Patents Examined by William H. Rodriguez
  • Patent number: 11808457
    Abstract: A hydrogen injection scheme can be employed via use of one or more injectors for injecting hydrogen to help entrain local mass while also generating local turbulence that can enhance mixing with a mixture of air and fuel to facilitate enhanced lean combustion, lower peak flame temperatures of combustion, and reduce nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions from the combustion of fuel. In some embodiments, the hydrogen can be injected to help transport heat released during combustion away from the injector to help avoid injector overheating as well. Different injectors can be utilized to provide a desired hydrogen injection scheme for a particular set of design and operational criteria for a gas turbine system or at least one combustion system that can be utilized in a gas turbine system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Daniel D'Agostini, Anup Vasant Sane
  • Patent number: 11808455
    Abstract: An assembly is provided for a gas turbine engine. This assembly includes a combustor and a fuel conduit. The combustor includes a combustor wall that forms a peripheral boundary of a combustion chamber within the combustor. The fuel conduit extends along and is formed integral with the combustor wall. The fuel conduit is disposed outside of the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Lawrence A. Binek, Timothy S. Snyder, Sean R. Jackson
  • Patent number: 11795891
    Abstract: The subject of the invention is a detonation rocket engine comprising an annular detonation chamber (5) connected to the Aerospike nozzle (4) and lines (2, 3) for supplying propellant components connected to the detonation chamber (5). The detonation chamber (5) has a bottom (9) connecting the inner wall (10) and the outer wall (11) between which the outlet (6) is formed. At the outlet (6) of the detonation chamber (5) there are at least three evenly distributed centring elements (1) connecting the inner wall (10) and the outer wall (11) of the detonation chamber (5), with cooling channels (7) connected to one of the lines (2, 3) supplying the propellant components to the detonation chamber (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: SIEC BADAWCZA LUKASIEWICZ-INSTYTUT LOTNICTWA
    Inventors: Piotr Wolański, Michał Kawalec
  • Patent number: 11795879
    Abstract: A turbine engine comprising a compressor section, a combustion section having a combustor, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement. The combustor having a combustion chamber, at least one fuel injector, at least one compressed air passage, and at least one igniter. The at least one igniter can be provided within a portion of the at least one fuel injector or the at least one compressed air passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Krishnakumar Venkatesan, Michael A. Benjamin, Michael T. Bucaro
  • Patent number: 11788727
    Abstract: An injector nose for a turbomachine includes a primary fuel circuit ending in a fuel-ejection nozzle, and a secondary fuel circuit including an annular-shaped terminal fuel-ejection part arranged around the fuel-ejection nozzle. An upstream part of the primary fuel circuit includes an annular channel, which extends around the secondary fuel circuit and is defined by an external wall of the injector nose. The injector nose includes air intake channels extending through the annular channel and having inlets opening into the external wall and outlets opening into an annular air injection channel arranged radially to the inside in relation to the terminal fuel-ejection part, around the fuel-ejection nozzle, and cooperating with the terminal fuel-ejection part in order to form an aerodynamic secondary injector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Christophe Chabaille, Clément Yves Emile Bernard, Sébastien Christophe Loval
  • Patent number: 11774100
    Abstract: A turbine engine can include a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement. A combustor in the combustion section can include a combustion chamber, a fuel supply fluidly coupled to the combustion chamber, and a fuel nozzle assembly. The fuel nozzle assembly can include an air flow passage and a fuel flow passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nayan Vinod Patel, Michael A. Benjamin
  • Patent number: 11774099
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle includes a center body that extends from an upstream end to a downstream end. A nozzle tip, which is fixedly coupled to the downstream end of the center body, includes an outer annular wall that has a forward end and an aft end. A solid aft wall is disposed at the aft end of the outer annular wall. The solid aft wall and the outer annular wall at least partially define a plenum. A nozzle portion, which is disposed within the plenum, includes an inner annular wall and an impingement wall. The impingement wall is spaced apart from the solid aft wall and defines a plurality of apertures configured to direct fluid to impinge upon the solid aft wall. A plurality of outlets is defined in the outer annular wall forward of the solid aft wall to direct post-impingement fluid from the nozzle tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Charlie Edmond Jones, Lucas John Stoia, Homayoon Feiz, Anthony Michael DiNardi
