Patents Examined by Michael B Mantyla
  • Patent number: 8590286
    Abstract: Gas turbine engine systems involving tip fans are provided. In this regard, a representative gas turbine engine system includes: a multi-stage fan having a first rotatable set of blades and a second counter-rotatable set of blades, the first rotatable set of blades defining an inner fan and a tip fan; and an epicyclic differential gear assembly operative to receive a torque input and differentially apply the torque input to the first set of blades and the second set of blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: United Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Gary D. Roberge, Gabriel L. Suciu
  • Patent number: 8578697
    Abstract: A composite component such as a fan casing liner panel for a gas turbine engine comprises an abradable layer and a layer. The layer is provided with a septum layer, to which the abradable layer is bonded. The septum layer is perforated by holes, which enable air to be extracted from the region between the septum layer and the abradable layer during the process of bonding the components together, for example by a vacuum bonding process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventors: Cedric B. Harper, Neil Humphries
  • Patent number: 8572944
    Abstract: A portion of the exhaust generated by a turbomachine is recirculated through an inlet portion by an exhaust gas recirculation system. The system reduces the level of constituents within the exhaust before the exhaust is recirculated. The turbomachine may be utilized to drive the exhaust gas through the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Rahul J. Chillar, Douglas S. Byrd, Robert W. Taylor, Joell R. Hibshman, II
  • Patent number: 8567199
    Abstract: Disclosed is a combustor including a baffle plate having at least one through baffle hole and at least one fuel nozzle extending through the at least one baffle hole. A plurality of injection holes extend through the at least one fuel nozzle and are configured to meter a flow of diluent into the combustor. Further disclosed is a method for providing diluent to a combustor including providing a plurality of openings located at at least one fuel nozzle extending through a through hole in a baffle plate. The diluent is flowed through the plurality of openings toward at least one airflow opening in the at least one fuel nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jesse Ellis Barton, Jonathan Dwight Berry, Mark Allan Hadley, Patrick Benedict Melton
  • Patent number: 8567174
    Abstract: A valve assembly is provided for a gas turbine engine with at least two drain valves connected to the gas turbine engine to drain oil and moisture from the engine, an actuator for opening and closing the at least two drain valves, a solenoid valve connected to the actuator and to a regulated air supply for driving the actuator and a safety valve connected to an exhaust of the solenoid valve and to a compressor air supply, the compressor air supply driving the safety valve to prevent the actuator from being vented during engine operation. A method of securely operating a plurality of drain valves is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Edward Burkitt, Gareth Huw Davies
  • Patent number: 8549861
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are described that include a transition piece including a cooling sleeve. The cooling sleeve includes a first end and an opposite second end, the cooling sleeve is coupled to an inner wall of the transition piece, such that an annular passage is defined between the inner wall and the cooling sleeve. The first end defines an annular inlet and second end defines an annular outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Marcus B. Huffman
  • Patent number: 8534073
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention may take the form of a system that may use the heat removed from an exhaust stream during an exhaust gas recirculation process to heat the fuel consumed by a turbomachine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Andres J. Garcia-Crespo, Amit S. Toprani
  • Patent number: 8534077
    Abstract: A turbine engine for aircraft includes a gas generator as well as to a receiver driven by a power turbine, and to an electric power generator, the rotor of which centered on a rotor axis distinct from the longitudinal axis, is driven into rotation by the power turbine, via a mechanical gear transmission, including a toothed drive wheel centered on the axis. Further the receiver includes a first propeller driven by a free power turbine and the toothed drive wheel is attached on an outer case of this power turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Snecma
    Inventors: Bruno Albert Beutin, Antoine Olivier Francois Colin, Clarisse Savine Mathilde Reaux, Didier Jean-Louis Yvon
  • Patent number: 8528315
    Abstract: A cooling enclosure for a valve includes an elongated housing body having a pair of housing portions and a pair of removable end plates, the pair of housing portions separable along at least one longitudinally-extending seam. Fastener devices are provided for securing the pair of housing portions engaged along the at least one longitudinal extending seam. One or more apertures are provided for accommodating a like number of valve fittings, and cooling air inlet and outlet openings are also provided in the housing body for supplying and removing cooling air to the housing body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: David W. Smith, Doug Byrd, Michael P. Black, Swapnil Tiwari
  • Patent number: 8516787
    Abstract: A method involves operating a combined-cycle power plant (10), which has a gas turbine (11) with a compressor (12) and a turbine (13), a heat recovery steam generator (17) which is connected downstream to the gas turbine (11) and is for producing steam in a water/steam cycle, and also at least one once-through cooler (21), through which flows compressed air which is compressed in the compressor (12) and intended for cooling the gas turbine (11), and, cooling down, converts feed-water (24) which is fed from the heat recovery steam generator (17) into steam, and discharges the steam to the heat recovery steam generator (17). The combined-cycle power plant is switched between a first operating mode, in which only the gas turbine cycle is used for power generation, and a second operating mode, in which the gas turbine cycle and the water/steam cycle are used for power generation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Gijsbertus Oomens, Christoph Ruchti, Francois Droux
  • Patent number: 8511091
    Abstract: A swirler is provided for a fuel injector of a combustor of a gas turbine engine. The swirler is for directing an airflow into the combustor so as to atomize fuel exiting the fuel injector. The swirler has one or more passages for channelling the airflow. Each of the passages is configured to rotate the airflow channelled by that passage about a swirl axis of the swirler, such that on exiting the passage the airflow has an exit swirl angle and a direction of rotation relative to the swirl axis. The swirler is configured such that the exit swirl angle and/or the direction of rotation may be selectively varied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Martin S. Goodwin
