Patents Examined by Young Choi
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Patent number: 8240125Abstract: A method and system for thrust vectoring a primary fluid flow from an exhaust nozzle of a jet engine that significantly increases the non-axial force able to be generated by a flight control surface associated with the nozzle. In one implementation the method involves placing a flight control element having a movable portion adjacent a downstream edge of the nozzle. A secondary fluid flow is created adjacent a surface of the flight control element that influences a boundary layer of the primary fluid flow over the flight control element. This causes the primary fluid flow to generate a force that is directed non-parallel (i.e., non-axial) to a longitudinal axis of the nozzle. In one specific implementation a plurality of slots are formed in the flight control surface, and the flight control surface is formed by an airfoil. In another implementation the flight control surface is formed on an interior wall of the nozzle at a downstream edge of the nozzle.Type: GrantFiled: July 26, 2007Date of Patent: August 14, 2012Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventor: Ronald Tatsuji Kawai
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Patent number: 8230673Abstract: Propellants flow through specialized mechanical hardware that is designed for effective and safe ignition and sustained combustion of the propellants. By integrating a micro-fluidic porous media element between a propellant feed source and the combustion chamber, an effective and reliable propellant injector head may be implemented that is capable of withstanding transient combustion and detonation waves that commonly occur during an ignition event. The micro-fluidic porous media element is of specified porosity or porosity gradient selected to be appropriate for a given propellant. Additionally the propellant injector head design integrates a spark ignition mechanism that withstands extremely hot running conditions without noticeable spark mechanism degradation.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2009Date of Patent: July 31, 2012Assignee: Firestar Engineering, LLCInventors: Gregory S. Mungas, David J. Fisher, Christopher Mungas
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Patent number: 8220247Abstract: Disclosed herein is a power generation process in which a portion of the carbon dioxide generated by gaseous fuel combustion is recycled back to the power generation process, either pre-combustion, post-combustion, or both. The power generation process of the invention may be a combined cycle process or a traditional power generation process. The process utilizes sweep-based membrane separation.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2011Date of Patent: July 17, 2012Assignee: Membrane Technology and Research, Inc.Inventors: Johannes G. Wijmans, Timothy C. Merkel, Richard W. Baker, Xiaotong Wei
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Patent number: 8220248Abstract: Disclosed herein is a power generation process in which a portion of the carbon dioxide generated by gaseous fuel combustion is recycled back to the power generation process, either pre-combustion, post-combustion, or both. The power generation process of the invention may be a combined cycle process or a traditional power generation process. The process utilizes sweep-based membrane separation.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2011Date of Patent: July 17, 2012Assignee: Membrane Technology and Research, IncInventors: Johannes G. Wijmans, Timothy C. Merkel, Richard W. Baker, Xiaotong Wei
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Patent number: 8205454Abstract: A nozzle system includes a multitude of circumferentially distributed divergent seals that circumscribe an engine centerline. Each divergent seal includes a multiple of divergent seal intakes adjacent to a joint structure to receive cooling airflow. Each divergent seal body is manufactured of a metallic hot sheet inner skin and a metallic cold sheet outer skin. The skins form a multiple of longitudinal channels which communicate with a multiple of edge channels formed within the first longitudinal side and the second longitudinal side of each divergent seal. The multiple of edge channels are located transverse to the longitudinal axis and are raked aft to facilitate cooling of the gas path surface of each divergent seal and adjacent divergent flaps.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2007Date of Patent: June 26, 2012Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: Curtis C. Cowan, James P. Allore, Paul Attridge
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Patent number: 8205426Abstract: A method for assembling a turbine engine to facilitate reducing an operating temperature of a lubrication fluid during engine operation, the gas turbine engine including a fan assembly, a booster downstream from the fan assembly, and a splitter circumscribing the booster. The method includes coupling a radially inner wall and a radially outer wall at a leading edge to form a splitter body, and coupling an inner support structure within the splitter body such that a cooling circuit is defined between at least a portion of the inner support structure and the inner and outer walls, said cooling circuit configured to circulate lubrication fluid therethrough such that as a temperature of the lubrication fluid is reduced and a temperature of at least a portion of the inner and outer walls is increased.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2006Date of Patent: June 26, 2012Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Jan Christopher Schilling
