Patents Examined by William H. Rodriguez
  • Patent number: 11680710
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle, a fuel nozzle module having the same, and a combustor are provided. The fuel nozzle includes a nozzle cylinder having a space through which fuel flows and a plurality of fuel holes through which the fuel flows in a surface, a shroud spaced apart from the nozzle cylinder and formed to surround the nozzle cylinder in a longitudinal direction of the nozzle cylinder, and a mixing flow path formed between the nozzle cylinder and the shroud to mix the fuel supplied through the plurality of fuel holes and compressed air supplied from a compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: DOOSAN ENERBILITY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Dong Sik Han
  • Patent number: 11674689
    Abstract: An air mixer includes an annular body defining a center axis. A plurality of slots are defined in the annular body circumferentially spaced apart from one another. Each slot defines a respective center injection axis extending from an outer surface of the annular body to an inner surface of the annular body. Each respective center injection axis is parallel to a respective plane bisecting the annular body. At least one of the slots is intersected by the respective bisecting plane parallel to its respective center injection axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Inventors: Jason A. Ryon, Lev A. Prociw, Jacob Greenfield
  • Patent number: 11668464
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle assembly and a gas turbine combustor including the same are provided. The fuel nozzle assembly may include an end plate coupled to one end of an annular casing, and a fuel nozzle configured such that one end thereof is supported by the end plate and the other end thereof extends outward. The fuel nozzle may include a center fuel nozzle and a plurality of side fuel nozzles arranged annularly to surround the center fuel nozzle. The side fuel nozzle may include a nozzle body located at a center thereof, a shroud spaced outward from the nozzle body, and a plurality of swirlers located between the nozzle body and the shroud. Each of the swirlers may include a leading edge directed toward the end plate and a trailing edge located opposite the leading edge. In each of the side fuel nozzles, distances between the leading edges are different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: DOOSAN ENERBILITY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: U Jin Roh, Mu Hwan Chon
  • Patent number: 11668465
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle device for a gas turbine engine includes a nozzle body extending in an axial direction and projecting into the combustion chamber, and swirler including a tubular portion concentrically surrounding the nozzle body, a deflector formed as a hollow shell concentrically surrounding the tubular portion, and a plurality of swirl vanes extending between the tubular portion and the deflector. Each swirl vane extends along a logarithmic spiral around an axial center of the nozzle body between the tubular portion and the deflector with a certain meridian crossing angle ? and a certain twist angle ? such that the outer peripheral inclination angle ? is smaller than the stacking angle ? of the swirl vane when the swirl vane is manufactured by an additive manufacturing process with a front end up orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Orio Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11668466
    Abstract: A combustor nozzle assembly and a gas turbine combustor including the same are provided. The combustor nozzle assembly includes a central nozzle tube, an inner nozzle tube surrounding the central nozzle tube in a spaced-apart state, an outer nozzle tube surrounding the inner nozzle tube in a spaced-apart state, a pilot fuel injector provided between the central nozzle tube and the inner nozzle tube, and a main fuel injector provided between the inner nozzle tube and the outer nozzle tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: DOOSAN ENERBILITY CO., LTD
    Inventors: Mu Hwan Chon, Young Jun Shin
  • Patent number: 11662097
    Abstract: An electrically decoupled jet engine. The electrically decoupled jet engine includes a combustion chamber which creates a toroidal flow of air and a rotational electric motor which drives a fuel supply into the combustion chamber. The toroidal flow of air is mixed with the fuel and combusted in the combustion chamber to create thrust.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Venture Aerospace, LLC
    Inventors: Vaughan Lennox Clift, Sasha Mela
  • Patent number: 11643996
    Abstract: A combustion chamber suitable in particular for use in an engine comprises a combustion space, a combustion space wall delimiting the combustion space, and a plurality of cooling channel webs extending from a surface of the combustion space wall which faces away from the combustion space and separating mutually adjacent cooling channels from one another. The cooling channel webs are each provided with a projection extending from an end face of the cooling channel webs which faces away from the combustion space. Furthermore, the combustion chamber comprises a plurality of cover elements, wherein each cover element extends along a longitudinal axis of a cooling channel delimited by two mutually adjacent cooling channel webs between the projections of the mutually adjacent cooling channel webs and is form-fittingly connected to the projections of the two mutually adjacent cooling channel webs in order to cover the cooling channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: ArianeGroup GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Winter, Martin Malisz
