Abstract: A gas turbine engine in which a long length-to-diameter (L/D) flexible shaft is used to connect two high speed shafts in order to tolerate misalignment. In order to reduce the overall system length, a smaller diameter flexible shaft is contained within but not in contact with a larger diameter primary turbomachinery shaft such that the smaller flexible shaft adjoins to the primary shaft aft of the primary shaft bearing. This design reduces a length of the overall system and reduces additional cost associated with a flex bellows or spline.

Abstract: A process for forming a metal part from an additive manufacturing process with a smooth surface that includes the steps of printing the part using an AM process, heating the printed part to its solution heat treat or annealing temperature, placing the printed part in a fluidized salt bath for a short period of time to smooth a rough surface on the metal part, and then rapidly cool the heated metal part to prevent any change in grain structure. If the metal part is made from a metal material that oxidizes, then the metal part is treated in an enclosed chamber with Argon gas.

Abstract: A turbopump is formed from a metal additive manufacturing process in which both the housing and the impeller are formed as a single piece with the impeller trapped within the single piece housing. The impeller is formed with an axial bore and a shaft is secured by a tie bolt on one end to secure forward and aft bearings within the housing after the impeller and housing have been formed.

Abstract: An aero gas turbine engine with a last stage turbine disc of a solid bore design. The solid bore turbine disc includes a center tie bolt that attaches to an upstream face of the solid bore disc. The attachment location is under the bore of the upstream stage. The aft side of the solid disc creates a stub shaft upon which a bearing is directly mounted. No fasteners pass through the solid bore disc. Omission of outboard fasteners allow for ease of assembly, reduced cost, reduced weight, and a reduced part count.

Abstract: A process for forming a metal part from an additive manufacturing process with a smooth surface that includes the steps of printing the part using an AM process, heating the printed part to its solution heat treat or annealing temperature, placing the printed part in a fluidized salt bath for a short period of time to smooth a rough surface on the metal part, and then rapidly cool the heated metal part to prevent any change in grain structure. If the metal part is made from a metal material that oxidizes, then the metal part is treated in an enclosed chamber with Argon gas.

Abstract: A turbomachine such as a turbocharger with an air journal bearing and an air thrust bearing arrangement with a fixed air journal bearing connected in series with a floating air journal bearing connected by a hollow spring to supply compressed air from the fixed air journal bearing to the floating air journal bearing, and a forward air thrust bearing and an aft air thrust bearing connected in parallel to a source of compressed air. An air vent cavity is formed between the forward bearing and the aft bearing in which compressed air from all four bearings can be collected and discharged from a housing. Some of the compressed air from the forward thrust bearing is discharged with a compressor outlet, and some of the compressed air from the aft thrust bearing is discharged into a turbine inlet.

Abstract: A turbopump such as a liquid oxygen (LOX) turbopump for a liquid rocket engine is formed using a metal additive manufacturing process in which a single-piece impeller is formed within a single piece housing, the impeller being trapped within the single piece housing. The impeller is formed with an axial bore in which a shaft is inserted after the impeller and housing have been formed. The turbopump includes a protective coating that forms a reaction resistant surface on the base metal in areas of the base metal that are exposed to an oxidizer during pumping. The protective coating may be an enamel glass, a superalloy layer beneath an enamel glass layer, a composite layer of a mixture of enamel glass and superalloy, a composite mixture of oxide and superalloy, or a composite layer of a mixture of enamel glass, superalloy, and oxide.

Abstract: A turbocharger for an internal combustion engine, the turbocharger being supported by hydrostatic bearings in both a radial and an axial direction by a compressed air supplied from a compressor of the turbocharger and boosted in pressure by a separate boost pump to a high enough pressure to support the rotor of the turbocharger. The turbocharger hydrostatic bearings are damped using wire mesh or dispersed friction dampers.

Abstract: A hydrocarbon leak detection sensor having a hydrocarbon indicator paint applied to a surface exposed to a flow in which the presence of a hydrocarbon is detected. The sensor is located at a low point in a static drain line that is connected to a main fuel line of a liquid propellant rocket engine between a main fuel valve and a fuel injector of a combustion chamber. The sensor includes a housing with a flow inlet port and a flow outlet port with an optical device opposed to a removable plug that secures a target disk with a hydrocarbon indicator paint applied to an exposed surface. A light source is used to illuminate the hydrocarbon indicator that changes color from white to red in the presence of a hydrocarbon.

