Patents Examined by Sean Gugger
  • Patent number: 11843325
    Abstract: A method for operating a multi-level bridge power converter of an electrical power system connected to a power grid includes receiving, via a controller of the power converter, an indication of a transient event occurring in the power grid or the electrical power system. The power converter has a plurality of switching devices arranged in an active neutral point clamped topology. Accordingly, upon receiving the indication, the method includes activating a crowbar algorithm programmed in the controller of the power converter to bifurcate a current received by the power converter into a plurality of different current paths defined by the plurality of switching devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Bacil Shaqqo, Fernando Arturo Ramirez Sanchez, Nathaniel Robert Michener, Steven Wade Sutherland
  • Patent number: 11831164
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media including instructions for a dual-channel fluid turbine controller. A dual-channel fluid turbine controller includes at least one processor configured to: receive, via an AC channel coupled to an AC output of a fluid turbine, first signals indicating fluctuations in power generated by the fluid turbine operating beneath a grid power supply threshold; access an MPPT protocol; determine a correspondence between the first signals and a portion of the MPPT protocol; apply the portion of the MPPT protocol to a generator of the fluid turbine to generate greater power than would be generated in an absence of the MPPT protocol, wherein the generated power is stored as energy in a capacitor associated with the generator; receive, via a DC channel, second signals indicating a level of energy stored in the capacitor; and use the second signals to determine when to release the stored energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: FLOWER TURBINES, INC.
    Inventors: Mark Daniel Farb, Jonathan Forbes
  • Patent number: 11815039
    Abstract: A rotary oil-electricity hybrid engine is an engine with a brand new structure, taking an inner rotor connected with a power output shaft as an example, the rotary oil-electricity hybrid engine is structurally characterized in that: an annular cavity is formed by an outer rotor cylinder and an inner rotor shaft core, an outer rotor blade and an inner rotor blade divide the annular cavity into a combustion chamber and a buffer chamber, and an outer rotor and an inner rotor rotate in the same direction with a changing angle difference within a round angle; and the rotary oil-electricity hybrid engine is operationally characterized in that: gas in the combustion chamber is emptied during cold start, and a numerical control motor is linked with a bump of a limiting ring to enable the inner and outer rotors to mesh, rotate at a constant speed and reach a high rotating speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Inventor: Rui Chen
  • Patent number: 11811354
    Abstract: A method of controlling a wind turbine connected to an electrical grid is provided. The method comprises generating a turbine control reference signal and a grid control reference signal. The turbine control reference signal is provided to a machine side unit of a power or torque control system of the turbine to control the amount of energy generated by the turbine. The grid control reference signal is provided to a line side unit of the power or torque control system to control the amount of energy transferred to the electrical grid based on the grid control reference signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/S
    Inventor: Jacob Deleuran Grunnet
  • Patent number: 11795902
    Abstract: A system in a water body uses buoyant force of gaseous Hydrogen and Oxygen to generate electrical power with one or more turbines that includes power resulting from the buoyant force while transporting the Hydrogen or Oxygen to a higher elevation, without loss of electrons, for conversion to electricity at the higher elevation. Conversion of Hydrogen and Oxygen to water through a Hydrogen Fuel Cell or by burning at the higher elevation may generate additional steam power, hydropower, or purified water. Portable submersible modules may transport the system below or above the water to and from the base of a plumbing portion of the system. The amount of gaseous fuel energy available at the higher elevation is not detrimentally impacted by the generation of electricity by the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: FOUR ELECTRONS LLC
    Inventor: John Scott Perez
  • Patent number: 11791691
    Abstract: A system capable of appropriately cooling a generator and a power cable connected to the generator, disposed in a hot section of a turbo-fan engine, regardless of a rating of the engine is provided. The system includes: a junction box; a bypass air duct that supplies, to the junction box, air extracted from a portion of a bypass flow path of the engine on a side further downstream than a fan outlet; a core air duct that supplies, to the junction box, air extracted from a portion of a core flow path of the engine on a side further upstream than a compressor outlet; and a cooling air duct that extends from the junction box to a space for accommodating the generator, and valves capable of being independently controlled to open and close are provided at downstream ends of the bypass air duct and the core air duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: IHI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki Seki, Toshikazu Kobayashi, Shotaro Ishii
  • Patent number: 11788515
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to cable guiding assemblies for wind turbine power cables. A cable guiding assembly comprises an outer part and a central part. Each part has a top surface, a bottom surface, a laterally inner surface and a laterally outer surface. The laterally inner surface has a plurality of recesses suitable for receiving power cables. An outer portion of the central part is configured to be attached to an inner portion of the outer part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L.