  • Patent number: 8499542
    Abstract: A flow balancing valve for a multistage combustor includes a first pressure feedback line, a first burn line, and a first metering port fluidly connected to the first fuel injector. The flow balancing valve further includes a second pressure feedback line, a second burn line, and a second metering port fluidly connected to the second fuel injector. A metering land is located between and defines sizes of the first metering port and the second metering port. An increase in pressure differential between the first pressure feedback line and the second pressure feedback line causes a compensatory movement in the metering land to balance fuel flow for the first fuel injector and the second fuel injector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventor: Thaddeus J. Zebrowski
  • Patent number: 8479519
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a diffusion tip for use with a fuel nozzle is described. The diffusion tip has a substantially circular body including an outer surface and an opposite inner surface. The diffusion tip body extends from a discharge end to an inlet end. The diffusion tip includes an inlet surface adjacent to the discharge end and defined within the body. A discharge surface is defined opposite the inlet surface. A plurality of diffusion apertures each extend between the discharge surface and the inlet surface, each aperture is oriented relative to the body to discharge a diffusion flow outward therefrom at an angle ? (gamma) measured in an X-Z plane between a centerline of the aperture and an X-axis extending tangentially to the outer surface, and at an angle ? (theta) measured in a Y-Z plane between the centerline of the aperture and a Y-axis extending radially outward from the centerline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Wei Chen, William Lawrence Byrne, Xiaoguang Yu, James Harper
  • Patent number: 8474240
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed that overcome the deficiencies of traditional steam engines and internal combustion engines. In an embodiment, a system is disclosed for generating reaction products having elevated temperature and pressure. The system comprises a first chamber including a reactor to decompose hydrogen peroxide to generate oxygen and water vapor. The system further comprises a second chamber including a reactor to catalytically combust a mixture of the generated oxygen and a fuel to generate reaction products having elevated temperature and pressure. The system further comprises a passageway to receive reaction products exiting the second chamber and to channel the reaction products to come into contact with external surfaces of the first and second chambers to thereby transfer heat to the first and second chambers, and an outlet to allow the reaction products to exit the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: NW Licensing Company LLC
    Inventor: Charles Robin Nail
  • Patent number: 8474266
    Abstract: A gas turbine system comprising, a diffuser operative to diffuse an airstream output from a compressor, a fuel nozzle operative to receive fuel and emit the fuel in a combustor, and at least one bleed duct operative to direct bleed air from down stream of the combustor to the fuel nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jonathan Dwight Berry, Geoffrey David Myers
  • Patent number: 8468830
    Abstract: A heating and cooling system for inlet air of a turbine compressor. The heating and cooling system may include a fluid coil positioned about the turbine compressor and a thermal energy storage tank. The fluid coil and the thermal energy storage tank are in fluid communication such that fluid is both provided to the fluid coil from the thermal energy storage tank for exchanging heat with the inlet air and returned to the thermal energy storage tank without further heat exchange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Abbas Motakef, Peter Feher
  • Patent number: 8464539
    Abstract: A nozzle assembly (10) comprising a first inlet tube (14), a second inlet tube (15), and a nozzle (16). The nozzle (16) is formed from a stack of plates (20-38) which are joined together in face-to-face contact. The plates (20-38) collectively have openings which define a nozzle outlet, a first inlet, a second inlet, a first circuit from the first inlet to the nozzle outlet, a second circuit from the second inlet to the nozzle outlet, and a fluid-outlet chamber through which both the first circuit and the second circuit pass. The nozzle assembly (10) can be used as a fuel injector for a gas turbine engine, with jet fuel being supplied to the first circuit during start-up and low power conditions and jet fuel being supplied to both the first circuit and the second circuit during high power conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Parker-Hannifin Corporation
    Inventors: Robert R. Pelletier, James R. Pavlik
  • Patent number: 8438828
    Abstract: A flow divider (1) for a fan engine which forms an annular leading edge (4) simultaneously on the outer circumference of an annular core air duct and the inner circumference of an annular secondary air duct, protrudes into the fan airflow and has an aerodynamic profile. In order to avoid blockage of the core air and/or secondary air ducts in the event of destruction or detachment of the flow divider (1), the flow divider features separable parts (6) which, whatever their orientation, are capable of passing the vane passages of the core air duct and the secondary air duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Olaf Lenk
  • Patent number: 8429892
    Abstract: A fuel valve for a turbine engine, the valve has a fuel inlet connected to a supply of fuel and a purge inlet connected to a supply of purge air. Opening and closing apparatus within the valve selectively supplies air or fuel to a valve outlet. The opening and closing apparatus are movable in sequence from a first position where both the purge air and fuel to the outlet is disabled to a second position where the purge air is enabled and the fuel is disabled to a third position where the purge air is disabled and the fuel is enabled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Luca Tentorio
  • Patent number: 8424310
    Abstract: A mixing chamber with a wall and at least one vortex generating element arranged on the wall is provided. The vortex generating element has at least three surfaces, at least one of the surfaces forming a top surface and the other surfaces forming at least first and second side surfaces, the first and second side surfaces arranged not in parallel, the top surface being in contact with the wall via a front edge of the top surface, the front edge extending traverse to a flow direction, the top surface further abutting the first and second side faces forming first and second edges, the first side surface extending in parallel to the flow direction so that the first edge does not contribute to generating a vortex, and the second side surface extending not in parallel to the flow direction so that the second edge contributes to generating the vortex.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Khawar Syed