Patents by Inventor Arthur W. Sibbach
Arthur W. Sibbach 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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Publication number: 20250059911Abstract: A turbine engine for an aircraft. The turbine engine includes a combustor, a core shaft, a turbine, and a steam system providing steam to a core air flow path. The steam system includes a boiler that receives combustion gases to boil water to generate steam. A steam turbine is fluidly coupled to the boiler to receive the steam from the boiler and to cause the steam turbine to rotate. The steam turbine is coupled to the core shaft to rotate the core shaft when the steam turbine rotates. The steam system may include a bypass flow path selectively operable to redirect at least one of the steam or water, and to bypass the core air flow path. The turbine engine may also include at least one steam control valve located downstream of the boiler and upstream of the core air flow path to control the flow of steam.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2023Publication date: February 20, 2025Inventors: Arthur W. Sibbach, James R. Reepmeyer, Erich Alois Krammer, Koji Asari, Robert R. Rachedi
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Patent number: 12228042Abstract: A lubrication system for a turbine engine having a longitudinal centerline axis and one or more rotating components. The lubrication system includes a primary lubrication system that supplies lubricant to the one or more rotating components during normal operation of the turbine engine. The lubrication system also includes an auxiliary lubrication system. The auxiliary lubrication system includes an auxiliary reservoir and a lubricant dispersion device. The auxiliary reservoir stores the lubricant therein. The lubricant dispersion device rotates about the longitudinal centerline axis. The lubricant dispersion device collects the lubricant in the auxiliary reservoir and disperses the lubricant to the one or more rotating components as the lubricant dispersion device rotates.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 2023Date of Patent: February 18, 2025Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Brandon W. Miller, Arthur W. Sibbach, Andrew Hudecki
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Publication number: 20250052189Abstract: A turbine engine for an aircraft includes a fan that rotates to generate a volume of air, a core turbine engine, a nacelle, and a steam system. The core turbine engine includes a combustor that generates combustion gases, and a turbine including a shaft. The combustor and the turbine define a core air flowpath. The fan is drivingly coupled to the shaft. The nacelle circumferentially surrounds the fan and defines a bypass airflow passage between the nacelle and the core turbine engine. The volume of air flows into the bypass airflow passage as bypass air and flows into the core air flowpath as core air. The steam system extracts water from the combustion gases, vaporizes the water to generate steam, and injects the steam into the core air flowpath to add mass flow to the core air. A bypass ratio of the turbine engine is greater than 18:1.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 7, 2023Publication date: February 13, 2025Inventors: Arthur W. Sibbach, Rudolf Selmeier, Lajith Vijayan, Rakshit Tirumala
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Publication number: 20250052190Abstract: A turbine engine for an aircraft. The turbine engine includes a combustor, a turbine, a boiler, a steam turbine, and a reheat boiler. The combustor generates combustion gases and the turbine is positioned downstream of the combustor to receive the combustion gases and to rotate the turbine. The boiler is positioned downstream of the combustor to receive the combustion gases and to boil water to generate steam. The steam turbine is fluidly coupled to the boiler to receive the steam from the boiler and to rotate the steam turbine. Each of the turbine and the steam turbine is drivingly coupled to a core shaft to rotate the core shaft. The reheat boiler is fluidly coupled to the steam turbine to receive the steam from the steam turbine and to reheat the steam. The combustor is fluidly coupled to the reheat boiler to receive the reheated steam.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 11, 2023Publication date: February 13, 2025Inventor: Arthur W. Sibbach
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Publication number: 20250052175Abstract: A turbine engine for an aircraft. The turbine engine includes a fan, a combustor in a core air flowpath that generates combustion gases, a core shaft, a turbine that receives the combustion gases to rotate the turbine, and a steam system. The steam system extracts water from the combustion gases, vaporizes the water to generate steam, and injects the steam into the core air flowpath. The steam system includes one or more water storage devices that store the water therein. The one or more water storage devices include a first state in which the one or more water storage devices increase or maintain a level of the water as the water flows through the one or more water storage devices, and a second state in which the one or more water storage devices decrease the level of the water in the one or more water storage devices.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 7, 2023Publication date: February 13, 2025Inventors: Arthur W. Sibbach, Robert R. Rachedi, Brandon W. Miller, Jeffrey D. Rambo, Daniel A. Niergarth