    Inventors: Joel Maignan, Sébastien Digard Brou De Cuissart, Alan Pfeiffer, Patrice Denis
  • Patent number: 11784594
    Abstract: Disclosed are improved devices, systems and methods for powered generator systems which incorporate a solid-state transient power response system to provide supplemental electrical power to the power output during a transient period of increased electrical load, which permits the generator system sufficient time to progressively “spin up” the generator and/or otherwise increase power output at a desired rate to meet the increased electrical load demand in a desired manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: NORTHERN LIGHTS, INC.
    Inventors: Tracy Hach, Donald A. Williams, Kristopher Purdy, Alexander Zachary Brooks, Phillip Reingold
  • Patent number: 11773818
    Abstract: A system in a water body uses buoyant force of gaseous Hydrogen and Oxygen to generate electrical power with one or more turbines that includes power resulting from the buoyant force while transporting the Hydrogen or Oxygen to a higher elevation, without loss of electrons, for conversion to electricity at the higher elevation. Conversion of Hydrogen and Oxygen to water through a Hydrogen Fuel Cell or by burning at the higher elevation may generate additional steam power, hydropower, or purified water. Portable submersible modules may transport the system below or above the water to and from the base of a plumbing portion of the system. The amount of gaseous fuel energy available at the higher elevation is not detrimentally impacted by the generation of electricity by the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: FOUR ELECTRONS LLC
    Inventor: John Scott Perez
  • Patent number: 11777321
    Abstract: An exemplary two-step method for power system inertia online estimation is described. The first step is to accurately estimate the POI-level aggregated inertia. The second step is to calculate the system-level inertia constant by weighting all the POI-level aggregated inertia and to monitor the inertia spatial distribution. In one example embodiment, the PMU is installed at POI, the frequency spatial difference is considered, and the mechanical power is carefully treated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: NORTH CHINA ELECTRIC POWER UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Tianshu Bi, Cheng Wang, Jiahao Liu, Guoyi Xu
  • Patent number: 11761426
    Abstract: A zero-fossil-fuel-using non-polluting apparatus to (1) use wind power to (2) generate a steady flow of hydroelectricity (3) from increasing the height level of water from a water table or river or lake and (4) storing that water and its potential energy in (5) a water tower, and then (6) releasing that water's potential energy in a (7) steady gravity-driven flow in a downward-flowing pipeline to (8) operate in-pipe electricity generators to establish a reliable non-fluctuating source of hydroelectricity from (9) many in-pipe hydroelectricity generators in pipelines to create electricity when the water tower water is released to the in-pipe hydroelectricity generators which creates (10) a steady non-fluctuating stream of water to turn the turbines of many in-pipe hydroelectric generators to create (11) a steady, non-fluctuating flow of electricity regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Inventor: David William Stauffer
  • Patent number: 11746750
    Abstract: There is provided a method (100) of installing a pitch tube (27) into an electrical power generator (24) for a wind turbine, the method comprising: installing (105a) the pitch tube (27) so that it is coaxial with a rotational axis (R) of the generator (24); supporting (105b) a bearing arrangement (50) associated with the pitch tube (27) at an end of the generator (24) using one or more primary supports (52), wherein each of the primary supports (52) comprises a first end (58) connected to the bearing arrangement (50) and a second end (60) connected to a component (32) associated with a rotating reference frame of the generator (24); and supporting (110) the bearing arrangement (50) using one or more secondary supports (54), wherein each of the secondary supports (54) comprises a first end (62) connected to the bearing arrangement (50) and a second end (64) connected to a component (42) associated with a stationary reference frame of the generator (24).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventors: Lars Langvardt Krogh, Rolf Nyborg Broge
  • Patent number: 11736056
    Abstract: A method for operating a power system connected to a power grid includes providing an active filter in the converter power path. Further, the method includes determining a change in attenuation of harmonics of the power system over a predetermined frequency spectrum that is needed to comply with one or more grid code requirements of the power grid. Thus, the method includes actively controlling, via a controller, the active filter to provide the change to the attenuation of the harmonics of the power system so as to mitigate the harmonics of the power system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kapil Jha, Yashomani Yashodhan Kolhatkar, Arvind Kumar Tiwari, Harold R. Schnetzka
  • Patent number: 11728650
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for operating a power system of a wind turbine. The power system comprises first and second parallel connected DC-to-AC converters and at least one transformer, where each transformer comprises a primary section connected to a power line, and where the at least one transformer comprises first and second secondary sections connected to outputs of the respective first and second DC-to-AC converters. The method comprises providing a reactive correction reference, changing first and second reactive powers generated by the respective first and second DC-to-AC converters according to the reactive correction reference, so that one of the first and second reactive powers is increased while the other is decreased with amounts corresponding to the reactive correction reference so that the first and second reactive powers are unequal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/S
