Patents Examined by Louis Casaregola
  • Patent number: 8205451
    Abstract: A system and assemblies for pre-heating fuel in a combined cycle power plant are provided. A fuel supply system includes a water heater assembly configured to heat a flow of water using progressively higher grade heat from a multi-stage heat exchanger arrangement. The fuel supply system also includes a fuel heater that includes a first flow path coupled in flow communication with a fuel flow path wherein the fuel heater includes a second flow path coupled in flow communication with a flow path for the flow of water. The fuel heater is configured to transfer heat from the flow of water to the flow of fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Prakash Narayan, Shinoj Vakkayil Chandrabose
  • Patent number: 8205429
    Abstract: A method facilitates assembling a gas turbine engine assembly. The method comprises providing at least one propelling gas turbine engine that includes a core engine including at least one turbine, coupling an auxiliary engine to the propelling gas turbine engine such that during operation of the propelling gas turbine engine, such that at least a portion of the airflow entering the propelling gas turbine engine is extracted from the propelling gas and channeled to the auxiliary engine for generating power, and coupling a modulating valve in flow communication to the propelling gas turbine engine to control the flow of airflow from the propelling gas turbine engine to the auxiliary engine, wherein the modulating valve is selectively operable to control an extraction point of airflow from the propelling gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Gary C. Wollenweber
  • Patent number: 8205453
    Abstract: In order to assemble together two parts (154, 162) of materials having different coefficients of expansion via mutually engaged edge portions (154a, 162a), tongues (170) are formed in the thinned edge of one of the parts, the tongues being separated by slots (172) obtained by cutting or machining the material of the part, and the parts are assembled together by fastening (174) via the tongues. The edge portions are mutually engaged in such a manner as to be in substantially leaktight contact at the high temperatures encountered in operation. The method is applicable in particular to assembling together parts made respectively of metal and of ceramic composite material, in particular in an aviation gas turbine, for example, upstream and downstream secondary nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Snecma Propulsion Solide
    Inventor: Eric Conete
  • Patent number: 8205434
    Abstract: A joint including a first component and a second component. The second component including a shape memory material component. The first component has a half dovetail shaped slot and the shape memory material second component has a half dovetail shaped attachment feature disposed in the half dovetail shaped slot in the first component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce, PLC
    Inventor: John R. Webster
  • Patent number: 8205452
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a fuel nozzle that includes a fuel injector configured to output a fuel flow and a premixer tube disposed about the fuel flow output from the fuel injector. The premixer tube includes a perforated portion and a non-perforated portion, and the non-perforated portion is downstream of the perforated portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gregory Allen Boardman, Patrick Benedict Melton, Christine Elaine Simu
  • Patent number: 8201414
    Abstract: A turbine engine for a helicopter, including a gas generator and a free turbine driven in rotation by the gas flow generated by the gas generator is disclosed. The turbine engine further includes a motor/generator coupled to a shaft of the gas generator, to provide a quantity of additional rotational kinetic energy to the shaft during a stage of turbine engine acceleration, or to draw a quantity of rotational kinetic energy from the shaft during a stage of turbine engine deceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Turbomeca
    Inventors: Edgar Haehner, Gerald Senger
  • Patent number: 8201389
    Abstract: A single oil nozzle unit is mounted in a bearing compartment of a gas turbine engine for providing multiple individual jets for the individual bearing components in the bearing compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Andreas Eleftheriou, David Denis, Brent Hayward, David H. Menheere
  • Patent number: 8201412
    Abstract: A combustor includes a combustion chamber and an interior wall circumferentially surrounding at least a portion of the combustion chamber and defining an exterior surface. A plurality of turbulators are on the exterior surface. The combustor further includes means for preferentially directing fluid flow across a predetermined position of the turbulators. A method for cooling a combustion chamber includes locating a plurality of turbulators to an exterior surface of the combustion chamber and preferentially directing fluid flow across a predetermined position of the plurality of turbulators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Saurav Dugar, Matthew P. Berkebile, Dullal Ghosh, Joseph Vincent Pawlowski, Krishnakumar Pallikara Gopalan, Marcus Byron Huffman
  • Patent number: 8201413
    Abstract: An exhaust liner assembly including an interface between moveable parts includes a seal liner having a plurality of slots. The size of each slot varies with the circumferential position of the liner assembly to provide a stable cavity pressure within the interface to create a stable barrier about the entire circumference of the exhaust liner assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey R. Lavin, Michael J. Murphy
  • Patent number: 8196408
    Abstract: A turbomachine includes a compressor, a turbine operatively connected to the compressor, and a combustion assembly fluidly connected between the compressor and the turbine. The combustion assembly includes an end cover including a plurality of fuel circuits, a fuel distributing flange fluidly connected to at least one of the plurality of fuel circuits, a nozzle assembly fluidly linked to the at least one of the plurality of fuel circuits, and a fuel distribution system configured and disposed to deliver fuel to the fuel distributing flange. The fuel distribution system is selectively activated to stage fuel delivery to the at least one of the plurality of fuel circuits at a pressure sufficient to achieve atomization at the nozzle assembly without requiring a supplemental atomization air flow prior to delivering fuel to others of the plurality of fuel circuits at a pressure to achieve atomization without requiring a supplemental atomization air flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sachin Khosla, Neal Spencer Birchfield, Mark William Pinson