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Patent number: 12221905Abstract: A turbine engine for an aircraft. The turbine engine includes a fan, a combustor in a core air flowpath that generates combustion gases, a core shaft, a turbine that receives the combustion gases to rotate the turbine, and a steam system. The steam system extracts water from the combustion gases, vaporizes the water to generate steam, and injects the steam into the core air flowpath. The steam system includes one or more water storage devices that store the water therein. The one or more water storage devices include a first state in which the one or more water storage devices increase or maintain a level of the water as the water flows through the one or more water storage devices, and a second state in which the one or more water storage devices decrease the level of the water in the one or more water storage devices.Type: GrantFiled: August 7, 2023Date of Patent: February 11, 2025Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Arthur W. Sibbach, Robert R. Rachedi, Brandon W. Miller, Jeffrey D. Rambo, Daniel A. Niergarth
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Publication number: 20250043697Abstract: A lubrication system for a turbine engine having a longitudinal centerline axis and one or more rotating components. The lubrication system includes a primary lubrication system that supplies lubricant to the one or more rotating components during normal operation of the turbine engine. The lubrication system also includes an auxiliary lubrication system. The auxiliary lubrication system includes an auxiliary reservoir and a lubricant dispersion device. The auxiliary reservoir stores the lubricant therein. The lubricant dispersion device rotates about the longitudinal centerline axis. The lubricant dispersion device collects the lubricant in the auxiliary reservoir and disperses the lubricant to the one or more rotating components as the lubricant dispersion device rotates.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 12, 2023Publication date: February 6, 2025Inventors: Brandon W. Miller, Arthur W. Sibbach, Andrew Hudecki
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Patent number: 12215634Abstract: A turbine engine for an aircraft includes a turbo-engine with a core air flow path, a fan having a fan shaft coupled to the turbo-engine to rotate the fan shaft, and a steam system. A combustor is located in the core air flow path to combust fuel and to generate combustion gases. The steam system extracts water from the combustion gases and vaporizes the water to generate steam. The steam system is fluidly coupled to the core air flow path to inject the steam into the core air flow path. The steam system includes a controller configured to determine a water content of the core air upstream of the steam injection location and to change a position of a steam flow control valve to control the flow of the steam into the core air flow path.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2023Date of Patent: February 4, 2025Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Arthur W. Sibbach, Robert R. Rachedi, Kirk D. Gallier
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Publication number: 20250035013Abstract: A method of operating a lubrication system for a turbine engine having a fan and one or more rotating components. The lubrication system includes a primary lubrication system and an auxiliary lubrication system. The method includes supplying lubricant to the one or more rotating components from the primary lubrication system during a normal operation of the turbine engine, determining whether at least one of a fuel pressure is less than a fuel pressure threshold or a hydraulic pressure is less than a hydraulic pressure threshold, and activating the auxiliary lubrication system to supply the lubricant to the one or more rotating components from the auxiliary lubrication system when the fuel pressure is less than the fuel pressure threshold or the hydraulic pressure is less than the hydraulic pressure threshold.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 12, 2023Publication date: January 30, 2025Inventors: Brandon W. Miller, Arthur W. Sibbach, Andrew Hudecki
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Publication number: 20250027427Abstract: A turbine engine having a longitudinal centerline axis. The turbine engine including a fan comprising a plurality of fan blades that rotate about the longitudinal centerline axis and a rotational component coupled to the fan. The turbine engine including a fluid circuit for supplying fuel or lubricant to the turbine engine and a hydraulic fan brake coupled to the fluid circuit to prevent rotation of the rotational component, thus preventing rotation of the fan. The hydraulic fan brake including a hydraulic cylinder fluidly coupled to the fluid circuit and a valve coupled to the hydraulic cylinder and having a first valve position that disengages the hydraulic fan brake to allow rotation of the rotational component and a second valve position that engages the hydraulic fan brake to prevent rotation of the rotational component.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 18, 2024Publication date: January 23, 2025Inventors: Jeffrey D. Rambo, Brandon W. Miller, Arthur W. Sibbach, Scott D. Hunter, Ryan T. Roehm
