Patents Examined by Nathaniel Wiehe
  • Patent number: 9670796
    Abstract: The present application thus provides a compressor wash system for use about a bellmouth of a compressor of a gas turbine engine. The compressor wash system may include a bellmouth wash nozzle positioned about the bellmouth of the compressor and a wash door assembly positioned about a lower half of the bellmouth such that the wash door assembly may be closed when the bellmouth wash nozzle is activated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Alston Ilford Scipio, Sanji Ekanayake
  • Patent number: 9650919
    Abstract: A sealing arrangement for a gas turbine including exhaust and manifold diffusers separated by a circumferential diffuser gap. The sealing arrangement includes a forward clamp arrangement attached to the exhaust diffuser wherein the forward clamp arrangement includes a forward groove. The sealing arrangement also includes an aft clamp arrangement attached to manifold diffuser wherein the aft clamp arrangement includes an aft groove. Further, the sealing arrangement includes a flexible circumferential seal including forward and aft loop portions. The forward loop portion is located in the forward groove and the aft loop portion is located in the aft groove wherein the circumferential seal extends across the circumferential diffuser gap to seal the circumferential diffuser gap. The forward and aft loop portions are moveable in the forward and aft grooves to enable movement of the circumferential seal in a circumferential direction to accommodate thermal expansion of the exhaust and manifold diffusers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Whitty, Jeffrey D. Kesten, Yevgeniy P. Shteyman, Cristina Cook, Keith J. Gordon
  • Patent number: 9651055
    Abstract: A slurry pump impeller which includes a front shroud and a back shroud each having an inner main face with an outer peripheral edge and a central axis, a plurality of pumping vanes extending between the inner main faces of the shrouds, the pumping vanes being disposed in spaced apart relation. Each pumping vane includes a leading edge in the region of the central axis and a trailing edge in the region of the outer peripheral edges of the shrouds with a passageway between adjacent pumping vanes. Each passageway has associated therewith a discharge guide vane, each discharge guide vane being disposed within a respective passageway and located closer to one or the other of the pumping vanes and projecting from the inner main face of at least one of the or each shrouds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Weir Minerals Australia Ltd.
    Inventors: Kevin Edward Burgess, Wen-Jie Liu, Luis Moscoso Lavagna, Garry Bruce Glaves
  • Patent number: 9644491
    Abstract: A single bolting flange arrangement for variable inlet guide vane (VIGV) connection includes a connection arm connected to a stem of the VIGV to rotate the VIGV. The connection arm is driven by a drive pin received in a slot of the connection arm. The connection arm has a bolting flange and the stem of the VIGV is fastened to one side of the single bolting flange by a bolt/nut assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Yongsheng Zhou, Tibor Urac, Esther Leung, Grigory Rukin, Noushin Bahramshahi, Yuhua Wu
  • Patent number: 9638045
    Abstract: A cooling structure for a stationary blade is provided. The cooling structure may include a first chamber in an endwall of the stationary blade directing a first cooling fluid from the stationary blade to a first cooling circuit, and a second chamber in the endwall of the stationary blade directing a second cooling fluid from the stationary blade to a second cooling circuit different than the first cooling circuit. The first cooling fluid has a lower temperature than the second cooling fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: David Wayne Weber, Dustin Michael Earnhardt, Gregory Thomas Foster, Michelle Jessica Iduate
  • Patent number: 9638062
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a bearing. A bearing support includes a first wall that extends between the first and second ends and is operatively supported by the bearing at a first end. An engine case is secured to the second end radially outward of the first end. A flexible support is provided by a second wall integral with and extending transversely from the first wall. The second wall has a first flange and a gear train component is secured to the first flange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Todd A. Davis
  • Patent number: 9638056
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides, in one embodiment, a unique gas turbine engine. Other embodiments include unique gas turbine engines, and unique active balancing systems; as well as apparatuses, systems, devices, hardware, methods, and combinations for gas turbine engines and active balancing systems. Further embodiments, forms, features, aspects, benefits, and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas D. Dierksmeier
  • Patent number: 9638192
