plate that closes the upper side of the cylinder, a lower end plate that closes the lower side of the cylinder, and a piston that is fitted to a rotating shaft, revolves along an inner peripheral surface of the cylinder, and forms a cylinder chamber in the cylinder. At least one of an end face of the piston in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, a sliding surface of the upper end plate that slides with the end face of the piston, and a sliding surface of the lower end plate that slides with the end face of the piston, has formed therein an oil-film retention region having an array of a plurality of recessed portions that retain lubricating oil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: FUJITSU GENERAL LIMITED
    Inventors: Hiroki Katayama, Motonobu Furukawa
  • Patent number: 11953003
    Abstract: A scroll compressor is provided, the scroll compressor having a block insertion groove recessed by a predetermined depth into a rear surface of a non-orbiting scroll to accommodate a discharge port and a plurality of bypass holes, and a retainer block having a bypass valve that opens and closes the plurality of bypass holes fixedly inserted into the block insertion groove. The bypass valve may be fixed to a first axial side surface of the retainer block facing the block insertion groove. Through this, the bypass valve that suppresses or prevents overcompression of a compression chamber is not fastened to a non-orbiting end plate, which may allow the non-orbiting end plate to be reduced in thickness. This may shorten lengths of the plurality of bypass holes and the discharge port by the reduced thickness of the non-orbiting end plate, thereby decreasing a dead volume in the plurality of bypass holes and the discharge port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Changeol Jo, Jeonghun Kim, Nara Han, Juhwan Yun
  • Patent number: 11946460
    Abstract: A thermal-mechanical linear actuator can include a first stage comprising one of a positive coefficient of thermal expansion (“CTE”) material or a negative CTE material and a second stage comprising the other of the positive CTE material or the negative CTE material. The second stage can be at least partially inserted into the first stage. The actuator can further comprise a thermal isolator disposed between the first stage and the second stage to thermally isolate the first stage from the second stage. Heat inputs can be provided where the heat inputs can control the temperature of the first and second stages independently. A hyperbolic meta material can be wrapped or coated around the first stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Scott R. Foes, Ray E. Mcvey, Scott Randall Sorbel, Tim P. Johnson, Nicholas C. Yiakas
  • Patent number: 11946459
    Abstract: Embodiments of systems and methods for generating power in the vicinity of a drilling rig are disclosed. During a drilling operation, heat generated by drilling fluid flowing from a borehole, exhaust from an engine, and/or fluid from an engine's water (or other fluid) jacket, for example, may be utilized by corresponding heat exchangers to facilitate heat transfer to a working fluid. The heated working fluid may cause an ORC unit to generate electrical power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: ICE Thermal Harvesting, LLC
    Inventors: Adrian Benjamin Bodishbaugh, Carrie Jeanne Murtland
  • Patent number: 11933280
    Abstract: Systems and methods for generating electrical power in an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) operation include one or more heat exchangers incorporated into mobile heat generation units, and which will receive a heated fluid flow from one or more heat sources, and transfer heat therefrom to a working fluid that is circulated through an ORC unit for generation of power. In embodiments, the mobile heat generation units comprise pre-packaged modules with one or more heat exchangers connected to a pump of a recirculation system, including an array of piping, such that each mobile heat generation unit can be transported to the site and installed as a substantially stand-alone module or heat generation assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: ICE Thermal Harvesting, LLC
    Inventors: Adrian Benjamin Bodishbaugh, Carrie Jeanne Murtland
  • Patent number: 11933281
    Abstract: In an embodiment, an article comprises a plurality of structural units, wherein each structural unit comprises a first portion; a second portion; wherein the second portion contacts the first portion; and a third portion; wherein the third portion is in communication with the first portion and the second portion and is more compressible than the first portion and the second portion; wherein the first portion comprises a first shape memory alloy having a first preset state and wherein the second portion comprises a second shape memory alloy that has a second preset state; wherein the second preset state is different from the first preset state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventor: Viktor Kilchyk
  • Patent number: 11933279
    Abstract: Embodiments of systems and methods for generating power in the vicinity of a drilling rig are disclosed. During a drilling operation, heat generated by drilling fluid flowing from a borehole, exhaust from an engine, and/or fluid from an engine's water (or other fluid) jacket, for example, may be utilized by corresponding heat exchangers to facilitate heat transfer to a working fluid. The heated working fluid may cause an ORC unit to generate electrical power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: ICE Thermal Harvesting, LLC
