Patents by Inventor Andrew Wickersham
Andrew Wickersham has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11923586Abstract: A combustion section defines an axial direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction. The combustion section includes a casing that defines a diffusion chamber. A combustion liner is disposed within the diffusion chamber and defines a combustion chamber. The combustion liner is spaced apart from the casing such that a passageway is defined between the combustion liner and the casing. A fuel cell assembly is disposed in the passageway. The fuel cell assembly includes a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells each extending between an inlet end and an outlet end. Each fuel cell of the plurality of fuel cells includes an air channel and a fuel channel each fluidly coupled to the combustion chamber.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 2022Date of Patent: March 5, 2024Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Seung-Hyuck Hong, Richard L Hart, Honggang Wang, Anil Raj Duggal, Michael Anthony Benjamin, Andrew Wickersham, Shih-Yang Hsieh
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Patent number: 11859820Abstract: A combustion section defines an axial direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction. The combustion section includes a casing that defines a diffusion chamber. A combustion liner is disposed within the diffusion chamber and defines a combustion chamber. The combustion liner is spaced apart from the casing such that a passageway is defined between the combustion liner and the casing. A fuel cell assembly is disposed in the passageway. The fuel cell assembly includes a fuel cell stack that has a plurality of fuel cells each extending between an inlet end and an outlet end. The inlet end receives a flow of air and fuel and the outlet end provides output products to the combustion chamber. The outlet end of the plurality of fuel cells extends through the combustion liner and partially defines the combustion chamber.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 2022Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Seung-Hyuck Hong, Richard L. Hart, Honggang Wang, Anil Raj Duggal, Michael Anthony Benjamin, Andrew Wickersham, Narendra Digamber Joshi
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Publication number: 20230358170Abstract: A diffuser for a combustor of a turbomachine engine. The diffuser includes a body having a first annular surface and a second annular surface that define a passage, the passage being configured to cause air to flow along the passage to a first component of the combustor. The first annular surface includes an opening that is configured to cause air to flow in a direction away from the passage to a second component of the combustor.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 9, 2022Publication date: November 9, 2023Inventors: Juntao Zhang, Nicholas R. Overman, Steven C. Vise, Andrew Wickersham, Michael A. Benjamin
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Patent number: 11753179Abstract: A ramjet including: a combustion area having an air inlet and an exhaust outlet; and a fuel cell in fluid communication with the air inlet and a fuel supply of the ramjet, wherein the fuel cell is in thermal communication with the combustion area.Type: GrantFiled: October 14, 2020Date of Patent: September 12, 2023Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Andrew Wickersham, Richard Hart
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Patent number: 11686474Abstract: A gas turbine engine may include a combustion section having a fuel nozzle, a swirler, and a ferrule configured to mount and center the fuel nozzle with the swirler. The combustion section may further include a damper on a cold side of the combustion section. The damper may have an acoustic cavity, a damper neck, and a cavity feed hole. The damper may operate as Helmholtz cavity to absorb a hydrodynamic or acoustic instability present in a region within the swirler.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 2021Date of Patent: June 27, 2023Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Kwanwoo Kim, Clayton Cooper, Steven Vise, Shai Birmaher, Pradeep Naik, Andrew Wickersham
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Patent number: 11486262Abstract: An engine may include an integrated diffuser-bleed baffle assembly, a diffuser, and a bleed port. The integrated diffuser-bleed baffle assembly fluidly coupled between the diffuser and the bleed port. The integrated diffuser-bleed baffle assembly is configured to flow a boundary layer flow from the diffuser to the bleed port. A baffle hole may be included in the integrated diffuser-bleed baffle assembly such that the assembly may function to dampen acoustic instabilities in the engine.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2021Date of Patent: November 1, 2022Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Andrew Wickersham, Michael A. Benjamin, Steven C. Vise
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Publication number: 20220282627Abstract: An engine may include an integrated diffuser-bleed baffle assembly, a diffuser, and a bleed port. The integrated diffuser-bleed baffle assembly fluidly coupled between the diffuser and the bleed port. The integrated diffuser-bleed baffle assembly is configured to flow a boundary layer flow from the diffuser to the bleed port. A baffle hole may be included in the integrated diffuser-bleed baffle assembly such that the assembly may function to dampen acoustic instabilities in the engine.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2021Publication date: September 8, 2022Inventors: Andrew Wickersham, Michael A. Benjamin, Steven C. Vise
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Publication number: 20220282870Abstract: A gas turbine engine may include a combustion section having a fuel nozzle, a swirler, and a ferrule configured to mount and center the fuel nozzle with the swirler. The combustion section may further include a damper on a cold side of the combustion section. The damper may have an acoustic cavity, a damper neck, and a cavity feed hole. The damper may operate as Helmholtz cavity to absorb a hydrodynamic or acoustic instability present in a region within the swirler.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 4, 2021Publication date: September 8, 2022Inventors: Kwanwoo Kim, Clayton Cooper, Steven Vise, Shai Birmaher, Pradeep Naik, Andrew Wickersham