    Abstract: A fuel pump, including a driven impeller, which rotates in a pump housing and on the two sides comprises guide blades that each delimit a ring of blade chambers, and further including partial ring-shaped channels, which are arranged on both sides in the region of the guide blades in the pump housing and which form delivery chambers with the blade chambers for delivering fuel, wherein an inlet channel leads into the one delivery chamber and the other delivery chamber leads into an outlet channel, and mutually opposing blade chambers are connected to each other. The cross-sectional surface of the partial ring-shaped channel arranged on the inlet side decreases toward the end of the partial ring-shaped channel to zero. The region in which the cross-sectional surface decreases extends over an angular region of more than 45°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Matthias Fischer, Bernd Jaeger, Zlatko Penzar
  • Patent number: 9631494
    Abstract: A rotor structure is provided. The rotor structure includes a plurality of wheels, a main axial tie rod passing through the plurality of wheels and a first shaft and a second shaft each attached to one extremity of the main tie rod, wherein the main tie rod and the bore of an end wheel in contact with one of the first and second shafts delimit a hydraulic chamber configured to receive a hydraulic fluid, and wherein the main tie rod, the hydraulic chamber and the end wheel form an internal hydraulic tension device configured to preload the main tie rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Thermodyn
    Inventor: Denis Guenard
  • Patent number: 9617984
    Abstract: A bent-axis hydrostatic axial piston machine (1) has a drive shaft (4) rotatable around an axis of rotation (Rt) and having a drive flange (3). A cylinder drum (7) is rotatable around an axis of rotation (Rz). The cylinder drum (7) includes a plurality of piston bores (8) concentric to the axis of rotation (Rz) of the cylinder drum (7) and in each of which piston bores (8) there is a longitudinally displaceable piston (10). The pistons (10) are fastened in an articulated manner to the drive flange (3). Between the drive shaft (4) and the cylinder drum (7) there is a constant velocity driving joint (30) in the form of a cone-beam semi-roller joint (31).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Linde Hydraulics GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Martin Bergmann
  • Patent number: 9611830
    Abstract: A fluid conduit includes an open chamber. A rotating device is mounted in the chamber. The rotating device includes a portion protruding through the open chamber and into the conduit. A plurality of fluid impingement surfaces are spaced apart on a surface of the rotating device, whereby fluid moving through the conduit impinges on the impingement surfaces and rotates the rotating device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Inventor: Tom Tankersley
  • Patent number: 9605542
    Abstract: An airfoil for a turbine engine includes an airfoil that has pressure and suction sides that extend in a radial direction from a 0% span position at an inner flow path location to a 100% span position at an airfoil tip. The airfoil has a curve that corresponds to a relationship between a trailing edge sweep angle and a span position. The trailing edge sweep angle is in a range of 10° to 20° in a range of 40-70% span position, and the trailing edge sweep angle is positive from 0% span to at least 95% span. The airfoil has a relationship between a leading edge dihedral and a span position. The leading edge dihedral is negative from the 0% span position to the 100% span position. A positive dihedral corresponds to suction side-leaning, and a negative dihedral corresponds to pressure side-leaning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Edward J. Gallagher, Byron R. Monzon, Ling Liu, Linda S. Li, Darryl Whitlow, Barry M. Ford
  • Patent number: 9593587
    Abstract: Provided is a turbine in which seal fins (15) are provided to a hub shroud (41) to protrude toward a bottom surface (33a) of an annular groove (33), small gaps (H) are formed between the tip ends of the seal fins and the bottom surface of the annular groove, and assuming that the axial distance between a first seal fin (15a) disposed on the front edge side of the hub shroud among the seal fins and a front edge (41a) of the hub shroud is (L) and the axial distance between the front edge of the hub shroud and an inside surface (33b) of the annular groove is (Bu), the first seal fin is disposed to satisfy L/Bu<0.3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuyuki Matsumoto, Yoshihiro Kuwamura, Hiroharu Oyama, Yoshinori Tanaka, Asaharu Matsuo
  • Patent number: 9593586