    Inventors: Adrian Benjamin Bodishbaugh, Carrie Jeanne Murtland
  • Patent number: 11933300
    Abstract: This screw compressor is provided with a screw rotor, a casing accommodating the screw rotor, and a liquid feed mechanism for feeding a liquid into an operating chamber enclosed by the casing, wherein the pitch of the screw rotor changes in the axial direction from a suction end surface toward a discharge end surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: HITACHI INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shota Tanimoto, Shigeyuki Yorikane, Tomohiro Komatsu, Takeshi Tsuchiya, Kotaro Chiba
  • Patent number: 11927344
    Abstract: A system and method for warmkeeping a steam generator such as a sub-critical steam generator is disclosed. Water extraction piping extracts water from a component of one of the water fill circuits of the sub-critical steam generator. A deaerator heating system having an inventory tank of water mixes the extracted water with the water in the tank, and heats the mix of water to a predetermined temperature level to generate heated deaerated feedwater. Feedwater piping forwards the heated deaerated feedwater at the predetermined temperature level from the deaerator heating system to the water fill circuits of the sub-critical steam generator. The water extraction piping, the deaerator heating system and the feedwater piping operate cooperatively to warmkeep the water fill circuits in accordance with the predetermined temperature level while the sub-critical steam generator is in the unfired stand-by mode of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventor: Ralph Mayer
  • Patent number: 11927177
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for using a thin-bed hot sedimentary aquifer (HSA) in geothermal energy generation applications. An example embodiment operates by pumping, via an extraction well, heated water from an extraction depth of an HSA. The HSA is identified based on a permeability satisfying a threshold permeability range and could even have a thickness equal to or less than about 100 meters. The example embodiment further operates by extracting, via a power generation unit, heat from the heated water to generate power and transform the heated water into cooled water. Subsequently, the example embodiment operates by injecting, via an injection well, the cooled water at an injection depth of the HSA. A first portion of the extraction well and a second portion of the injection well are disposed within the HSA.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Geothermal Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce D. Marsh, Saman Karimi
  • Patent number: 11920513
    Abstract: An apparatus, system and method for generating power, utilising a novel mono-block reciprocating piston engine with reduced or zero harmful emissions. The mono-block comprises a composite internal combustion IC section and Organic Rankine Cycle ORC section. The mono-block engine comprises two or more cylinders each having a piston housed therein; a composite internal combustion IC section controlling the displacement of at least one of the pistons and; an Organic Rankine Cycle ORC section controlling the displacement of at least one of the pistons; wherein the IC and ORC pistons connect to and drive a common crankshaft of the mono-block engine power plant; and wherein the Organic Rankine Cycle operates by the heat generated by the combustion in the internal combustion section, and the displacement of the pistons in the ORC section is achieved by injecting heated and pressurised ORC fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: CAE (IP) LLP
    Inventor: Christopher Heanley
  • Patent number: 11920570
    Abstract: An improved Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion system (called OTEC) is presented herein by the addition of a closed heat transfer loop. In conventional OTEC, warm surface waters are used to vaporize a working fluid for use in a turbine, and cold waters are then brought up from deep water, typically more than 1000 meters, to condense the working fluid. In simple terms conventional OTEC brings the cooling potential up to the warm surface. The disclosed OTEC system brings the heat down to the deep cold waters by using a separate heat transfer fluid loop. We refer to this as Enhanced OTEC or E-OTEC. A key feature of the process is descending to the depths as a dense fluid and returning to the surface as a much lower density fluid, thereby gaining a gravitational boost in pressure and temperature. This leads to several technological, performance, and economic advantages over prior art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Inventors: Roy E. Robinson, Georg E. Engelmann
  • Patent number: 11920589
    Abstract: The scroll compressor (1) includes a hermetic casing (2); an electric motor (12) arranged within the hermetic casing (2); an electrical box (14) attached to an outer surface of the hermetic casing (2); and compressor power terminals (13) insulated from the hermetic casing (2) and electrically connected to the electric motor (12), the compressor power terminals (13) protruding in the electrical box (14), the electrical box (14)] containing a control module (15) configured to control the electric motor (12), control wires (16) connected to the control module (15), and a terminal block assembly (17) configured to electrically connect the compressor power terminals (13) and the control wires (16) to external power leads (18) of an external power source. The terminal block assembly (17) includes a body part (19) and a wire guiding part (21) which is configured to guide and position the control wires (16) in predetermined connection positions with respect to the body part (19).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Danfoss Commercial Compressors
