Patents Examined by Louis Casaregola
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Patent number: 8024935Abstract: A bleed air duct that preferably includes an inlet section configured to include a flush scoop and a louver. The louver is located and configured such that in the desired operating flow range of the duct, the fluid entering the flush scoop is disturbed and as a result creates a low pressure region downstream of the louver. The low pressure region substantially eliminates the generation of any pressure pulses and acoustic resonance also known as Helmholtz resonance.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2008Date of Patent: September 27, 2011Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.Inventors: Robert Hoover, Morris Anderson, Robert Romano, Jeff Mendoza, Dan Judd, Don Weir
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Patent number: 8024931Abstract: A turbine engine includes an annular combustor having a combustion chamber defined between an annular outer wall and an annular inner wall. A diffuser case substantially encloses the annular outer and inner walls. A fuel nozzle extends through the diffuser case to an outlet that provides fuel to an interior chamber of the combustor. In one embodiment, front portions of the inner and outer walls curve toward one another and overlap to form an annular gap or manifold through which fuel is distributed to the combustion chamber.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2004Date of Patent: September 27, 2011Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: Gabriel L. Suciu, Craig A. Nordeen, Stephen Kramer
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Patent number: 8020368Abstract: A nozzle allowing the reduction of noise generated by aircraft jet engines having at least one output ring which disturbs the propulsion jet, and having at least one pair of conduits from which the propulsion of jet air is ejected at the output of the nozzle. The conduits of each pair are disposed convergent with respect to each other in order to generate a triangle of interaction of the air jets at the output ring.Type: GrantFiled: January 4, 2007Date of Patent: September 20, 2011Assignees: Universite de Poitiers, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique-CNRSInventors: Jean-Paul Bonnet, Joel Delville, Peter Jordan, Estelle Laurendeau
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Patent number: 8020387Abstract: There is described a method for operation of a burner, whereby a fuel is supplied to the burner, sprayed into the combustion air, mixed with the combustion air to give a fuel/air mixture and burnt in a combustion chamber. With regard to a combustion particularly low in pollutants and, in order to reduce the nitrogen oxide emissions with relation to achieving a given nitrogen oxide emission level, a change in parameters characterizing the fuel is determined. Such a parameter may, for example, be the Wobbe index. There is further described a device for carrying out said method, comprising a fuel treatment device, with an analytical device for the analysis of the current fuel composition and a monitoring and control system.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2005Date of Patent: September 20, 2011Assignee: Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventor: Bernd Prade
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Patent number: 8015823Abstract: An aircraft system includes a heat source and a passage near the heat source for carrying fluid having a cooling capacity to cool the heat source. The passage includes a catalyst that endothermically cracks the fluid to increase the cooling capacity.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2006Date of Patent: September 13, 2011Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: Thomas Henry Vanderspurt, Zissis A. Dardas
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Patent number: 8015827Abstract: In an air mixing arrangement wherein a primary fluid is introduced through an opening in a wall to be mixed with a secondary fluid flowing along the wall surface, the opening is airfoil shaped with its leading edge being orientated at an attack angle with respect to the secondary fluid flow stream so as to thereby enhance the penetration and dispersion of the primary fluid stream into the secondary fluid stream. The airfoil shaped opening is selectively positioned such that its angle of attack provides the desired lift to optimize the mixing of the two streams for the particular application. In one embodiment, a collar is provided around the opening to prevent the secondary fluid from contacting the surface of the wall during certain conditions of operation. Multiple openings maybe used such as the combination of a larger airfoil shaped opening with a smaller airfoil shaped opened positioned downstream thereof, or a round shaped opening placed upstream of an airfoil shaped opening.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2008Date of Patent: September 13, 2011Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: Fabio R. Bertolotti, David S. Liscinsky, Vincent C. Nardone, Daniel R. Sabatino, Michael K. Sahm, Bernd R. Noack
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Patent number: 8015796Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section, all arranged about a central axis. A turbine rotor drives a driveshaft for rotation on the central axis. The driveshaft in turn drives at least two fan rotors on axes parallel to, but spaced from, the central axis. The fan rotors each deliver a portion of the air they move into a central inlet for delivering the air to the compressor section. In addition, the majority of the air moved by the plurality of fan rotors passes between a cowl and an outer periphery of a housing for the central core of the engine. This bypass air provides propulsion as is known in the turbojet art.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2007Date of Patent: September 13, 2011Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: Michael Babu, Richard E. Domonkos, Philip Shacter