  • Patent number: 11643995
    Abstract: A variable flow area injector for a liquid rocket engine. The injector has a poppet with a variable outer width portion and a housing with a variable inner width portion. An annular flow path is defined between the variable width portions. Increased throttling of the engine passively increases the annular flow area of the injector by forcing the poppet in a distal direction. Decreased throttling allows a restoring spring to move the poppet in a proximal direction to decrease the annular flow area. A bellows can be included to dampen movement of the poppet. The bellows may be in a propellant-filled cavity separate from the main propellant flow path and have a series of openings through which the separate propellant flows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: BLUE ORIGIN, LLC
    Inventors: Mark David Horn, Adam Keith Norman
  • Patent number: 11639690
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a first spool of a primary flow path and a second spool of a secondary flow path. The second spool is nonconcentric with the first spool. The second spool includes a boost compressor and a load compressor in fluid communication with an inlet plenum. An inlet duct assembly and an outlet duct assembly place the secondary flow path in communication with the primary flow path. The gas turbine includes a controller operable to vary open areas of variable inlet guide vanes to control a flow division between the boost compressor and the load compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel B. Kupratis, Paul R. Hanrahan
  • Patent number: 11635209
    Abstract: A swirler assembly includes a swirler having a primary swirler and a secondary swirler, and a flare connected the secondary swirler, and a dome disposed radially outward of the flare. A flare oxidizer flow passage is defined by a flare outer surface and a dome inner surface, and the flare oxidizer flow passage includes a swirl inducing member therewithin that induces a swirled flow of an oxidizer passing through the flare oxidizer flow passage into a combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Perumallu Vukanti, Pradeep Naik, Sripathi Mohan, Karthikeyan Sampath, Steven C. Vise, Shai Birmaher, Saket Singh
  • Patent number: 11598289
    Abstract: Systems and methods for determining bi-propellant volume and adjusting a mixture ratio are discussed herein. A controller can calculate an adjusted mixture ratio and command the rocket engine to implement the adjusted mixture ratio by opening or closing valves of the propellant tanks, which changes the volumetric flow rates of each of the propellants. The adjusted mixture ratio can be calculated by an algorithm based on sensed or calculated data associated with each propellant. The adjusted mixture ratio can be used to evenly deplete the propellants to reduce the amount of each propellant remaining after a mission and to improve propellant use, which allows for an increase in a non-propellant payload.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Blue Origin, LLC
    Inventors: Matthew R. Jardin, Thomas S. Koch
  • Patent number: 11578653
    Abstract: A power plant having a gas turbine and having a heat recovery steam generator installed downstream of the gas turbine in the direction of flow of an exhaust gas, wherein the heat recovery steam generator includes heating surfaces of a high pressure section, of an intermediate pressure section and of a low pressure section, wherein an exhaust gas recirculation line branches from the heat recovery steam generator downstream of an evaporator in the flow direction of an exhaust gas in the high pressure section and opens again into the heat recovery steam generator upstream of the heating surfaces. A blower is arranged in the exhaust gas recirculation line, with a steam feed opening into the exhaust gas recirculation line downstream of the blower in the direction of flow of a recirculated exhaust gas. A method operates a power plant of this kind.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Matthias Migl, Denis Tschetschik
  • Patent number: 11578871
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine with a compressor section, a turbine section, and a combustion section located downstream from the compressor section and upstream from the turbine section, the combustion section including: a dome inlet, a combustor outlet fluidly coupled to the turbine section, a liner and a dome assembly together at least partially defining a combustion chamber extending between the dome inlet and the combustor outlet, a primary fuel injector fluidly coupled to the dome inlet, and a second fuel injector fluidly coupled to the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Narendra D. Joshi, Joseph Zelina
  • Patent number: 11578870
    Abstract: In some embodiments, systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful for spraying fuel in an augmented gas turbine engine. The embodiments may include a spray bar with a fuel injection aperture configured to inject a fuel jet into a fuel conduit; the fuel conduit having a fuel window to discharge the fuel jet into a core exhaust flow of an augmented gas turbine engine; a first channel directing a first air stream into the fuel conduit; and a second channel directing a second air stream into the fuel conduit. The first air stream and the second air stream cooperatively shape the fuel jet coming out of the fuel window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brett A. Rich, Michael A. Benjamin, Nicholas R. Overman, Aaron J. Glaser