    Abstract: A vane assembly for a gas turbine engine comprises at least one vane, a first platform and a second platform. The at least one vane has a first end and an opposite second end with the first end of the at least one vane being secured in a corresponding first aperture in the first platform, and the second end of the at least one vane being secured in a corresponding second aperture in the second platform. The at least one vane intersects the first platform at an acute angle, and the at least one vane intersects the second platform at an obtuse angle with the acute angle and the obtuse angle being supplementary to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Brynley Clark
  • Patent number: 9587623
    Abstract: A wind turbine is described which comprises a tower, a nacelle mounted to the top of the tower, and a rotor mounted to the nacelle. The rotor comprises two or more blades mounted to a central hub. The hub supports two or more annular pitch bearings associated respectively with the two or more blades. Each pitch bearing defines a bearing plane inclined at a first angle with respect to a horizontal plane when the respective blade is oriented in a downwardly direction in alignment with the tower. Each pitch bearing is spanned by a hub plate; and a work platform integral with or mounted to the hub plate lies generally in a plane at a second angle to the horizontal plane when the respective blade is oriented in a downwardly direction in alignment with the tower, which second angle is less than the first angle. The work platform provides a substantially horizontal platform for use by maintenance personnel when installing or servicing components in and around the hub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventors: Leif Christoffersen, Torben Friis Baun, Jesper Lykkegaard Neubauer
  • Patent number: 9587740
    Abstract: A repaired piston includes a crown composed of base and welding filler materials, and having an annular rim extending around a combustion bowl. A finite number of repaired defects are within the annular rim, and have a spatial distribution limited by a multidirectional spacing parameter, and a size distribution limited by a unidirectional sizing parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Kegan Luick, Thomas Parnell, Aaron Claver, Jon Shumaker, Donald Clark
  • Patent number: 9581036
    Abstract: Systems and devices configured to seal interfaces/gaps between stationary components of turbines and manipulate a flow of coolant about portions of the turbine during turbine operation are disclosed. In one embodiment, a seal element includes: a first surface shaped to be oriented toward a pressurized cavity of the turbine; a second surface oriented substantially opposite the first surface and shaped to sealingly engage a contact surface of the static components; and a first set of angular features disposed in the second surface, the first set of angular features fluidly connecting the pressurized cavity and the flowpath of the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Dipankar Pal, Robert Walter Coign, Gary Michael Itzel, Kevin Thomas McGovern, Christopher Donald Porter
  • Patent number: 9574329
    Abstract: A shovel includes a plurality of hydraulic actuators including a first hydraulic actuator and a second hydraulic actuator, a main pump, a hydraulic pump-motor configured to function as a hydraulic motor by using hydraulic oil flowing out of the first hydraulic actuator and configured to function as a hydraulic pump, a control valve configured to control a flow of the hydraulic oil in the plurality of hydraulic actuators, a first oil passage to connect the main pump with the second hydraulic actuator through the control valve, and a second oil passage to connect the hydraulic pump-motor with the second hydraulic actuator. The second oil passage meets the first oil passage between the control valve and the second actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Chunnan Wu
  • Patent number: 9568018
    Abstract: A cover plate for use in a cabin air compressor is a generally cylindrical body with 19 holes extending through the body and an inner bore defining an inner diameter centered on a center axis. The body has a thickness in a dimension measured perpendicular to the central axis. The inner diameter is 14.840 inches (37.693 centimeters) plus/minus .005 inch (0.013 centimeter). A diffusor housing, a cabin air compressor and a method of replacing a cover plate are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: David A. Dorman, Craig M. Beers, Peter A. Wierzbowski
  • Patent number: 9567985
    Abstract: A high-pressure pump includes a plunger capable of reciprocating, and a housing having a pressurizing chamber in which fuel is pressurized by the plunger, and a fuel chamber through which the fuel flows toward and from the pressurizing chamber. The pump includes a spring that biases the plunger so as to increase the volume of the pressurizing chamber, and a spring seat that is fixed to the housing and is in contact with one end of the spring. A first space that communicates with the fuel chamber via a fuel passage is provided between the bottom of the spring seat and the housing, and a top face of the bottom exposed to the first space is covered with a heatinginsulating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tatsuhiko Akita, Kenichi Saito