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Patent number: 8015787Abstract: A particle separator for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The particle separator includes flow dividers operable to divide flow in a gas turbine engine particle separator and flow scavengers operable to scavenge flow in a gas turbine engine particle separator.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2006Date of Patent: September 13, 2011Assignee: Rolls-Royce CorporationInventor: Philip Harold Snyder
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Patent number: 8015822Abstract: The present invention takes the form of a method and system that may reduce the level of SOx emissions by recirculating a portion of the exhaust of at least one turbomachine; the portion of exhaust may be mixed with the inlet air prior to re-entering the turbomachine. The present invention may incorporate an inlet bleed heat system to reduce the likelihood of the liquid products forming from SOx emissions. Here, a method may maintain a temperature of the inlet fluid above a condensation temperature.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2008Date of Patent: September 13, 2011Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Jatila Ranasinghe, Elizabeth F. Brown
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Patent number: 8015813Abstract: A fuel injector for injecting fuel into a turbomachine combustion chamber, the injector presenting an injector nose for connection to an injection system fastened to the end wall of said combustion chamber, the injector nose comprising: a first channel for passing a flow of an air/fuel pre-mixture towards the combustion chamber, the first channel opening out into the center of the injector nose via an outlet opening for the air/fuel pre-mixture; an electrical insulator surrounding said outlet opening for the air/fuel pre-mixture; a plasma generator system disposed inside said electrical insulation and downstream from said outlet opening for the air/fuel pre-mixture in order to control ignition and combustion of the air/fuel pre-mixture; a second channel for passing a flow of fuel towards the combustion chamber, the second channel opening out outside said electrical insulation; and a third channel for passing a flow of fuel towards the combustion chamber, this third channel opening out outside the second chType: GrantFiled: July 29, 2008Date of Patent: September 13, 2011Assignee: SNECMAInventors: Michel Pierre Cazalens, Thomas Olivier Marie Noel
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Patent number: 8011189Abstract: A Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) system includes a first combustion turbine assembly (42) having a shaft (52) coupled to a motor (54), a compressor (44) and a debladed turbine element (46). A second combustion turbine assembly (68) has a shaft (74) coupled to an electrical generator (80), a turbine (70) and a debladed compressor (72). A first interconnection (58) is from an output of the compressor (44) of the first combustion turbine assembly to an air storage (66). A second interconnection (87) is from the air storage to the turbine (70) of the second combustion turbine assembly for producing power. An expander (88) and an electrical generator (94) are provided. A third interconnection (90) is from the air storage (66) to the expander (88). A source of heat preheats compressed air in the third interconnection. A fourth interconnection (96) is from the expander to the turbine (70).Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2009Date of Patent: September 6, 2011Inventor: Michael Nakhamkin
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Patent number: 8011188Abstract: A gas turbine engine augmentor includes an annular trapped vortex cavity pilot having a cavity forward wall, a cavity radially outer wall, and a cavity aft wall, an annular cavity therebetween, and cavity fuel injector tubes operably disposed through the outer wall into the cavity. Circumferentially spaced apart radial flameholders with integral spraybars and/or radial spraybars interdigitated with the radial flameholders radially inwardly into an exhaust flowpath of the augmentor just forward and upstream of the trapped vortex cavity pilot at a radially outer portion of a combustion zone of the exhaust flowpath. An annular trapped dual vortex cavity pilot version is operable for producing trapped dual counter-rotating inner and outer vortices of fuel and air mixtures.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2007Date of Patent: September 6, 2011Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Ivan Elmer Woltmann, Sean Stacey Archer, Frank Gerald Bachman, Ralph Henry Winslow
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Patent number: 8006477Abstract: A turbine engine includes a turbine section having a first turbine portion and a second turbine portion arranged along a central axis. A re-heat combustor is arranged between the first and second turbine portions. The re-heat combustor includes a combustion duct having a curvilinear flow portion. The curvilinear flow portion provides an increased residence time of combustion products passing through the re-heat combustor.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2008Date of Patent: August 30, 2011Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Constantin Dinu