  • Patent number: 8196385
    Abstract: A turbomachine control system comprising an auxiliary hydraulic circuit with an auxiliary hydraulic pump, at least one hydraulic actuator, and at least one servo-valve, the auxiliary pump powering the actuator via the servo-valve. The auxiliary hydraulic circuit is connected in parallel with the main fuel or lubricating oil circuit of the turbomachine. Said auxiliary pump is driven by an electric motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Hispano Suiza
    Inventors: Denis Louis Bocquet, Antoine Jean Baptiste Stutz, Cedric Montarou
  • Patent number: 8196413
    Abstract: Contemplated plants integrate regeneration of a freeze point depressant with LNG regasification and a power cycle. Most preferably, the plant is a combined cycle plant in which heat for reboiling the regenerator is provided by the steam cycle, and in which LNG refrigeration content is used to condense steam from the regenerator and to further subcool intake air for a combustion turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Fluor Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: John Mak
  • Patent number: 8196386
    Abstract: Position sensors, metering valve assemblies, and fuel delivery and control systems are provided. In an embodiment, by way of example only, a position sensor includes a rotor, a primary winding wound around the rotor, a stator surrounding at least a portion of the rotor and the primary winding, and a secondary winding disposed adjacent to the stator. At least one of the primary winding and the secondary winding comprises copper and nickel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: David Druhan
  • Patent number: 8196412
    Abstract: A transition duct having a panel assembly with an inlet end of generally circular cross section and an outlet end having a generally rectangular arc-like cross section is disclosed. The panel assembly has an uncoated internal profile substantially in accordance with coordinate values X, Y, and Z as set forth in Table 1. The coordinates are taken at a sweep angle ? wherein ? is an angle measured from the inlet end and X, Y, and Z are coordinates define the panel assembly profile at each angle ?. An alternate embodiment of the invention defines an envelope for the uncoated internal profile of the panel assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd
    Inventor: Stephen W. Jorgensen
  • Patent number: 8196410
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle sheath has a lateral opening for admitting air about a nozzle stern. The stress distribution along the perimeter of the window is smoothed out by increasing the corner radius of the window corner presenting the highest stress concentration. The different corner radii of the window opening in the sheath allows to reduce stresses resulting from the load transferred from the combustor liner to the sheath.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Bhawan Patel, Nagaraja Rudrapatna
  • Patent number: 8196407
    Abstract: A small gas turbine engine for use in an UAV such as a cruise missile, the gas turbine having a combustor forming a primary burn zone and a secondary burn zone, and in which fuel is injected into both the primary and the secondary burn zones by either a rotary cup injector or a plurality of fuel injector nozzles. The secondary burn zone with separate fuel injection allows for the diameter of the engine to be reduced in size but still allow for adequate power and efficiency to be reached for powering the vehicle. Air flow from the compressor is used to cool the combustor walls before being injected into the combustor, and to pass through and cool the guide nozzles and a main bearing located near the hot section of the combustor prior to being introduced into the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark M. Harris, Wesley D. Brown, Angel M. Garcie
  • Patent number: 8191373
    Abstract: An impingement shield assembly for a turbine includes a first impingement shield portion and a second impingement shield joined to the first impingement shield portion. The assembly also includes a first connection portion formed on the first impingement shield portion, a second connection portion formed on the first impingement shield portion and first and second wedge weld portions that mate with and hold the first and a second connection portions in a fixed relationship to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jonathan Dwight Berry, Timur Rustemovich Repikov, Heath Michael Ostebee
  • Patent number: 8186143
    Abstract: A method of controlling mixing of a flow exiting a nozzle associated with a jet engine. The method may involve pivotally supporting a mixing structure forming a hinge device at a downstream edge of the nozzle. A shape memory alloy (SMA) element may be used to couple to the mixing structure. Heat may be generated by a flow exiting the nozzle to induce a phase change in the SMA element. The phase change may cause an axial length of the SMA element to constrict, to cause a pivoting movement of the mixing structure into a path of the flow exiting the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey H. Wood, James P. Dunne
  • Patent number: 8181439
    Abstract: A gas turbine is driven by a combustion gas produced when BFG compressed by a gas compressor and air compressed by a compressor are burned in a combustor. Steam is generated from a waste heat boiler by utilization of heat of an exhaust gas from the gas turbine, and a steam turbine is driven by this steam. An electric generator generates electricity upon driving of the turbines. A condensing heat exchanger is disposed in an air intake duct, and part of steam from the waste heat boiler flows through the heat exchanger to heat intake air. The amount of steam that flows through the heat exchanger is adjusted by adjusting the degree of opening of a steam control valve by a control device. By so doing, the ignition performance of the gas turbine in a BFG-fired gas turbine combined cycle plant is enhanced even in an extremely cold district.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shoichi Harada
  • Patent number: 8181465
    Abstract: The positioning arrangement comprises at least one pair of complimentary rounded recesses, each recess being provided on the mating face of the corresponding component. One ball is positioned between each pair of complementary recesses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Lev Alexander Prociw, Alexsandar Kojovic