  • Patent number: 11767979
    Abstract: A rotating detonation engine (RDE) is disclosed which includes a housing, an injector assembly disposed within the housing, the injector assembly includes a fuel manifold, an oxidizer manifold, and a combustion chamber, fuel from the fuel manifold and an oxidizer from the oxidizer manifold are combined and combusted in the combustion chamber, each of the fuel and oxidizer manifolds communicates with the combustion chamber via a plurality of Tesla valves each via a corresponding port, wherein the plurality of Tesla valves substantially eliminate reverse flow of exhaust gases from the combustion chamber back to the fuel manifold or the oxidizer manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation
    Inventors: Qili Liu, Li Qiao
  • Patent number: 11761632
    Abstract: A dome assembly for a combustor includes: at least one swirler assembly including: at least one swirler including a plurality of swirl vanes arrayed about an axis, the plurality of swirl vanes oriented so as to impart a tangential velocity to air passing through the swirler parallel to the axis; each of the plurality of swirl vanes having a thickness and including a plurality of edges which collectively define a peripheral boundary of the respective swirl vane; wherein at least a selected one of the plurality of swirl vanes includes at least one void passing through the thickness of the selected swirl vane, the void disposed within the peripheral boundary of the selected swirl vane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Gurunath Gandikota, Karthikeyan Sampath, Perumallu Vukanti, Allen M. Danis, Scott M. Bush, Steven Clayton Vise, Hari Ravi Chandra, Rimple Rangrej, Saket Singh, Pradeep Naik, Neeraj Kumar Mishra, Arvind Kumar Rao, Balasubramaniam Venkatanarayanan, Ranjeet Kumar Mishra
  • Patent number: 11761381
    Abstract: In accordance with at least on aspect of this disclosure, there is provided a hydrogen fuel system for aircraft. The hydrogen fuel system includes a gas turbine engine and a fuel feed conduit. The fuel feed conduit is defined at least in part by, in fluid series, a liquid hydrogen tank fluidly connected to a combustor of the gas turbine engine, a liquid hydrogen pump to drive fuel to the combustor of the gas turbine engine, an evaporator, and an electric heat source in thermal communication with the evaporator to add heat into a flow of hydrogen passing through the evaporator. In embodiments, the electric energy source associated with the electric heat source to power the electric heat source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Scott Smith
  • Patent number: 11761383
    Abstract: In a burner of an embodiment, a torch part includes: a torch combustor liner that is provided in a torch part casing and burns a fuel and an oxidant; a torch fuel supply part that supplies a fuel; a torch oxidant supply part that supplies an oxidant; an ignition device that ignites a fuel-air mixture; and a combustion gas pipe that is arranged at the center of the torch part and leads a combustion gas in the torch combustor liner to one end side of the torch part. A main fuel-main oxidant supply part includes: a main fuel supply passage formed in an annular shape on an outer periphery of the torch part; and a main oxidant supply passage formed in an annular shape on an outer periphery of the main fuel supply passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: TOSHIBA ENERGY SYSTEMS & SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masao Itoh, Yasunori Iwai, Yuichi Morisawa, Hiroki Kasuya
  • Patent number: 11746696
    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: October 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
    Inventors: Mohammed Mozahar Hossain, Muflih Arisa Adnan
  • Patent number: 11739935
    Abstract: A dome-deflector structure for a combustor of a gas turbine includes a dome portion and a deflector portion, the dome portion and the deflector portion being connected together to form a dome-deflector cavity therebetween. The dome portion includes a plurality of dome-side cooling airflow passages therethrough arranged in a plurality of groups of dome-side cooling airflow passages, each group of dome-side cooling airflow passages being arranged to provide a flow of air therethrough in a respective group swirl direction, and adjacent groups of the dome-side cooling airflow passages providing the flow of air in a different group swirl direction with respect to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Adam Kahn, Nayan Patel, Dhanashegaran Shanmugam, Anil Raju
  • Patent number: 11739936
    Abstract: An injection system for a turbomachine combustion chamber includes a swirler and a mixing bowl. The mixing bowl includes a converging frustoconical portion and a diverging frustoconical portion. The diverging frustoconical portion is connected to the converging frustoconical portion, forming a continuous aerodynamic profile with the converging frustoconical portion. The diverging frustoconical portion is passed through by vortex holes which each includes a circumferential component around a longitudinal axis of the injection system and an axial component along the longitudinal axis of the injection system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Sébastien Alain Christophe Bourgois, Romain Nicolas Lunel, Haris Musaefendic
