Patents Examined by Moshe Wilensky
  • Patent number: 10907501
    Abstract: Shroud assemblies and methods for cooling gas turbine engine shrouds are provided. For example, a shroud assembly comprises a shroud segment having hot and cold side portions. The hot side portion faces a gas flow path, and the cold side portion faces a cooling fluid flow path. The shroud assembly further comprises a shroud hanger for mounting the shroud segment in the gas turbine engine. The shroud hanger includes a conduit for receipt of a flow of cooling fluid that defines an outlet configured for the flow of cooling fluid to exit the conduit substantially tangential to the cold side portion of the shroud segment. The shroud and shroud hanger together define an annular cavity that forms the cooling fluid flow path, and fluid exits a plurality of conduits defined in the shroud hanger into the cavity substantially tangential to the shroud cold side to cool the shroud cold side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sergio Filippi, Ryan Nicholas Porter, Craig Alan Gonyou, Scott Alan Schimmels
  • Patent number: 10907635
    Abstract: An electric compressor may include: a housing part having a refrigerant inlet through which refrigerant is introduced; a boss part formed in the housing part, having a bearing installed therein to support a rotating shaft, and guiding the refrigerant to the bearing; a guide part formed in the housing part, and inducing the refrigerant introduced into the refrigerant inlet toward the boss part, while delaying the movement of the refrigerant; and a heating part mounted in the housing part, and configured to provide heat to the guide part in order to heat the refrigerant moved to the boss part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hae Jin Oh
  • Patent number: 10907609
    Abstract: An apparatus for modifying the geometry of at least one part of a turbine can include a shell assembly 3 that includes an outer shell that is shaped to modify the shape of a pre-existing element of a turbine. The outer shell 8 of the shell assembly 3 can be composed of a fiber-reinforced polymeric material and can at least partially define an inner cavity. The outer shell 8 can be bonded to a structure to modify the geometrical shape of that structure. Thereafter, a polymer casting 12 can be injected into the inner cavity via at least one injection port attached to the shell assembly. In some embodiments, one or more stiffeners 9 and/or a core 10 can be positioned within the inner cavity to help improve the bonding of the polymer casting 12 to the shell 2 and/or improve a structural property of the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: GE Renewable Technologies
    Inventors: Sebastien Beaulieu, Michel Sabourin
  • Patent number: 10907643
    Abstract: A press-fit thrust bearing system and apparatus. A press-fit thrust bearing for an electric submersible pump includes a protruding band extending around a midsection of a bushing, the protruding band extending inward towards a drive shaft, outward towards a diffuser, or both. When extending outwardly, the band is press-fit into the diffuser to prevent dislodgment of the bushing. A non-rotating guide sleeve extends around the bushing above the protruding band, the guide sleeve interlocking with the protruding band to prevent rotation of the bushing. The guide sleeve includes a projection, the protruding band has a channel and the projection mates with the channel to form the interlock. A pair of flanged, rotatable bearing sleeves extend inwards of the single bushing and are keyed to the drive shaft. The top and bottom faces of the bushing serve as thrust handling surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua Wayne Webster, Wesley John Nowitzki, Jason Eugene Hill
  • Patent number: 10893961
    Abstract: A medical stent for use in a procedure for connecting two adjacent tissues in a human organ to form a passageway therebetween or a procedure for draining or shunting away internal fluids such as bile, pus, or the like. To manufacture the stent, a hollow tubular mesh body having diamond-like cells is weaved using super-elastic shape memory wire strands, both axial ends of the mesh body are expanded and multi-folded to form washer-shaped ends, and the both washer-shaped ends are provided with respective reinforced supportive rims formed by narrowing the cells of the end portions of the mesh body such that the wire strands at each axial end of the mesh body are superimposed to improve radial supporting force. The stent can lock in place when staying implanted in a human body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: BCM Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Byung Cheol Myung
  • Patent number: 10890194
    Abstract: Provided is an air-sending device in which, in blades, an upstream end of a blade outer periphery is more on an upstream side than an upstream end of a blade inner periphery as seen along a rotation axis, and a downstream end of a blade outer periphery is more on a downstream side than a downstream end of the blade inner periphery, and in which, in the blades, when an angle formed by a line segment, which connects a point internally dividing a line segment connecting the downstream end and the upstream end of an outer periphery of the blades along the rotation axis and a point internally dividing a line segment connecting the downstream end and the upstream end of an inner periphery of the blades along the rotation axis at the same ratio to each other, and a reference line is defined as ?, and a direction inclined toward the downstream side is defined as positive, the angle ? is changed from negative to positive at a duct portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahide Tadokoro, Seiji Nakashima, Yutaka Aoyama, Shuhei Mizutani, Naomichi Tamura
  • Patent number: 10890353
    Abstract: There is provided a centrifugal pump comprising a pumping chamber (106). The pumping chamber (106) has an inner surface (108) defining a pump cavity (110); a pump inlet (112) defined in a first side of the pumping chamber (106); a shaft opening (116) defined substantially centrally in a second side of the pumping chamber (106), the second side substantially opposing the first side and arranged to be above the first side, in use; and a pump outlet (114). The centrifugal pump further comprises an impeller (120) retained within the pump cavity (110); and a shaft member (140) mechanically connected to the impeller (120) through the shaft opening (116), whereby rotation of the shaft member (140) causes rotation of the impeller (120) about a shaft axis (157) passing through the shaft opening (116) and movement of a pumping liquid from the pump inlet (112) towards the pump outlet (114).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Aspen Pumps Limited
    Inventor: Jack Lawrence Mabon