    Inventors: Jerome Burgod, Guillaume Rochet
  • Patent number: 11920592
    Abstract: A dry pump for gases comprises a first rotor (1) comprising a first lobe portion (1A) and a first screw (1B), as well as a second rotor (2) comprising a second lobe portion (2A) and a second screw (2B). A casing delimits an internal volume in which are located together the first and second screws (1B, 2B) and the first and second lobe portions (1A, 2A). Each of the first and second screws (1B, 2B) comprises a threading invariable along its length. The first and second rotors (1, 2) turn in opposite directions and are located in successive configurations. In a first configuration of the rotors, the first and second lobe portions (1A, 2A), a portion of the first screw (1B), a portion of the second screw (2B) and the casing together delimit a chamber (30) which is closed. In a second configuration of the rotors, the chamber (30) has a smaller capacity than in the first configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: ATELIERS BUSCH SA
    Inventors: Théodore Iltchev, Stéphane Varrin, Didier Müller
  • Patent number: 11920571
    Abstract: A circuit arrangement to control at least one valve includes at least one actuator with at least one positioning element adjustable between at least one first position and a second position. At least one driver unit activates the actuator and a control unit operates the driver unit. At least one air mass measuring device measures an air mass flowing through the valve. The control unit processes an output signal of the air mass measuring device. Valves, valve arrangements, seat comfort systems, and methods all use such circuit arrangements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: ALFMEIER PRÄZISION SE
    Inventors: Erich Dörfler, Matthias Mitzler
  • Patent number: 11913455
    Abstract: The scroll compressor (1) includes a compression unit (6); a drive shaft (16) which is vertically orientated; upper and lower bearing arrangements (27, 28) configured to rotatably support the drive shaft (16); a centrifugal oil pump (29) including a pick-up tube (32) attached to a lower end portion (23) of the drive shaft (16) and provided with a oil inlet immersed in an oil sump (31), the centrifugal oil pump (29) being configured to deliver oil to the compression unit (6) and to the upper and lower bearing arrangements (27, 28); and a static fairing member (35) secured to a non-rotating part of the scroll compressor (1) and including a static tubular part (36) which is immersed in the oil sump (31) and which surrounds the pick-up tube (32) with a predetermined distance such that a gap is formed between the inner surface of the static tubular part (36) and the outer surface of the pick-up tube (32).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Danfoss Commercial Compressors
    Inventor: Patrice Bonnefoi
  • Patent number: 11905874
    Abstract: A system for controlling reductant spray momentum for a target spray distribution includes an exhaust system having an exhaust conduit with exhaust flowing therethrough, a reductant injection system for injecting reductant into the exhaust flowing through the exhaust system based on one or more injection parameters, a reductant supply system for supplying reductant to the reductant injection system based on one or more supply parameters, and a controller. The controller is configured to access current vehicle, engine, exhaust, or reductant condition parameters, determine one or more control parameters based on a control model and the accessed current vehicle, engine, exhaust, or reductant condition parameters, and modify a value of the one or more injection parameters or the one or more supply parameters to control the reductant spray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Cummins Emission Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel Johnson, Nassim Khaled, Patrick C. Hudson
  • Patent number: 11905934
    Abstract: Embodiments of systems and methods for generating power in the vicinity of a drilling rig are disclosed. During a drilling operation, heat generated by drilling fluid flowing from a borehole, exhaust from an engine, and/or fluid from an engine's water (or other fluid) jacket, for example, may be utilized by corresponding heat exchangers to facilitate heat transfer to a working fluid. The heated working fluid may cause an ORC unit to generate electrical power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: ICE Thermal Harvesting, LLC
    Inventors: Adrian Benjamin Bodishbaugh, Carrie Jeanne Murtland
  • Patent number: 11905857
    Abstract: A plant for storing energy comprises a casing for the storage of a working fluid other than atmospheric air, in gaseous phase and in equilibrium of pressure with the atmosphere; a tank for the storage of said working fluid in liquid or supercritical phase with a temperature close to the critical temperature. The plant is configured to perform a closed cyclic thermodynamic transformation, first in one direction in a charge configuration and then in an opposite direction in a discharge configuration, between said casing and said tank. In the charge configuration the plant stores heat and pressure and in the discharge configuration the plant generates energy. The plant is also configured to define a closed circuit and to perform a closed thermodynamic cycle in the closed circuit with at least a part of the working fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: ENERGY DOME S.P.A.
    Inventor: Claudio Spadacini