Patents Examined by Thuyhang N Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11975847
    Abstract: An ice protection system for an external surface for an aircraft. The external surface is configured to have air flow over the external surface and has a plurality of zones. At least one heat source is thermally coupled to the external surface in each zone of the plurality of zones. A controller is configured to selectively control the at least one heat source in each zone of the plurality of zones based on an operating condition related to the air flowing over the external surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Brandon C. Clarke, Scott Alan Schimmels
  • Patent number: 11970282
    Abstract: Systems and methods of aircraft thrust management are provided. For example, a propulsion system for an aircraft comprises a fuel cell assembly comprising a fuel cell, a turbomachine, and a controller comprising memory and one or more processors. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the propulsion system to perform operations including receiving data indicative of a propulsion system thrust discrepancy and modifying an output of the fuel cell in response to receiving data indicative of the propulsion system thrust discrepancy. Modifying the fuel cell output may include modifying output products, an electrical power output, or both of the fuel cell to balance the thrust provided by the propulsion system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Honggang Wang, Kum Kang Huh, Michael Anthony Benjamin, Koji Asari
  • Patent number: 11967743
    Abstract: A propulsion system is provided including: a gas turbine engine including a combustion section having a combustor; and a modular fuel cell assembly. The modular fuel cell assembly includes: a first fuel cell string comprising a first processing unit and a first fuel cell stack, the first fuel cell stack comprising a first fuel cell defining an outlet configured to provide output products from the first fuel cell to the combustor; and a second fuel cell string comprising a second processing unit and a second fuel cell stack, the second fuel cell stack comprising a second fuel cell defining an outlet configured to provide output products from the second fuel cell to the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Honggang Wang, Radislav A. Potyrailo, Michael Anthony Benjamin
  • Patent number: 11964772
    Abstract: An aircraft propulsion system includes a propulsive fan assembly configured for assembly into an aircraft structure, the propulsive fan assembly that includes a fan rotatable about a fan axis, an inlet duct assembly disposed within the aircraft fuselage, the inlet duct assembly that includes an upper inlet duct with an upper inlet opening and a lower inlet duct with a lower inlet opening. The upper inlet duct and the lower inlet duct merge into a common inlet duct forward of the propulsive fan assembly, and an outlet duct is disposed aft of the propulsive fan assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jon E. Sobanski, Thomas G. Tillman, Stuart S. Ochs
  • Patent number: 11959420
    Abstract: A fuel delivery system for a combustor of a gas turbine engine including a primary fuel tank configured to store a primary fuel, a secondary fuel tank configured to store a secondary fuel, a swirler configured to produce a main flame within a combustion chamber of the combustor, and a fuel nozzle configured to produce a pilot flame within the combustion chamber of the combustor. The fuel nozzle includes a nozzle outlet that is located proximate to an end of the swirler or at the end of the swirler, the end of the swirler being located at an inlet of the combustor. The fuel delivery system also includes a primary fuel line fluidly connecting the primary fuel tank to the fuel nozzle and a secondary fuel line fluidly connecting the secondary fuel tank to the swirler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Timothy S. Snyder
  • Patent number: 11946474
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a combustor having a combustor air inlet, an axial-centrifugal compressor, a shroud, a secondary flow duct, and a valve. The shroud surrounds at least a portion of the axial-centrifugal compressor and has a surge bleed plenum defined therein that is in fluid communication with, and receives compressed air from, the axial compressor outlet. The secondary airflow duct has a duct inlet that is in fluid communication with the surge bleed plenum, and a duct outlet that is in fluid communication with the combustor air inlet. The valve is mounted on the secondary airflow duct and is movable between a closed position, in which the secondary airflow duct does not provide fluid communication between the surge bleed plenum and the combustor air inlet, and an open position, in which the secondary airflow duct provides fluid communication between the surge bleed plenum and the combustor air inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Bruce David Reynolds, Nick Nolcheff, Mahmoud Mansour, Timothy Darling, Ernest Kurschat
  • Patent number: 11920789