  • Patent number: 10890157
    Abstract: A system for enabling servicing of a rotor of a wind turbine has a rotor blade sling with at least one strap configured to be placed over the top of a rotor blade in a ten o'clock position or a two o'clock position. One or more rigid bars extend from the hub and out away from the hub, and the one or more rigid bars are coupled to the at least one strap. One or more support straps are coupled to the at least one strap, and the one or more support straps are configured to couple and support a rotor blade in a six o'clock position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gaylon Mitchell Pfeiffer, Ulrich Werner Neumann, Brent Hamilton Holloway, Michael Royce Johnson, Kevin Thomas Costain, Forrest Christopher Hach, Howard Lee Hansen, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10876515
    Abstract: An accelerator and water turbine assembly is provided for mounting in a tidal stream having a water turbine (12) and a water flow accelerator for providing a turbine driver current having a speed greater than that of the uninterrupted ambient tidal stream in which the accelerator has an accelerator body member (11) having a water flow facing front face (13) and side faces (14) depending therefrom around which the water flows adjacent each of the side faces as a turbine driver current and in which the water turbine (12) is mounted to be at least partially shrouded by the accelerator body member from the accelerated turbine driver current flowing adjacent and relatively close to a side face of the accelerator where the water flow achieves substantially maximum velocity and in which the accelerator is laterally spaced apart from the turbine driver current modifying effect of any other flow obstruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Inventor: Vincent McCormack
  • Patent number: 10876545
    Abstract: The present invention is related to an improved fan design. According to an exemplary preferred embodiment, the improved fan design of the present invention preferably includes a fan main body having fan blades, a front grill, a flexible guide cone, an air inlet, and supporting legs movable from a first position to a second position. According to preferred embodiments, the flexible guide cone is preferably also movable from a first position to a second position. In the first position, the flexible guide cone preferably forms a first shape which conforms to the surface of the air inlet. In a second position, the flexible guide cone preferably extends away from the air inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Vornado Air, LLC
    Inventor: Glen W Ediger
  • Patent number: 10876513
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating electricity from water flow held behind a barrier includes a convergent section connected to a first end of a mixing tube such that a venturi is defined between the end of the convergent section and the mixing tube; a diffuser section connected to a second end of the mixing tube, the diffuser section configured such that the pressure at the exit of the diffuser section is greater than the pressure at the venturi; and a turbine tube comprising a blade assembly having a plurality of blades. The turbine tube is supported in the convergent section and is rotatably mounted, the blades being attached to the inner surface of turbine tube such that water flow past the blades drives the rotation of the turbine tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: VERDERG LTD
    Inventor: Peter Roberts
  • Patent number: 10871077
    Abstract: Auxiliary lead-through device for a turbomachine, including two coaxial annular shell rings, respectively an inner and an outer one, between which there extend radial arms, through at least one of which auxiliaries (20) are led through. An auxiliary retention unit is housed inside the arm, on one wall, the arm includes an aperture that can be closed off by a cover that is attached and fixed to the arm. The retention unit includes at least one first member fixed to the internal surface of the arm and at least one second member fixed to the internal surface of the cover. The fixing of the cover to the arm causes the auxiliaries to be clamped and retained between the first and second members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventor: Nicolas Stoliaroff-Pepin
  • Patent number: 10871169
    Abstract: A volute casing includes a chamber, an outlet passage, and a cutwater to direct fluid to the outlet passage. The cutwater includes an inner surface, an outer surface and a leading edge joining the inner and outer surfaces and has a cross-sectional contour in a midplane perpendicular to the axial direction. The cross-sectional contour includes a starting point at the leading edge, and a minimum point on the inner surface, the starting point defined by a tangent to the leading edge, the tangent intersecting the central axis, and the minimum point defined by a location, at which the inner surface has a minimum distance from the central axis. A straight profile chord located in the cross-sectional contour, and extending from the cutwater starting point to the cutwater minimum point, has a maximum orthogonal distance from the inner surface being at most 15% of the length of the profile chord.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: SULZER MANAGEMENT AG
    Inventor: Bruno Maroccia
  • Patent number: 10871075
    Abstract: A turbine component has a plurality of cooling passages each extending through a body of a structure between opposite hot and cold surfaces of the structure. According to one embodiment, at least one of the cooling passages includes a plurality of upstream paths defining respective inlet openings on the cold surface and merging into a number of downstream paths defining respective outlet openings on the hot surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Sri Sreekanth, Si-Man Lao, Michael Leslie Clyde Papple
  • Patent number: 10859097
    Abstract: A method for controlling an inlet-adjustment mechanism in an air inlet for a compressor so as to switch the mechanism in a binary fashion between open and closed positions for adjusting a flow area of the inlet. The method includes identifying a threshold line on a compressor map of pressure ratio versus corrected flow rate for the compressor, at which the inlet-adjustment mechanism is switched from one of its positions to the other. A fixed switch band straddling the threshold line can be used for determining when to initiate the switch of positions so as to time the switch to coincide with the operating point reaching the threshold line. Alternatively, a time to reach the threshold line can be instantaneously computed and compared to the actuator/mechanism response time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Garrett Transportation I Inc.