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Publication number: 20220123323Abstract: A topping cycle fuel cell unit includes a support plate having internal flow passages that extend to combustion outlets, a first electrode layer, an electrolyte layer, and a second electrode layer. The second electrode layer is configured to be coupled to another support plate of another fuel cell unit. The internal flow passages are configured to receive and direct air across the first electrolyte layer or the second electrolyte layer and to receive and direct fuel across another of the first electrolyte layer or the second electrolyte layer such that the first electrode layer, the electrolyte layer, and the second electrode layer create electric current. The internal flow passages are configured to direct at least some of the air and at least some of the fuel to the combustion outlets where the at least some air and the at least some fuel is combusted.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2021Publication date: April 21, 2022Inventors: Richard Louis Hart, Andrew Wickersham, Jared Iverson, Daniel Jason Erno, Patric Daniel Willson
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Publication number: 20220111974Abstract: A ramjet including: a combustion area having an air inlet and an exhaust outlet; and a fuel cell in fluid communication with the air inlet and a fuel supply of the ramjet, wherein the fuel cell is in thermal communication with the combustion area.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 14, 2020Publication date: April 14, 2022Inventors: Andrew Wickersham, Richard Hart
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Patent number: 11239470Abstract: A topping cycle fuel cell unit includes a support plate having internal flow passages that extend to combustion outlets, a first electrode layer, an electrolyte layer, and a second electrode layer. The second electrode layer is configured to be coupled to another support plate of another fuel cell unit. The internal flow passages are configured to receive and direct air across the first electrolyte layer or the second electrolyte layer and to receive and direct fuel across another of the first electrolyte layer or the second electrolyte layer such that the first electrode layer, the electrolyte layer, and the second electrode layer create electric current. The internal flow passages are configured to direct at least some of the air and at least some of the fuel to the combustion outlets where the at least some air and the at least some fuel is combusted.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2018Date of Patent: February 1, 2022Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Richard Louis Hart, Jared Iverson, Andrew Wickersham, Patrick Daniel Willson, Daniel Jason Erno
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Patent number: 10808874Abstract: An inline fluid damper device comprises a flow-through conduit configured to be placed inside a larger exterior conduit through which a fluid flows. The flow-through conduit is elongated and extending around a center axis. The damper device also comprising an indirect flow conduit coupled with the flow-through conduit. The indirect flow conduit is also configured to be placed inside the larger exterior conduit. The flow-through conduit and the indirect flow conduit are configured to dampen one or more flow fluctuations or pressure fluctuations in the fluid flowing in the larger exterior conduit by dividing the fluid into a first portion that flows along the center axis through the flow-through conduit and a second portion that concurrently flows outside of the flow-through conduit along the center axis and along a different direction.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2017Date of Patent: October 20, 2020Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Ramal Janith Samarasinghe, Nicholas Arthur Magina, Andrew Wickersham, Arin Cross, Fei Han
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Publication number: 20200194799Abstract: A topping cycle fuel cell unit includes a support plate having internal flow passages that extend to combustion outlets, a first electrode layer, an electrolyte layer, and a second electrode layer. The second electrode layer is configured to be coupled to another support plate of another fuel cell unit. The internal flow passages are configured to receive and direct air across the first electrolyte layer or the second electrolyte layer and to receive and direct fuel across another of the first electrolyte layer or the second electrolyte layer such that the first electrode layer, the electrolyte layer, and the second electrode layer create electric current. The internal flow passages are configured to direct at least some of the air and at least some of the fuel to the combustion outlets where the at least some air and the at least some fuel is combusted.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2018Publication date: June 18, 2020Inventors: Richard Louis Hart, Jared Iverson, Andrew Wickersham, Patrick Daniel Willson, Daniel Jason Erno
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Publication number: 20190162350Abstract: An inline fluid damper device comprises a flow-through conduit configured to be placed inside a larger exterior conduit through which a fluid flows. The flow-through conduit is elongated and extending around a center axis. The damper device also comprising an indirect flow conduit coupled with the flow-through conduit. The indirect flow conduit is also configured to be placed inside the larger exterior conduit. The flow-through conduit and the indirect flow conduit are configured to dampen one or more flow fluctuations or pressure fluctuations in the fluid flowing in the larger exterior conduit by dividing the fluid into a first portion that flows along the center axis through the flow-through conduit and a second portion that concurrently flows outside of the flow-through conduit along the center axis and along a different direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2017Publication date: May 30, 2019Inventors: Ramal Janith Samarasinghe, Nicholas Arthur Magina, Andrew Wickersham, Arin Cross, Fei Han