Abstract: A process of forming a metal part from a metal powder using a laser to melt the metal powder, where a complex part can be formed in which a support structure is formed from lightly bonding metal powder together without melting so that a support structure can be formed, or melting metal powder to form thin ligaments capable of forming a support layer within the metal powder that can be easily broken away when the metal part is finished. The lightly bonded support layer of metal powder can be formed using a ceramic slurry or controlling the laser power or speed so that the metal powder is not melted but lightly bonded together.

Abstract: A turbopump for a liquid rocket engine in which an oxidizer is pumped, where the turbopump is formed with a single piece rotor within a single piece housing by a metal additive manufacturing process, and where surfaces exposed to the oxidizer is coated with enamel glass to provide a smooth surface over the rough printed surface and to provide burn resistance to the base metal from exposure to the oxidizer such as oxygen. A Mondaloy coating can be used below the enamel glass coating to add additional burn resistance to the base metal.

Abstract: An air cooled turbine stator vane form a small gas turbine engine in which the vane has an airfoil of less than one inch in spanwise height, where the airfoil is a hollow airfoil having an insert that forms a sequential impingement cooling circuit for the pressure side wall and then the suction side wall. The insert includes a plurality of cooling air supply channels connected together by ribs where pressure side impingement holes are formed in the cooling air supply channels and suction side wall impingement cooling holes are formed in the ribs.

Abstract: A turbocharger for an internal combustion engine, the turbocharger being supported by hydrostatic bearings in both a radial and an axial direction by a compressed air supplied from a compressor of the turbocharger and boosted in pressure by a separate boost pump to a high enough pressure to support the rotor of the turbocharger.

Abstract: A turbocharger for an internal combustion engine, the turbocharger being supported by hydrostatic bearings in both a radial and an axial direction by a compressed air supplied from a compressor of the turbocharger and boosted in pressure by a separate boost pump to a high enough pressure to support the rotor of the turbocharger.

Abstract: An extendable nozzle for a rocket engine includes a chamber with a main combustion chamber and a throat and a main nozzle formed within a guide tube, where a nozzle extension slides over the guide tube from a stowed position to an extendable position. A locking O-ring secures the nozzle extension in a stowed position, and a locking split ring holds the nozzle extension in the extended position.

Abstract: A rocket engine turbopump with a main rotor shaft supporting a liquid oxygen impeller on a forward end and a turbine on an aft end, and with a multiple stage liquid hydrogen impeller in-between. Two hydrostatic bearings support the main rotor shaft such that the liquid oxygen impeller and the turbine are both overhung. A balancing piston is used to balance the main rotor shaft in an axial direction. This structure allows for the main rotor shaft to be of such a large diameter that the turbopump is capable of operating at around 70,000 rpm that can produce a liquid hydrogen outlet pressure of around 4,000 psia in a turbopump having a diameter of less than 10 inches.

Abstract: A hydrocarbon presence sensor used to detect for the presence of a fuel in a buffer cavity of an inter-propellant seal. A sensor is formed on a rotor shaft in the buffer cavity and an optical imaging device is used to view a change in appearance of the sensor when a hydrocarbon forms on the surface. The sensor is formed from either an oil/fuel leak detection powder or an oil colorimetric developer. A white light source or a laser is reflected off of the sensor and an optical imaging device reads the reflected light to detect for a change in color or intensity of the light to indicate if a hydrocarbon is present on the sensor surface.

Abstract: A centrifugal impeller with a single inlet and dual outlets that include a low pressure outlet and a high pressure outlet. The impeller includes low pressure blades with high pressure blades located downstream. The impeller can be shrouded or unshrouded, and can include an inner shroud that forms a flow path for the low pressure fluid and a high pressure flow path for the high pressure fluid. The impeller can include a high pressure volute and a low pressure volute that forms a dual volute with dual diffusers for both fluids.

Abstract: A rocket propulsion system having a liquid fuel tank and a liquid oxidizer tank, where a liquid inert gas tank supplies liquid inert gas to a liquid inert gas pump driven by a turbine of the engine to pressurize the liquid inert gas, which is passed through a heat exchanger around the nozzle to vaporize the inert gas, that is then used to pressurize the liquid oxidizer tank so that a liquid oxidizer pump is not needed, or to pressurize both the liquid oxidizer tank and the liquid fuel tank so that a liquid oxidizer pump and a liquid fuel pump are not needed in the rocket engine.

Abstract: A hybrid expander cycle rocket engine with separate turbopumps for a fuel and an oxidizer, where the fuel pump is driven by gaseous fuel passed from the fuel pump and through a heat exchanger formed within the nozzle or combustion chamber and passed through the fuel turbine and then into the combustion chamber. The oxidizer turbopump is driven by the gas generator with the fuel diverted from the fuel pump and burned with some of the oxidizer from the oxidizer pump.