    Inventors: John Godsk Nielsen, Torben Møller Hansen
  • Patent number: 11724814
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor section and a turbine section together defining a core air flowpath. Additionally, a rotary component is rotatable with at least a portion of the compressor section and at least a portion of the turbine section. An electric machine is mounted coaxially with the rotary component and positioned at least partially inward of the core air flowpath along a radial direction of the gas turbine engine. A cavity wall defines at least in part a buffer cavity surrounding at least a portion of the electric machine to thermally insulate the electric machine, e.g., from the relatively high temperatures within the core air flowpath.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas Kupiszewski, Brandon Wayne Miller, Daniel Alan Niergarth, Randy M. Vondrell
  • Patent number: 11713745
    Abstract: Provided is an arrangement for removing and/or exchanging a hydraulic fluid accumulator installed within a hub of a wind turbine, the arrangement including: a first pair of mounting legs each having at an upper portion connector for connecting to a hub component; a second pair of mounting legs each having at an upper portion connector for connecting to a hub component; a first bar connecting the first pair of mounting legs at a lower portion; a second bar connecting the second pair of mounting legs at a lower portion; an elongate resting structure for carrying an accumulator, the resting structure being at one end slidably supported by the first bar and at another end slidably supported by the second bar and being movable in a parallel manner traverse, in particular perpendicular, to a longitudinal direction the resting structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY A/S
    Inventor: Heungsu Park
  • Patent number: 11708789
    Abstract: A generator module includes a housing arranged for mounting to a rear face of an internal combustion engine, a generator stator fixed in the housing, a generator rotor arranged radially inside of the generator stator, and a bearing arranged to support a radial inside of the generator rotor on the housing. The generator rotor may include a rotor carrier and a plurality of stacked plates secured to the rotor carrier. The bearing may be at least partially radially aligned with the plurality of stacked plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
    Inventors: Matthew Payne, Markus Steinberger
  • Patent number: 11711036
    Abstract: A system includes a generator control unit (GCU). The GCU includes a first rectifier and a second rectifier. Each of the first rectifier and the second rectifier has a separate input to receive AC power from a separate respective permanent magnet generator (PMG). A method includes supplying AC power from a first PMG of a variable frequency generator (VFG) to a first rectifier of a generator control unit GCU that is operatively connected to control the VFG. The method includes supplying AC power from a second PMG to a second rectifier of the GCU. The first PMG supplies a lower AC voltage to the first rectifier than the second PMG supplies to the second rectifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Dhaval S. Patel, Adrian E. Vandergrift, Sunil S. Patel
  • Patent number: 11699966
    Abstract: An exciter drive circuit comprises a direct current (DC) link to provide a positive DC voltage to a positive voltage exciter rail and a negative DC voltage to a negative voltage exciter rail. An exciter winding includes a first exciter terminal connected to the positive voltage exciter rail and an opposing second exciter terminal connected to the negative voltage exciter rail. A flyback circuit establishes a first flyback current path that conducts the current from exciter winding in response to an inductive flyback event. A flyback fault protection circuit establishes a second flyback current path that conducts the current from exciter winding in response to the inductive flyback event and a fault present in the flyback circuit. The second flyback current path delivers the current output by the exciter winding from the negative voltage exciter rail to the positive voltage exciter rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Brennan Fox, Adrian E. Vandergrift
  • Patent number: 11689017
    Abstract: A method of mitigating high frequency harmonics in an output current of an electrical power system connected to a power grid includes providing an active harmonic filter in a stator power path connecting a stator of the generator to the power grid. Further, the method includes controlling, via a controller, the active harmonic filter to selectively extract a high frequency harmonic component from the output current. The method also includes determining, via the controller, whether the high frequency harmonic component is a positive sequence harmonic or a negative sequence harmonic. Moreover, the method includes compensating, via the controller, for the high frequency harmonic component based on whether the high frequency harmonic component is the positive sequence harmonic or the negative sequence harmonic to mitigate the high frequency harmonics in the output current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L.
    Inventors: Kapil Jha, Arvind Kumar Tiwari