Patents Examined by Scott J Walthour
  • Patent number: 11255271
    Abstract: There is disclosed an igniter for a gas turbine engine including: a base; a glow plug heater rod extending from the base along an axis and terminating in a rod end; and a structure having open porosity disposed adjacent the glow plug heater rod. A method of operating the igniter and a gas turbine engine having such an igniter are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Richard Freer, Kian McCaldon, Tin-Cheung John Hu, Michel Bousquet, André Fortin
  • Patent number: 11242807
    Abstract: A method for operating a gas turbine plant with gaseous fuel, which is conveyed to the gas turbine plant through a gas line, burnt in a combustion chamber and then supplied to a gas turbine. At least one valve for controlling the flow of the fuel to the combustion chamber is installed in the gas line, a critical opening position being defined for the valve. To provide an improved method for operating a gas turbine plant in which the power of the gas turbine plant is kept at a maximum for as long as possible in the event of insufficient pressure in the gas line, a temperature of the fuel in the gas line is reduced when the valve is about to exceed the critical opening position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: SIEMENS ENERGY GLOBAL GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Björn Beckmann, Niklas Nauber, Maarten Over
  • Patent number: 11236701
    Abstract: A nacelle for a gas turbine engine includes a ring shaped body defining a center axis and having a radially outward surface and a radially inward surface. An aft portion of the radially inward surface includes an axially extending convergent-divergent exit nozzle. An axially extending secondary duct passes through the nacelle in the convergent-divergent exit nozzle. The axially extending secondary duct includes an inlet at a convergent portion of the convergent-divergent exit nozzle and an outlet at a divergent portion of the convergent-divergent exit nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Dmitriy B. Sidelkovskiy, Oleg Petrenko, Robert E. Malecki, Steven H. Zysman
  • Patent number: 11215367
    Abstract: A combustor with a centerline is provided that includes a support structure and a heat shield. The heat shield extends circumferentially about and axially along the centerline. The heat shield is configured from or otherwise includes ceramic material. The heat shield is mounted to the support structure by an interlocking joint connection. The interlocking joint connection includes a projection and a groove. The projection is configured with the support structure and includes a plurality of fingers arranged along and projecting into the groove. The groove is formed in the heat shield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Stephen K. Kramer
  • Patent number: 11209163
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor that mixes fuel with compressed air guided from a compressor to burn the fuel mixed with the compressed air to generate a combustion gas and supplies the generated combustion gas to a turbine is provided with: an inner cylinder forming a combustion chamber thereinside; an outer cylinder that covers the inner cylinder and forms, between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder, a cylindrical outer peripheral flow path through which the compressed air flows; an end cover closing the end of the outer cylinder on an opposite side from a side the turbine is located; and a turn guide provided at the end on the end cover side of the inner cylinder, protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder toward the outer cylinder and smoothly connected to the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Power, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoki Uruno, Keita Yunoki, Kazuki Abe, Tomohiro Asai, Mitsuhiro Karishuku, Tatsuya Hagita, Shohei Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11199136
    Abstract: An additively manufactured thermally insulating structure comprising a base layer and a fire-resistant layer adjacent to the base layer that forms an air gap therebetween. A method for assembling a miniature gas turbine engine includes additively manufacturing an additively manufactured thermally insulating structure onto a static structure of the miniature gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Evan Butcher, Jesse R. Boyer, Om P. Sharma, Lawrence Binek, Bryan G. Dods, Vijay Narayan Jagdale
  • Patent number: 11193386
    Abstract: A core assembly for fabricating an air cooled engine component for a gas turbine engine includes an end portion for defining passages within a side of an engine component. The end portion defines a first cross-section. A middle portion is spaced apart from the end portion and defines passages through a middle part of the engine component. The middle portion defines a second cross-section. One of the first cross-section and the second cross-section includes a first height greater than a second height. An air cooled engine component for a gas turbine engine and a gas turbine engine are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy M. Davis, Paul M. Lutjen, Kevin J. Ryan
