Patents Examined by Louis J. Casaregola
  • Patent number: 7472541
    Abstract: Provided is a compressor control unit with a high response ability to changes of gas condition of a compressor (compressor suction temperature, pressure, gas specific gravity, pressure ratio of suction pressure and discharge pressure). In the control unit for a compressor that supplies gas into a gas turbine through a header tank, an inlet gas condition is measured and a load command value from a gas turbine controller is corrected to be increased or decreased corresponding to the measured inlet gas condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Takeda, Kazuko Takeshita, Makoto Tsutsui, Hiroaki Yoshida, Kengo Hirano
  • Patent number: 7469545
    Abstract: An auxiliary power unit (APU) includes a controller that controls the position of an APU inlet door, and thus ram air flow to the APU, to ensure optimal starting conditions are attained and maintained in the APU during APU startup operations. The controller receives a signal representative of an APU operational parameter and, in response, to supplies APU inlet door position commands. An APU inlet door actuator is coupled to the APU inlet door and, in response to the APU inlet door position commands, moves the APU inlet door to the commanded position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: Harold J. Riley
  • Patent number: 7469543
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor, a rich catalytic injector, a combustor, and a turbine. The rich catalytic injector includes a rich catalytic device, a mixing zone, and an injection assembly. The injection assembly provides an interface between the mixing zone and the combustor. The injection assembly can inject diffusion fuel into the combustor, provides flame aerodynamic stabilization in the combustor, and may include an ignition device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Albert Veninger
  • Patent number: 7464533
    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: June 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Gary C. Wollenweber
  • Patent number: 7464536
    Abstract: A method is provided for operating a gas turbine engine including a core engine having a core stream duct, an inner bypass duct, an outer bypass duct, and a nozzle assembly downstream of the core engine and including a core engine nozzle and a bypass nozzle separated by a liner. The method includes channeling a first airflow discharged from the core gas turbine engine to the core engine nozzle, and channeling a second airflow through the inner bypass duct such that the second airflow bypasses the core gas turbine engine. The second airflow is channeled to a plurality of fairings that are positioned upstream from a plurality of support struts coupled to the nozzle assembly liner. The method also includes channeling a third airflow through the outer bypass duct such that the third airflow bypasses the core gas turbine engine, wherein the third airflow is channeled through the support struts to the bypass nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Bernard James Renggli, Matthew Wilson Jumper
  • Patent number: 7451599
    Abstract: An inlet tube supplies fuel to a manifold of a combustor in a gas turbine engine, the manifold defining a manifold plane. The inlet tube comprises a tube body having a channel providing fluid flow communication between first and second ends of the tube body. At least a portion of the channel defines a tube body plane which is spaced apart from the manifold plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Jason Fish, Bhawan B. Patel
  • Patent number: 7451602
    Abstract: A method facilitates operating a gas turbine engine. The method comprises supplying steam and primary fuel to a chamber within a nozzle, mixing the primary fuel and steam within the chamber, and discharging the mixture into a combustor from a plurality of circumferentially spaced mixture outlets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Steve Marakovits, Mark Durbin
  • Patent number: 7451601
    Abstract: A method, system and software for reducing combustion chamber to chamber variation in a multiple-combustion chamber turbine system comprising sensing dynamic combustion pressure tones emitted from combustion chambers in a multiple combustion chamber turbine and determining a combustion chamber stratification index for the combustion chambers from the dynamic combustion pressure tones emitted for the combustion chambers to record and/or tune combustion chamber performance variations in the multiple-chamber combustion turbine system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Avinash Vinayak Taware, Vasanth Srinivasa Kothnur, Ajai Singh, Bruce Gordon Norman, Jian Zhou
  • Patent number: 7448217
    Abstract: A combined cycle power plant comprises a gas turbo group and a water/steam circuit A liquid atomization device is arranged, upstream of the compressor, in the intake duct of the gas turbo group. The liquid under pressure, which is intended to be injected into the compressor inflow, is branched off from the water/steam circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Sasha Savic, Daniel Klaesson, Flavio Ferrari, Carlos Jimenez Haertel
  • Patent number: 7448215
    Abstract: A combustion chamber suitable for a gas turbine engine is provided with at least one Helmholtz resonator having a resonator cavity and a resonator neck in flow communication with the chamber interior. The resonator neck is provided with at least cooling holes extending through its wall for improved damping and cooling, at least one of the holes is directed towards the resonator cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventors: Michael A Macquisten, Anthony J Moran, Michael Whiteman, Jonathan F Carrotte, Ashley G Barker, Martin S Goodwin
  • Patent number: 7448220
    Abstract: A start system for a gas turbine engine delivers starter current according to a schedule selected according to measured rotational speed and oil temperature of the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Dennis E. Schmidt, David L. Ripley, Lawrence A. Cogsdill
  • Patent number: 7441398
    Abstract: An embodiment may comprise a system for controlling NOx emissions from a turbine having combustion chambers. The system may comprise a center fuel flow and a plurality of outer fuel flows for each of a plurality of combustion chambers. An outer fuel flow is set to achieve a desired level of combustion dynamics for at least one of the plurality of combustion chambers. A delta adjustment value is determined for the center fuel flow that will result in a desired level of NOx emissions from the turbine, and for adjusting the center fuel flow according to the determined delta adjustment value to obtain the desired level of NOx emissions from the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Willy Steve Ziminsky, Scott Kopcho, Mark P. Bombard, Anthony Joseph Antonucci
