Patents Examined by Ryan Ellis
  • Patent number: 8075251
    Abstract: A hydraulic seal is defined between a rotating member such as a turbocharger shaft and a stationary member such as part of a bearing housing of a turbocharger. The members define a projecting annular disc that is received in an annular channel that is filled with hydraulic sealing fluid such as oil. Rotation of the rotary member applies a centrifugal force to the fluid thereby ensuring that it is retained in the channel between walls thereof and the disc. This annulus of fluid provides a hydraulic seal around the shaft between the bearing housing and the compressor or turbine housing. The oil is delivered into the channel from a supply in the rotary member. One of the walls of the channel serves as a weir whereby when the channel has an excess supply of oil is overflows the wall and passes the drain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Cummins Turbo Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Matthew J Purdey
  • Patent number: 8070437
    Abstract: A method for damping edgewise oscillations in one or more blades of a wind turbine includes the steps of detecting if one or more of the blades oscillates edgewise during operation of the wind turbine, and substantially cyclically generating a pitch angle difference between at least two of the blades. Further provided is an active stall controlled wind turbine and use hereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventors: Thomas Steiniche Bjertrup Nielsen, Bo Juul Pedersen, Christopher John Spruce
  • Patent number: 8061986
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade has a suction side surface and a pressure side surface. A plurality of dynamic vortex elements are formed on at least one of the suction side or the pressure side surfaces. The vortex elements are activatable between a first retracted position that is inwardly recessed relative to a neutral plane of the surface on which they are formed and a second extended position that is outwardly protruding relative to the neutral plane of the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Wei Xiong
  • Patent number: 8057184
    Abstract: The invention relates to a propeller blade bearing, for the propeller blades of aircraft propellers that can be adjusted along their longitudinal axis, a plurality of propeller blades being individually fastened on a propeller hub in a corresponding number of blade seats. Every propeller blade, at its blade base, has a primary adjustable bearing and a secondary adjustable bearing and is received so as to be rotatable along its longitudinal axis inside a blade seat. The primary and the secondary adjustable bearing are configured as angular contact ball bearings that have respective upper bearing races and lower bearing races and rolling bodies interposed between said bearing races. A lubricating oil reservoir is arranged in the propeller hub and supplies the primary and the secondary adjustable bearing with lubricating oil when the propeller rotates. Every propeller blade is configured as a completely pre-assembled unit with the primary adjusting bearing and the secondary adjusting bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Schaeffler KG
    Inventor: Wilhelm Sebald
  • Patent number: 8052385
    Abstract: An outer seal assembly of a turbine rotor stage is secured within a circumferential groove of the turbine casing in such a manner as to both fix the outer seal assembly in its installed position and also provide for sealing around its outer periphery so as to thereby prevent the leakage of cooling air therearound. A plurality of arcuate elements having an angle-shaped cross sectional profile are provided to interface between radially extending arms of the outer seal assembly and the inner surface of the casing, with a locking mechanism then being applied to secure the two structures in their installed positions. Each of the arcuate elements includes a radially extending panel, a plurality of forwardly extending hooks that are disposed within a groove in the casing, and a second forwardly extending flange that engages the rear surface of the outer seal assembly arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Ralph J. Thompson, Susan M. Tholen
  • Patent number: 8047783
    Abstract: A method performed by a control system for operating a wind turbine includes operating a flow control system of the wind turbine in a first mode, and operating the flow control system in a second mode different than the first mode to facilitate removing debris from the flow control system. The second mode includes varying at least one of a velocity, a flow rate, and a direction of a fluid flow of the flow control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jacob Johannes Nies, Wouter Haans
  • Patent number: 8043055
    Abstract: A wind turbine generator system is provided with a nacelle supporting a wind turbine rotor, a nacelle rotation mechanism, an anemometer, and a control apparatus controlling the nacelle rotation mechanism. Said control apparatus calculates the wind direction deviation from the wind direction measured by the anemometer and the direction of the wind turbine rotor. Said control apparatus performs a yaw rotation of the nacelle by the nacelle rotation mechanism when any of conditions (1) and (2) is satisfied; the condition (1) is a condition under which a state where the absolute value of said wind direction deviation is equal to or more than a first threshold value continues for a first duration predetermined, and the condition (2) is a condition under which a state where the absolute value of said wind direction deviation is equal to or more than a second threshold value larger than said first threshold value continues for a second duration shorter than said first duration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Matsuo, Koji Fukami, Toshihide Noguchi, Kazuki Hayashida, Teppei Fujitsuka, Yuji Yatomi
  • Patent number: 8038387
    Abstract: A bearing for a turbomachine variable pitch stator vane pivot mounted in a bore of the turbomachine casing is disclosed. The bearing includes an inner bushing secured to the pivot and an outer bushing secured to the bore. An elastomeric material is inserted between the inner bushing and the outer bushing to allow the vane to pivot about its axis and absorb at least some of the flexing of the pivot at right angles to the axis. The design makes it possible to reduce bearing bushing wear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Emmanuel Houradou, Herve Hulin, Sebastien Juste, Dominique Raulin
  • Patent number: 8025476
    Abstract: A method for controlling operation of a wind turbine is described. The wind turbine includes a rotor having a plurality of rotor blades and an upwind wind condition measurement device. The method includes measuring a wind condition upwind from the rotor using the upwind wind condition measurement device and providing the measured wind condition to a processor. The method also includes determining a control algorithm parameter, based at least partially on the measured wind condition, that controls at least one of a wind turbine response bandwidth, a wind turbine response speed, and a wind turbine control error range. The method also includes determining a wind turbine operating command based at least partially on the control algorithm parameter and applying the wind turbine operating command to operation of the wind turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Danian Zheng, Xiongzhe Huang
  • Patent number: 8011887
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly is disclosed. The rotor blade assembly includes a main rotor blade, the main rotor blade including a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge, and an auxiliary rotor blade associated with the main rotor blade, the auxiliary rotor blade including a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The rotor blade assembly further includes a support member connecting the auxiliary rotor blade to the main rotor blade. The auxiliary rotor blade is configured to modify a lift force associated with the rotor blade assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Murray Fisher, Stefan Herr, David Cole Magnuson
  • Patent number: 8007234
    Abstract: First and second axial fans are coaxially connected to each other. Each axial fan includes an impeller rotatable about a center axis; a motor rotating the impeller about the center axis, a housing member surrounding the impeller and having a hollow body and approximately square flanges at axial ends of the body, and a group of wires electrically connected to the motor. The axial fans are joined together with their flanges coincident with each other as seen along the center axis. The housing member is provided with first and second receiving portions at least one flange on a center-axis side of an outer periphery of the flange. The groups of wires of the axial fans are pulled out therefrom and extend axially toward a side of the first axial fan opposite to the second axial fan, with passing through the first and second receiving portions, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Nidec Corporation
    Inventor: Yusuke Yoshida