  • Patent number: 11193424
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an assembly for a turbomachine (1) comprising: a compressor (30), an isochoric combustion chamber (7), an isobaric combustion chamber (40), and a turbine (50).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventor: Jean Charles Olivier Roda
  • Patent number: 11193671
    Abstract: A fuel oxygen conversion unit includes a contactor defining a liquid fuel inlet, a stripping gas inlet and a fuel/gas mixture outlet; and a fuel gas separator defining a fuel/gas mixture inlet in flow communication with the fuel/gas mixture outlet of the contactor and an axis. The fuel gas separator further includes a stationary casing; and a separator assembly including a core and a plurality of paddles extending from the core, the separator assembly rotatable about the axis within the stationary casing to separate a fuel/gas mixture received through the fuel/gas mixture inlet into a liquid fuel flow and stripping gas flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ethan Patrick O'Connor, Daniel Alan Niergarth, Brandon Wayne Miller, Richard Alan Wesling
  • Patent number: 11187150
    Abstract: A combined cycle heat engine (10). The engine (10) comprises a first gas turbine engine (11) comprising a first air compressor system (14), a first combustion system (16) and a first turbine system (18) and a second gas turbine engine (32) comprising a second air compression system (36), a second turbine system (40), and a heat exchanger (38) configured to transfer heat from an exhaust (24) of the first turbine system (18) to compressed air from the second air compressor (36). The second gas turbine engine (32) comprises a second combustion system (20) downstream of the heat exchanger (38) and upstream of the second turbine system (40).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventors: Ahmed M Y Razak, Arthur L Rowe
  • Patent number: 11187161
    Abstract: A fuel flow control system is configured to perform a method including: setting a fuel flow demand proportional to compressor discharge pressure; detecting an actual fuel flow; and applying an enhanced schedule for fuel flow demand while fuel flow demand is less than a predefined proportion of actual fuel flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Arthur L Rowe, Alexander MacDonald
  • Patent number: 11186382
    Abstract: An engine includes a stripping gas source, a combustion section, and a fuel oxygen conversion unit positioned upstream of the combustion section, the fuel oxygen conversion unit defining a stripping gas flowpath in airflow communication with the stripping gas source. The fuel oxygen conversion unit includes a contactor defining a fuel inlet, a gas inlet in airflow communication with the stripping gas flowpath, and a fuel gas mixture outlet; and a fuel gas separator defining a fuel gas mixture inlet for receiving a fuel gas mixture from the contactor, a liquid fuel outlet, and a stripping gas outlet; wherein the stripping gas flowpath receives substantially all of a stripping gas flow therethrough from the stripping gas source and provides the stripping gas flow to the contactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Peter Allen Andrews, Jr., Ethan Patrick O'Connor, Daniel Alan Niergarth, Brandon Wayne Miller, Christian Xavier Stevenson, David Vickery Parker
  • Patent number: 11181272
    Abstract: A fuel spray nozzle, for atomising liquid fuel in gas, including: an gas passage; a liquid fuel passage; a swirler provided in the gas passage and including vanes such that, when gas passes through the gas passage, the swirler produces a jet flow of gas from between adjacent vanes and a turbulent flow of gas in the wake of each vane; a prefilming surface for receiving liquid fuel from the liquid fuel passage, and gas from the gas passage, wherein the prefilming surface includes areas that receive jet flow of gas from the gas passage, in use; wherein the fuel spray nozzle is configured to direct the liquid fuel passing through the liquid fuel passage to the areas on the prefilming surface that receive a jet flow of gas from the gas passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Luca Tentorio, Carl L Muldal, Hua Wei Huang, Evangelos Bacharoudis, Juan Carlos Roman Casado
  • Patent number: 11174793
    Abstract: A starter assembly for a gas turbine engine according to an example of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a fluid-actuated starter coupled to a spool, and a controller operable to cause a reduction in torque output of the starter in response to determining that a first predefined threshold is met. The first predefined threshold relates to an engine operational condition. A method for starting a gas turbine engine is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Andre M. Ajami, Sami Chukrallah, Richard M. Marshall, Ryan W. Hunter