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Patent number: 8001763Abstract: A turbine engine provides a spool supporting a turbine. The spool is arranged in a core nacelle and includes a thrust bearing. A fan is arranged upstream from the core nacelle and is coupled to the spool. A fan nacelle surrounds the fan and core nacelle and provides a bypass flow path that includes a fan nozzle exit area. A flow control device is adapted to effectively change the fan nozzle exit area. A controller is programmed to monitor the thrust bearing and command the flow control device in response to an undesired load on the thrust bearing. Effectively changing the fan nozzle exit area with the flow control device actively manages the bearing thrust load to desired levels.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2010Date of Patent: August 23, 2011Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: Zbigniew M. Grabowski, Michael Winter
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Patent number: 7997058Abstract: A combustor assembly for a gas powered turbine includes a premix section to mix a first selected volume of fuel with a selected oxidizer. The premix section includes an injector plate that includes a porosity according to selected characteristics, such as pore size, pore density, pore distribution, and other selected characteristics. Therefore, the fuel may be provided through the porous plate to the premix area in a selected uniform flux.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2009Date of Patent: August 16, 2011Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc.Inventors: Shahram Farhangi, David R. Matthews
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Patent number: 7992392Abstract: Apparatus for regulating the flow rate of fuel to a turboshaft engine in acceleration or in deceleration, the engine having a free turbine and a core engine, the apparatus comprising sensors transmitting information to regulator means, said information relating: to a first speed of rotation NTL of said free turbine; to a second speed of rotation Ng of said engine's gas generator; to an internal temperature T4 of the gas at the inlet to the free turbine; to the external pressure; and to the external temperature. The apparatus further comprises control means activated by said regulator means to actuate a fuel metering system of the engine. In addition, the regulator means evaluates the flow rate of fuel to be supplied to the engine in acceleration or in deceleration on the basis of at least one optimum regulation relationship, said regulation relationship determining a main modulated flow rate as a function of a modulated speed of rotation.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2008Date of Patent: August 9, 2011Assignee: EurocopterInventor: Bernard Certain
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Patent number: 7980083Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention may provide a variable speed booster, which receives air from a compressor of a gas turbine through an intercooler, to supply air at a relatively constant pressure to an air processing unit. An embodiment of the present invention may provide an external power source to energize the variable speed booster; which provides air at a relatively constant pressure to an air processing unit.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2008Date of Patent: July 19, 2011Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Ping Yu
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Patent number: 7980081Abstract: Contemplated configurations and methods use first and second precoolers, preferably in alternating operation, to provide a combustion turbine with air at a temperature of 50° F., and more typically less than 32° F. and most typically less than 0° F. In such configurations and methods it is generally preferred that a heat transfer fluid circuit provides both, heated and cooled heat transfer fluid to thereby allow cooling and deicing of the precoolers. Most preferably, refrigeration is provided from an LNG regasification unit to form the cooled heat transfer fluid while heat from a power cycle (e.g., from surface condenser) is used to form the heated heat transfer fluid.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2005Date of Patent: July 19, 2011Assignee: Fluor Technologies CorporationInventor: John Mak
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Patent number: 7975490Abstract: A method and system for operating a gas turbine engine power system are provided. The system includes a gas turbine engine system that includes a gas turbine engine coupled to an electrical generator through a first shaft wherein the gas turbine engine includes a compressor, a combustion chamber, and a turbine drivingly coupled to the compressor and the electrical generator. The system also includes a variable speed electrical motor coupled to a load through a second shaft and a variable speed drive selectably couplable to the electrical generator during a starting sequence of the gas turbine engine system in a first configuration of the gas turbine engine power system and to the variable speed motor in a second configuration of the gas turbine engine power system.Type: GrantFiled: July 28, 2008Date of Patent: July 12, 2011Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Ping Yu
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Patent number: 7966807Abstract: A cooling system for a gas turbine engine includes a non-rotating component extending into an engine flowpath, a vapor cooling assembly configured to transport thermal energy from a vaporization section to a condenser section through cyclical evaporation and condensation of a working medium sealed within the vapor cooling assembly, wherein the vaporization section is located at least partially within the non-rotating component, and wherein the condenser section is located outside the non-rotating component and away from the engine flowpath.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2007Date of Patent: June 28, 2011Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: James W. Norris, James D. Hill, Craig A. Nordeen