  • Patent number: 7437871
    Abstract: An automatic engine protection system for use when electronic parts of the control system are exposed to overtemperature conditions. A thermally sensitive component, such as an engine electronic control or an electronic overspeed control, is mounted on the engine. A thermal fuse is mounted adjacent, or in thermal contact with, the speed control. The thermal fuse is placed in electrical series with a valve which controls fuel delivery to the engine. If the temperature of the fuse exceeds its melting point, indicating a possible danger to the electronic control, the fuse melts, thereby terminating fuel to the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Kenneth Foster Cook
  • Patent number: 7434406
    Abstract: A drivetrain for a multi-spool counter rotating gas turbine engine may include a lay shaft for connecting a power turbine shaft of the engine with a gas generator shaft of the engine when the drivetrain is in engine start mode. In normal operation mode, an actuator disengages the lay shaft, thereby allowing free and independent rotation of the power turbine shaft and the gas generator shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher J. Herlihy, John R. Barrett
  • Patent number: 7430850
    Abstract: An oil scavenge system includes a tangential scavenge scoop and a settling area adjacent thereto which separately communicate with a duct which feeds oil into an oil flow path and back to an oil sump. A shield is mounted over the settling area to at least partially shield the collecting liquid oil from interfacial shear. A multiple of apertures are located through the shield to permit oil flow through the shield and into the duct. The scavenge scoop forms a partition which separates the duct into a first portion and a second portion. The first portion processes upstream air/oil mixture that is captured by the tangential scoop while the second portion receives the oil collected in the settling area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Robert E. Peters, Dwayne Messerschmidt, J. Axel Glahn, Kenneth L. Allard, Hslanmin F. Jen, Larry W. Spires, Roger M. Barnsby
  • Patent number: 7428818
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and system for augmenting shaft output of stationary gas turbines that can be used in multiple modes of operation. The system comprises a washing unit (25, 27, 28) adapted to inject a spray (26) of atomized liquid so as to impinge on the compressor blades (12) in order to wet said blades (12), thereby obtaining a release of fouling material from said blades (12); and at least one liquid injection unit (21, 23, 24, 29, 210, 212, 214, 215, 216) adapted to inject a spray (22, 211, 213) of atomized liquid into an air stream of said turbine duct (101) or at the gas turbine (10) in order to increase a mass flow of said air flow, wherein the power output from said gas turbine engine can be augmented. With the invention follows also benefits such as fuel savings and improved environmental performance by reduction of emissions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Assignee: Gas Turbine Efficiency AB
    Inventor: Carl-Johan Hjerpe
  • Patent number: 7428817
    Abstract: A premix burner is disclosed, with a swirl generator which delimits a conical swirl space and provides at least two conical part shells which are arranged, offset to one another, along a burner axis, mutually enclose in each case air inlet slits running longitudinally with respect to the burner axis and have in combination a conically widening premix burner outer contour having a maximum outside diameter which narrows axially into a region with a minimum outside diameter. At least one conical part shell provides, in the region between the maximum and the minimum outside diameter, a reception unit which deviates from the conically widening premix burner outer contour and locally elevates the premix burner outer contour radially outward and which has a maximum radial extent which is dimensioned smaller than half the maximum outside diameter of the premix burner outer contour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Philipp Brunner, Jaan Hellat, Christian Oliver Paschereit
  • Patent number: 7421835
    Abstract: A two-stage power generation system having a compressed air source with two compressed air outlets, one of which provides compressed air to the first stage of power generation and the other of which provides compressed air to the second stage of power generation. All of the fuel for the two-stage power generation system is introduced into the first stage. Exhaust gases from the first stage are introduced into a fuel inlet of the second stage of power generation. The first stage preferably includes a gas turbine operated in partial oxidation mode. The exhaust gases from the partial oxidation gas turbine contain thermal and chemical energy, both of which are used in the second stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2008
    Assignee: Gas Technology Institute
    Inventors: Iosif K. Rabovitser, Serguei Nester, David J. White
  • Patent number: 7418814
    Abstract: A dual expander cycle (DEC) rocket engine with an intermediate closed-cycle heat exchanger is provided. A conventional DEC rocket engine has a closed-cycle heat exchanger terhamlly coupled thereto. The heat exchanger utilizes heat extracted from the engine's fuel circuit to drive the engine's oxidizer turbomachinery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: William D. Greene
  • Patent number: 7406828
    Abstract: A combustion turbine power generation system (10) includes a combustion turbine assembly (11) including a main compressor (12) constructed and arranged to receive ambient inlet air, a main expansion turbine (14) operatively associated with the main compressor, combustors (16) constructed and arranged to receive compressed air from the main compressor and to feed the main expansion turbine, and an electric generator (15) associated with the main expansion turbine for generating electric power. A compressed air storage (18) stores compressed air. A heat exchanger (24) is constructed and arranged to receive a source of heat and to receive compressed air from the storage so as to heat compressed air received from the storage. An air expander (28) is associated with the heat exchanger and is constructed and arranged to expand the heated compressed air for producing additional electric power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Inventor: Michael Nakhamkin