  • Patent number: 11572828
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods wherein power production can be achieved with combustion of a fuel utilizing flameless combustion. A fuel may be combusted in a combustor/turbine in a substantially flameless operation to produce a combustion product stream that can be expanded for power generation. After expansion, the output stream can be treated to generate a recycle CO2 stream into which an oxidant can be input. The recycle CO2 stream including the oxidant can be injected into the combustor/turbine to effect combustion in a substantially flameless state. Various control schemes can be implemented to automatically control the concentration of oxygen present in the recycle CO2 stream that is injected into the combustor/turbine in order to achieve and/or maintain substantially flameless combustion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: 8 Rivers Capital, LLC
    Inventors: Jeremy Eron Fetvedt, Brock Alan Forrest
  • Patent number: 11572829
    Abstract: A flow combiner is provided for a gas turbine engine. The flow combiner includes an outlet duct, a compressor bleed inlet duct coupled to the outlet duct, and a ventilation inlet duct coupled to the outlet duct. The compressor bleed inlet duct is configured to receive a bleed flow from a compressor of the gas turbine engine. The ventilation inlet duct is configured to receive a ventilation flow from an enclosure surrounding the gas turbine engine. The bleed flow and the ventilation flow are combined as an outlet flow through the outlet duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ravinder Yerram, Quoc Hoai Nguyen, Mohammad Mahabub, Tho V. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11566790
    Abstract: A method of operating a combustor of a turbomachine on a total fuel input that contains a concentration of hydrogen that is greater than about 80% is provided. The method includes injecting a first mixture of air and a first fuel containing a first amount of hydrogen into the primary combustion zone of the combustor to generate a first flow of combustion gases having a first temperature. The method further includes injecting, with one or more premix injectors disposed downstream of the fuel nozzles, a second mixture of air and a second fuel containing a second amount of hydrogen into the secondary combustion zone of the combustor to generate a second flow of combustion gases having a second temperature. The method further includes separately injecting a third fuel into secondary combustion zone to generate a third flow of combustion gases having a third temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Michael John Hughes, Willy Steve Ziminsky
  • Patent number: 11566789
    Abstract: A ferrule in a fuel-air mixer assembly. The ferrule includes a body having (i) a plurality of channels having sidewalls, the plurality of channels leading to a corresponding plurality of exit openings, the plurality of channels configured to guide a first airflow therein and (ii) a plurality of cascade holes formed within the sidewalls of the plurality of channels and defining a plurality of passageways therein that are transverse to the plurality of channels. The ferrule also includes a plurality of airflow modifiers provided within the plurality of channels. The plurality airflow modifiers are configured to reduce a velocity of the first airflow when the first airflow exits through the plurality of exit openings and to generate low velocity vortex pairs to reduce interaction of the first airflow with a second airflow provided through primary vanes located downstream of the plurality of exit openings of the plurality of channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Saket Singh, Pradeep Naik, Rimple Rangrej, Ranganatha Narasimha Chiranthan, Veeraraju Vanapalli
  • Patent number: 11560851
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine comprises a fan includes a plurality of fan blades rotatable about an axis. A compressor section includes at least a first compressor section and a second compressor section, wherein components of the second compressor section are configured to operate at an average exit temperature that is between about 1000° F. and about 1500° F. A combustor is in fluid communication with the compressor section. A turbine section is in fluid communication with the combustor. A geared architecture is driven by the turbine section for rotating the fan about the axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Frederick M. Schwarz, Karl L. Hasel
  • Patent number: 11549432
    Abstract: A chemical looping combustion (CLC) based power generation, particularly using liquid fuel, ensures substantially complete fuel combustion and provides electrical efficiency without exposing metal oxide based oxygen carrier to high temperature redox process. An integrated fuel gasification (reforming)-CLC-followed by power generation model is provided involving (i) a gasification island, (ii) CLC island, (iii) heat recovery unit, and (iv) power generation system. To improve electrical efficiency, a fraction of the gasified fuel may be directly fed, or bypass the CLC, to a combustor upstream of one or more gas turbines. This splitting approach ensures higher temperature (efficiency) in the gas turbine inlet. The inert mass ratio, air flow rate to the oxidation reactor, and pressure of the system may be tailored to affect the performance of the integrated CLC system and process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
    Inventors: Mohammed Mozahar Hossain, Muflih Arisa Adnan