    Inventors: Hani Mohtar, Ludek Pohorelsky, Peter Davies, Stephane Pees
  • Patent number: 10851661
    Abstract: A sealing system for a rotary machine is provided. The sealing system includes a pair of circumferentially adjacent rotary components. Each of the rotary components includes a platform, a shank, and a radial seal. The shank extends radially inwardly from the platform and includes a radially extending first side channel and an opposite radially extending second side channel. The radial seal includes a first leg received in the first side channel of a first of the pair of rotary components, a second leg received in the second side channel of a second of the pair of rotary components (201), and a resiliently deformable body extending therebetween, the body including a U-shaped portion located generally centrally between the first leg and the second leg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Philip James Corser, Sarah Heaven
  • Patent number: 10850831
    Abstract: A propeller pitch control system for a turboprop engine of an aircraft includes an engine control unit and a pitch control unit. The engine control unit is operable to determine a phase of flight of the aircraft and is configured to supply control commands. The pitch control unit is coupled to receive the control commands from the engine control unit and includes a housing, a beta piston, a position sensor, a beta tube, and an electrohydraulic valve. The engine control unit only commands the electrohydraulic valve to move the beta piston from the fully retracted position when the engine control unit determines the aircraft is conducting pre-takeoff roll taxiing operations or is conducting post landing touchdown operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Paul W. Futa, Jr., Sammuel Tillich, Steven Alan Lewis, Christopher Douglas Eick, Donald Striker, Michael Albert McPherson
  • Patent number: 10851676
    Abstract: An exhaust diffuser includes: an internal cylinder; an external cylinder that forms an exhaust passage between the internal cylinder and the external cylinder, the exhaust passage expanding from front to rear; and at least one tubular strut that couples the internal cylinder and the external cylinder together. The external cylinder includes: a front conical portion that is positioned forward of the tubular strut; and an outer flaring portion that starts flaring at a positon forward of the tubular strut at an inclination angle that is greater than an inclination angle of the front conical portion. The internal cylinder includes: a front straight portion that faces the front conical portion and the outer flaring portion; and an inner flaring portion that starts flaring at a position between a maximum width portion and a trailing edge of the tubular strut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takuya Ikeguchi, Koji Terauchi, Keiji Oikaze, Naoto Sakai
  • Patent number: 10844750
    Abstract: A method of assembling and disassembling a gas turbine, and a gas turbine assembled thereby, improves work efficiency and reduces time and cost by carrying out various disassembly and reassembly processes depending on circumstances. In one process, a turbine section is disassembled from a gas turbine by sequential steps of disassembling an upper turbine case; disassembling a rear diffuser assembly and a rear bearing assembly; disassembling a combustor assembly; disassembling a vane assembly; and disassembling a blade assembly. In another process, first-stage to fourth-stage blade assemblies and first-stage to fourth-stage vane assemblies in a turbine section are disassembled from the gas turbine by sequential steps of disassembling an upper turbine case; disassembling a combustor assembly; disassembling a vane assembly; and disassembling a blade assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Doosan Heavy Industries Construction Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Kyung Kook Kim
  • Patent number: 10844723
    Abstract: Disclosed is a vane assembly fixed to a turbine casing of a turbine and configured to guide the flow of combustion gas having passed by a turbine blade airfoil. The vane assembly comprises a vane airfoil configured to guide the flow of the combustion gas, a platform portion combined with an end of the vane airfoil, carrier hook portions formed at respective periphery portions of the platform portion and provided with a thermal stress prevention slot on a surface facing the turbine casing, and a seal plate installed in the thermal stress prevention slot, thereby preventing a portion of compressed air produced by a compressor and supplied to the platform portion between the carrier hook portions from leaking out of the platform portion through the thermal stress prevention slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Doosan Heavy Industries Construction Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Jin Woo Song