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Patent number: 8191349Abstract: A turbine system comprises a compressor for compressing air to generate a compressed flow, an air separation unit for receiving and separating at least a portion of the compressed flow into oxygen and a low-oxygen stream, a combustor for receiving and combusting at least a portion of the low-oxygen stream, a portion of the compressed flow and a fuel to generate a high temperature exhaust gas, and a turbine for receiving and expanding the high temperature exhaust gas to generate electricity and a reduced temperature low-NOx exhaust gas.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2011Date of Patent: June 5, 2012Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Andrei Tristan Evulet, Ahmed Mostafa Elkady
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Patent number: 8166767Abstract: An assembly for a gas turbine engine includes a combustor and a vane assembly disposed downstream thereof. A portion of an outer platform of the vane assembly defines an axial sliding joint connection with the combustor, and includes a plurality of depressions located in an outer circumferential surface thereof opposite the combustor. The depressions are disposed in regions of expected higher thermal growth about the circumference of the outer platform such that thermal growth of the entire outer platform is substantially uniform circumferentially therearound.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2010Date of Patent: May 1, 2012Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.Inventors: Nicolas Grivas, Bhawan B. Patel, Oleg Morenko, Eric Durocher
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Patent number: 8166747Abstract: A steam injection gas turbine engine having a once-through steam generator (OTSG). A condenser is provided downstream of the OTSG to capture water and is protected from hot flue gasses during startup by a bypass circuit. Optionally, heating the exhaust downstream of the condenser using coolant taken from an intercooler provides plume suppression.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2007Date of Patent: May 1, 2012Assignee: Rolls-Royce plcInventors: Mitsuru Obana, Paul Fletcher, Christopher J B Barkey, Torbjorn O Lindquist, Andrew M Rolt
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Patent number: 8151570Abstract: Embodiments for an apparatus and associated method for providing a cooling fluid to a gas turbine transition duct in order to lower the effective operating temperatures of the transition duct are disclosed. The transition duct has an inner liner and an impingement sleeve positioned radially outward with a passageway formed therebetween. The impingement sleeve has a plurality of openings where a portion of the openings each have a feed tube extending through the opening and into the passageway. The feed tubes are oriented at an angle relative to the impingement sleeve, such that an inlet to the feed tube is directed generally towards an oncoming flow of cooling fluid. The feed tubes direct a portion of the cooling fluid toward the inner liner and into the passageway for cooling of the transition duct.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2007Date of Patent: April 10, 2012Assignee: Alstom Technology LtdInventors: Stephen Jennings, Peter Stuttaford, Stephen W. Jorgensen
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Patent number: 8136359Abstract: Embodiments for minimizing relative thermal growth within a fuel nozzle of a gas turbine combustor are disclosed. Fuel nozzle configurations are provided in which a heating fluid is provided to one or more passages in a fuel nozzle from feed holes in the fuel nozzle base. The heating fluid passes through the fuel nozzle, thereby raising the operating temperature of portions of the fuel nozzle to reduce differences in thermal gradients within the fuel nozzle. Various fuel nozzle configurations and passageway geometries are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2007Date of Patent: March 20, 2012Assignee: Power Systems Mfg., LLCInventors: Peter Stuttaford, Paul Economo, Khalid Oumejjoud, Max Dufflocq, Hany Rizkalla
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Patent number: 8127524Abstract: A fuel system for a turbine engine is provided. The fuel system includes a positive displacement pump driven by an electric motor. The pump is rotated in a first direction to deliver fuel to the turbine engine, and a second direction for evacuating fuel from the turbine engine. A shut-off check valve is open in a first direction in response to a first differential pressure created by the pump in the first direction. The shut-off check valve is biased to a closed position when the pump is rotating in the second direction. An ecology check valve is biased to a closed position in the first direction and open in the second direction in response to a second differential pressure created by the pump. The check valves open and close automatically in response to the pressures generated by the positive displacement pump in each of the first and second rotational directions. In this manner, simple, reliable valves are utilized to regulate the flow of fuel in the fuel system.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2007Date of Patent: March 6, 2012Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand CorporationInventors: Charles H. Falke, Leo J. Veilleux, Douglas A. Parsons
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Patent number: 8104259Abstract: A method for operating a power plant to facilitate reducing emissions, wherein the power plant includes a gas turbine engine assembly and a carbon dioxide (CO2) separator. The method includes increasing an operating pressure of exhaust gas discharged from the gas turbine engine assembly, separating substantially all the CO2 entrained within the gas turbine engine utilizing the CO2separator to produce a CO2 lean airstream, reducing the operating temperature of the CO2lean airstream, and utilizing the cooled CO2lean airstream to facilitate reducing an operating temperature of air entering the gas turbine engine assembly.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2011Date of Patent: January 31, 2012Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Narendra Digamber Joshi, Lautaro Aspiazu Montgomery, James William Stegmaier