  • Patent number: 11732893
    Abstract: A device for supplying fuel to a combustion chamber of a gas generator includes an injection wheel (14) for injecting fuel into the combustion chamber (18),—a fuel supply rail (20) including an internal fuel circuit (30) with a fuel outlet means (32) supplying fuel to an annular spray chamber (24) formed between the rail (28, 44, 48, 52, 56) and the injection wheel (14),—at least one dynamic annular seal (26) adapted to provide a seal between an annular face (34) of the fuel supply rail (28, 44, 48, 52, 56) and the injection wheel (14), wherein the internal fuel circuit (30) of the fuel supply rail includes an annular fuel flow part arranged radially at the dynamic annular seal (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: SAFRAN HELICOPTER ENGINES
    Inventors: Patrick Olivier Duchaine, Guillaume Thierry Cottin
  • Patent number: 11725824
    Abstract: A combustor for a rotating detonation engine includes a radially outer wall extending along an axis (A); a radially inner wall extending along the axis (A), wherein the radially inner wall is positioned within the radially outer wall to define an annular detonation chamber having an inlet for fuel and oxidant and an outlet; a first passage for feeding at least one of the fuel and the oxidant along a first passage axis (a1) to the inlet; a second passage for feeding at least one of the fuel and the oxidant along a second passage axis (a2) to the inlet, wherein the second passage axis is arranged at an angle (?) relative to the first passage axis whereby mixing of flow from the first passage and the second passage is induced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Zhongtao Dai, Peter A T Cocks
  • Patent number: 11725578
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a low-pressure spool, a high-pressure spool, and an electric motor. The low-pressure spool includes a low-pressure compressor in rotational communication with a low-pressure turbine and a fan via a first shaft. The high-pressure spool includes a high-pressure compressor in rotational communication with a high-pressure turbine via a second shaft. The electric motor is operably connected to the second shaft. The electric motor is configured to apply a rotational force to the second shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Gary Collopy
  • Patent number: 11725821
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle device (100) for injecting liquid fuel into a combustion chamber (52) of a gas turbine engine (10) includes an outer tube (101), a rear end wall (102) closing a base end of the outer tube, a tapered conical tube (104) defining a first air passage (112) therein, and a second air passage (114) having an annular cross section jointly with the outer tube, a fuel passage (108) axially passed through the rear end wall, and leading to a fuel ejection port (109) directed toward an inner circumferential surface of a base end of the conical tube, a first air introduction passage (111) passed through the outer tube to communicate with the first air passage, and a second air introduction passage (113) passed through the outer tube to communicate with the second air passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuharu Kamoi, Shinichi Kobayashi, Hideaki Nakano, Yukihito Koizumi, Shigeru Hayashi
  • Patent number: 11725820
    Abstract: A fuel injector assembly for a combustor of a gas turbine engine includes an annular body defining a hollow interior space, first and second openings to the interior space, and a chamber defining a fluid manifold. The first and second openings are respectively proximate opposite first and second ends of the annular body. The first end is upstream of the second end. The fuel injector assembly includes an annular fuel nozzle positioned in the interior space and spaced from the annular body. The annular fuel nozzle includes a plurality of fuel injection ports configured for injecting a fuel into the combustor. The fuel injector assembly also includes one or more fuel supply struts coupled to the annular fuel nozzle and the annular body. The fuel supply struts are coupled in fluid communication with the fluid manifold and the annular fuel nozzle for channeling a fuel therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Thomassen Energy B.V.
    Inventors: Peter Stuttaford, Matthijs Rijkmans, Jacobus Nicolaas Adrianus Koomen, Tim Dammers, Diethard Jansen
  • Patent number: 11725819
    Abstract: An engine can utilize a combustor to combust fuel to drive the engine. A fuel nozzle assembly can supply fuel to the combustor for combustion or ignition of the fuel. The fuel nozzle assembly can include a swirler and a fuel nozzle to supply a mixture of fuel and air for combustion, which can supply a primary fuel supply and a secondary fuel supply. Increasing efficiency and reducing emission require the use of alternative fuels, which combust at higher temperatures or burn at faster burn speeds than traditional fuels, requiring improved fuel introduction without the occurrence of flame holding or flashback.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Perumallu Vukanti, Pradeep Naik, Clayton S. Cooper, Michael A. Benjamin, Michael T. Bucaro, Manampathy G. Giridharan, Steven C. Vise, Ajoy Patra, Saket Singh, R Narasimha Chiranthan