    Abstract: A combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine includes an outer liner that at least partially defines a combustion chamber. The outer liner extends between an aft end and a forward end generally along an axial direction within an outer casing of the gas turbine engine. The outer liner includes an inner surface facing the combustion chamber and an outer surface facing away from the combustion chamber. The combustor assembly includes a radial damper assembly disposed against the outer liner at a plurality of circumferential points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mark Willard Marusko, Michael Alan Stieg, Brian Christopher Towle
  • Patent number: 11920523
    Abstract: A combustion control device including a bleed valve control unit for controlling a bleed valve disposed on a bleed pipe for performing bleeding so that a part of the compressed air flowing into the casing is not used as combustion air in the combustor, a fuel control unit for controlling a fuel regulating valve for regulating a fuel flow rate of fuel supplied to the combustor, and a temperature acquisition unit. Upon reception of a load rejection signal for cutting off a load from the gas turbine, the bleed valve control unit controls a valve opening degree of the bleed valve from a closed state to an open state with a prescribed opening degree, and the fuel control unit controls the fuel regulating valve such that the acquired flame temperature falls within a predetermined temperature range defined by an upper limit value and a lower limit value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazushige Takaki, Makoto Kishi, Takahiko Sakaki, Kotaro Miyauchi
  • Patent number: 11920515
    Abstract: A propulsion system for an aircraft includes a hydrogen fuel system suppling hydrogen fuel to the combustor through a fuel flow path. A condenser extracts water from a high energy gas flow. The condenser includes a plurality of rotating passages that are disposed within a collector. The passages are configured to rotate about a condenser axis to generate a transverse pressure gradient to direct water out of the high energy gas flow toward the collector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Abbas A. Alahyari
  • Patent number: 11884415
    Abstract: An aerodynamic arrangement and method for providing a required air pressure coefficient at an area of location of an air port of an internal cooling system of a flying platform is described. The air port is selected from an air inlet port and an air outlet port, and arranged at a desired area in an external surface of the flying platform. The aerodynamic arrangement includes at least one airfoil-shaped body arranged on the external surface at the area of the air port for providing a negative pressure coefficient at the corresponding desired area on one side of the airfoil-shaped body and a positive pressure coefficient at the corresponding desired area on the other side of the airfoil-shaped body, when the airfoil-shaped body is oriented at a suitable angle of attack to an oncoming air flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES LTD.
    Inventors: Alexander Nagel, Alexander Barladian
  • Patent number: 11885261
    Abstract: Ice accumulation and shedding mitigation devices associated with sensor probes extending into a stream of air entering an aircraft engine are provided. An exemplary device comprises a wedge-shaped blade configured to be exposed to the stream of air and disposed upstream of the sensor probe. The wedge-shaped blade has two faces meeting at a leading edge oriented to face the stream of air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Milos Ivankovic
  • Patent number: 11879384
    Abstract: Methods and systems of starting a gas turbine engine are provided. During startup, a fuel pressure associated with a primary fuel supply of the gas turbine engine is monitored. A low-pressure event for the primary fuel supply is detected when the fuel pressure falls below a predetermined threshold. Responsive to detecting the low pressure event, an electric backup boost pump is activated by an engine controller to provide fuel to the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Sean Durand
  • Patent number: 11879365
    Abstract: A steam turbine plant and an operating method thereof, and a combined cycle plant and an operating method thereof, include: a turbine; steam supply lines that supply main steam to the turbine; a steam control valve and an intercept valve provided to the steam supply lines; and a first auxiliary steam supply line that supplies auxiliary steam to the turbine via the steam supply lines which are located farther downstream than the steam control valve and the intercept valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Daiki Fujimura, Susumu Sekine
  • Patent number: 11866185
    Abstract: A propulsion system includes a system for producing electricity that supplies electricity to at least one electric motor to which is mechanically coupled a propeller situated near a first longitudinal end of a nacelle that houses at least the system for producing electricity and the at least one electric motor. An air circulation channel, which receives a heat exchanger provided to allow the system for producing electricity to be cooled, extends inside the nacelle from a first end of the air circulation channel situated at the first longitudinal end of the nacelle. A part of the air circulation channel that is contiguous with its first end is delimited by an outer surface of cylindrical shape that surrounds the longitudinal axis of the nacelle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignees: AIRBUS SAS, AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS
    Inventors: Christophe Labarthe, Franck Alvarez, Fabien Latourelle, Olivier Verseux, Pascal Pome, Jean Francois Allias, Olivier Ciet, Olivier Raspati, Anthony Roux, Benedikt Bammer
  • Patent number: 11867092
    Abstract: A system includes a combustion power plant for generating power and an electrolysis unit for producing hydrogen. The combustion power plant has a combustion chamber for combustion of a fuel and an offgas conduit for leading off hot offgases formed in the combustion of the fuel. The offgas conduit is thermally coupled to the electrolysis unit. A method for operating the system includes burning the fuel in the combustion power plant, forming the hot offgases in the combustion of the fuel, removing the hot offgases through the offgas conduit, feeding the thermal energy of the hot offgases from the offgas conduit to the electrolysis unit, and producing hydrogen in the electrolysis unit by using the thermal energy from the hot offgases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Alexander Broy, Gerald Franz Giering, Alexander Rentschler
  • Patent number: 11859535
    Abstract: An assembly is provided for a turbine engine with a flowpath. This assembly includes a fuel source and an engine component. The engine component forms a peripheral boundary of the flowpath. The engine component includes a component internal passage. The engine component is configured to receive fuel from the fuel source. The engine component is configured to crack at least some of the fuel within the component internal passage thereby cooling the engine component and providing at least partially cracked fuel. The assembly is configured to direct the at least partially cracked fuel into the flowpath for combustion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: RTX Corporation
    Inventors: Dustin W. Davis, Lance L. Smith, Won-Wook Kim
  • Patent number: 11859563
    Abstract: A method of operating an engine of an aircraft, the engine having a bleed air system. The method includes in flight, directing pressurized air from a source of pressurized air external to the engine to the bleed air system of the engine. An aircraft, comprising a first engine having a bleed air system, a second engine having a bleed air system, and a source of pressurized air that is external to the first and/or the second engine, the source of pressurized air being selectively fluidly connectable to the bleed air system of the first and/or the second engine, is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Kevin Ng, Philippe Beauchesne-Martel
  • Patent number: 11859533
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine system includes a gas turbine engine including a compressor, combustor including a plurality of late lean fuel injectors supplied with secondary fuel; gas turbine, and wash system configured to be attached and in fluid communication with the late lean fuel injectors. The wash system includes a water source including water; first fluid source including a first fluid providing vanadium ash and vanadium deposit mitigation and removal from internal gas turbine components; a mixing chamber in communication with the water source and first fluid source; a water pump to pump the water to the mixing chamber; a first fluid pump the first fluid to the mixing chamber; a fluid line in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and late lean fuel injectors so fluid from the mixing chamber is injected into the combustor at the late lean fuel injectors while the gas turbine engine is on-line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Alston Ilford Scipio, Sanji Ekanayake
  • Patent number: 11859496
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods, assemblies, and systems for power production that can allow for increased efficiency and lower cost components arising from the control, reduction, or elimination of turbine blade mechanical erosion by particulates or chemical erosion by gases in a combustion product flow. The methods, assemblies, and systems can include the use of turbine blades that operate with a blade velocity that is significantly reduced in relation to conventional turbines used in typical power production systems. The methods and systems also can make use of a recycled circulating fluid for transpiration protection of the turbine and/or other components. Further, recycled circulating fluid may be employed to provide cleaning materials to the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: 8 Rivers Capital, LLC
    Inventors: Miles R. Palmer, Jeremy Eron Fetvedt, Rodney John Allam
  • Patent number: 11859554
    Abstract: A method of operating a multi-engine system of an aircraft having first and second engines includes accumulating compressed air in a pressure vessel external to the engines, and operating the first and second engines asymmetrically, by controlling the first engine to operate in an active operating condition providing sufficient power and/or rotor speed for demands of the aircraft, and controlling the second engine to operate in a standby operating condition wherein the second engine produces less power output than the first engine. In response to a power demand request, the second engine is accelerated out of the standby operating condition by introducing therein compressed air from the pressure vessel at a location upstream of a combustor of the second engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Daniel Coutu, Philippe Beauchesne-Martel