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Patent number: 8069646Abstract: A pressure vessel bypass valve forms a bypass system for enabling a part of the air compressed by a compressor to directly flow into a combustor while preventing the part of the air from flowing through a humidification tower and a recuperator. A turbine bypass valve forms another bypass system for enabling a part of a humidified air to be discharged to an exhaust duct after a heat exchange between the humidified air and a turbine exhaust gas is performed in the recuperator while preventing the part of the humidified air from flowing through a turbine. A turbine control system controls the bypass valves to be opened and closed in accordance with increase and decrease of the load.Type: GrantFiled: September 4, 2007Date of Patent: December 6, 2011Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Yuki Nakano, Yukinori Katagiri
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Patent number: 8065868Abstract: A non-invasive system, method, and apparatus for control input prediction and state verification of an aircraft's fluidic vectoring exhaust is disclosed. The control system derives a desired vector state, then predicts and sets the fluidic injection input required to produce the desired vector state. A vectored state verification routine is used to determine the resulting vector state for feedback to the control system.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2006Date of Patent: November 29, 2011Assignee: Lockheed Martin CorporationInventors: Rob S. Burgun, Kerry B. Ginn, Daniel N. Miller
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Patent number: 8051663Abstract: Gas turbine engine systems involving cooling of combustion section liners are provided. In this regard, a representative liner includes: an outer side, an inner side, an upstream end and a downstream end, the outer side being configured to face away from a combustion reaction, the inner side being configured to face the combustion reaction; a cooling air channel, at least a portion of the cooling air channel being located in a vicinity of the downstream end; and cooling holes formed through the inner side of the liner, the cooling holes being in fluid communication with the cooling air channel such that cooling air provided to the cooling air channel is directed through the cooling holes and to the inner side of the liner such that at least a portion of the inner side of the liner receives cooling air despite a corresponding portion located on the outer side of the liner being obstructed from directly receiving cooling air.Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 2007Date of Patent: November 8, 2011Assignee: United Technologies Corp.Inventor: Richard S. Tuthill
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Patent number: 8046986Abstract: A method and system for controlling an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system is provided. The method and system may incorporate a device or devices that continuously monitors an exhaust stream for harmful constituents. The method and system may control components of the EGR system based on the concentration of harmful constituents within the exhaust.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2007Date of Patent: November 1, 2011Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Rahul J. Chillar, Robert W. Taylor, Peter Martin Maly, Jason D. Fuller
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Patent number: 8037689Abstract: A fuel nozzle for a turbine is disclosed. The fuel nozzle includes a housing, a plurality of fuel passages disposed within the housing, and a plurality of air passages disposed within the housing. A total flow area of the plurality of fuel passages is substantially equal to a total flow area of the plurality of air passages.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2007Date of Patent: October 18, 2011Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Sergey Adolfovich Oskin, Mark Allan Hadley, Joel Meador Hall, Sergey Konstantinovich Yerokhin, Sergey Anatolievich Meshkov
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Patent number: 8033114Abstract: A fuel injector including a peripheral atomisation system having a plurality of fuel ejection orifices distributed at regular intervals along the circumference and an annular air eddy deflector. The deflector includes air ejection channels such that, for each fuel ejection axis defined by an ejection orifice, there is a corresponding air ejection channel of which at least the radially most internal part has a median substantially intersecting this fuel ejection axis.Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 2007Date of Patent: October 11, 2011Assignee: SNECMAInventors: Didier Hippolyte Hernandez, Thomas Olivier Marie Noel
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Patent number: 8033093Abstract: A gas turbine apparatus is used in, for example, a power generation apparatus. The gas turbine apparatus according to the present invention includes a turbine, an air compressor rotatable integrally with the turbine, a recuperator for performing heat exchange between air compressed by the air compressor and an exhaust gas discharged from the turbine, a combustor for combusting a fuel mixed with the compressed air heated by the recuperator so as to produce a combustion gas, and an outer tube, an intermediate tube, and an inner tube which are coaxially arranged. An outer passage is formed between the outer tube and the intermediate tube, an intermediate passage is formed between the intermediate tube and the inner tube, and an inner passage is formed in the inner tube.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2007Date of Patent: October 11, 2011Inventors: Tadashi Kataoka, Tadahiko Kishikawa, Teruyuki Nakajima