  • Patent number: 11168887
    Abstract: Fuel spray nozzle for generating a spray of atomised liquid fuel in a combustor of a gas turbine engine. The nozzle includes a flow circuit that has in flow series: a gallery that receives fuel flow, plural circumferentially-spaced restrictor passages arranged in a row around the nozzle, plural conditioning passages configured to impart a circumferential component to their respective portions of the fuel flow, and an annular spin chamber which forms a swirling fuel flow which is discharged at an exit port. The restrictor passages form flow restrictions which in use produce a pressure differential between the gallery and the spin chamber to evenly circumferentially distribute the fuel flow between the restrictor passages. The conditioning passages have increased flow cross-sectional areas relative to the flow cross-sectional areas of the restrictor passages, such that the restrictor passages produce substantially all of the pressure differential between the gallery and the spin chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventor: Tomasz Stankowski
  • Patent number: 11168588
    Abstract: An emission reduction system for a combined cycle power plant including a gas turbine and heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) can comprise a stationary emission converter in fluid communication with and disposed upstream of the HRSG, and a diversion system operably coupled to an exhaust passage of the gas turbine, the exhaust passage defining an exhaust path for exhaust gas of the gas turbine through the heat recovery steam generator, the diversion system operable to define a primary exhaust path excluding the stationary emission converter and a start-up exhaust path including the stationary emission converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc.
    Inventors: David McDeed, Maria Kacer, Eric J. Albrecht, David Hunt
  • Patent number: 11168619
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for controlling surge margin in the compressor section of a gas turbine engine. Bypass ports on a first compressor section and second compressor section lead to a bypass conduit. An auxiliary turbine and discharge conduit are positioned in the bypass conduit. Fluid flow from the compressor sections into the bypass conduit via the bypass ports is controlled by bypass control valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Michael Iwrey, Graham Adam Burkholder
  • Patent number: 11161622
    Abstract: An engine includes a combustion section and a fuel delivery system in fluid communication with the combustion section for providing fuel to the combustion section. The fuel delivery system includes a fuel oxygen reduction unit defining a circulation gas flowpath. The fuel oxygen reduction unit includes a gas oxygen reduction unit positioned in the circulation gas flowpath for reducing an oxygen content of a flow of stripping gas through the circulation gas flowpath and a pre-heater positioned in thermal communication with the circulation gas flowpath upstream of the gas oxygen reduction unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Peter Allen Andrews, Jr., Ethan Patrick O'Connor, Daniel Alan Niergarth, Brandon Wayne Miller, Christian Xavier Stevenson
  • Patent number: 11162456
    Abstract: A turbofan engine according to an example of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a fan section including a plurality of fan blades, a gear train, a low pressure turbine driving the fan section through the gear train, a fan nacelle and a core nacelle, the fan nacelle at least partially surrounding the core nacelle, a fan bypass flow path defined between the core nacelle and the fan nacelle, and a fan variable area nozzle in communication with the fan bypass flow path, and defining a fan nozzle exit area between the fan nacelle and the core nacelle. The fan variable area nozzle includes a first fan nacelle section and a second fan nacelle section, the second fan nacelle section movably mounted relative the first fan nacelle section and moveable axially along an engine axis of rotation relative the first fan nacelle section, defining an auxiliary port that extends between the first fan nacelle section and the second fan nacelle section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gregory A. Kohlenberg, Sean P. Zamora
  • Patent number: 11162420
    Abstract: The gas turbine engine can have a bearing cavity, an ejector having an air/oil path fluidly connected to the bearing cavity, and a nozzle fluidly coupled with the air/oil path, the nozzle connected to a compressed air source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Adam Logan, Nadim Najjar