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Publication number: 20250027455Abstract: A mounting assembly for a gearbox assembly of a gas turbine engine includes at least one mounting member configured to mount a gear of the gearbox assembly to a component of the gas turbine engine, the at least one mounting member characterized by a lateral impedance parameter, a bending impedance parameter, and a torsional impedance parameter. A gas turbine engine includes the mounting assembly. The at least one mounting member may be a flex mount, a fan frame, or a flex coupling. The gas turbine engine includes an electric power system including at least one electric machine. The electric power system includes a plurality of power converters and a plurality of power distribution management units. At least two of the plurality of power converters or the plurality of power distribution management units are integrated together in a single housing.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 9, 2024Publication date: January 23, 2025Inventors: Bugra H. Ertas, Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Andrea Piazza, Arthur W. Sibbach
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Publication number: 20250020068Abstract: Systems, apparatus, articles of manufacture, and methods are disclosed to improve fan operability control using smart materials. An engine comprising an engine surface in an airflow path, a sensor positioned on the engine surface, and a smart-material-based feature positioned on the engine surface, the smart-material-based feature triggered to modify the airflow path when the sensor outputs an indication of a detected deviation from a reference value of an operating parameter of the engine.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 11, 2023Publication date: January 16, 2025Applicant: General Electric Company Polska sp. z o.o.Inventors: Avinash Natarajan, Vishnu Vardhan Venkata Tatiparthi, Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Nagashiresha G, Prateek Mathur, Michal Tomasz Kuropatwa, Arthur W. Sibbach
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Publication number: 20250020070Abstract: A lubrication system for a turbine engine. The turbine engine includes a fan having a fan shaft and one or more rotating components. The lubrication system includes one or more tanks that stores lubricant therein, a primary lubrication system, and an auxiliary lubrication system. The primary lubrication system supplies the lubricant from the one or more tanks to the one or more rotating components during normal operation of the turbine engine. The auxiliary lubrication system includes an auxiliary pump that is coupled to the fan shaft. The auxiliary lubrication system supplies the lubricant from the one or more tanks to the one or more rotating components based on a pressure of the lubricant in the primary lubrication system. Rotation of the fan shaft causes the auxiliary pump to pump the lubricant to the one or more rotating components.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 22, 2023Publication date: January 16, 2025Inventors: Arthur W. Sibbach, Brandon W. Miller, Andrew Hudecki, Randy M. Vondrell, Jeffrey D. Rambo
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Publication number: 20240426250Abstract: A turbine engine has a longitudinal centerline axis. The turbine engine includes a fan, a turbo-engine, and a unidirectional brake. The fan includes a plurality of fan blades that rotate in a first direction about the longitudinal centerline axis. The turbo-engine includes a combustor that combusts compressed air and fuel to generate combustion gases and a low-pressure turbine including a low-pressure shaft. The low-pressure turbine receives the combustion gases to rotate the low-pressure turbine. The fan is coupled to the low-pressure shaft such that rotation of the low-pressure shaft causes the fan to rotate in the first direction. A unidirectional brake is coupled to the low-pressure shaft to prevent rotation of the low-pressure shaft and, thus, the fan in a second direction opposite the first direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 17, 2023Publication date: December 26, 2024Inventors: Eric Barre, Brandon W. Miller, Arthur W. Sibbach
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Publication number: 20240426374Abstract: A lubrication system for a gearbox assembly for a turbine engine. The gearbox assembly includes a gear assembly including one or more gears and one or more bearings. The lubrication system includes a sump. The sump is a primary reservoir that has a first lubricant level. The lubrication system also includes a secondary reservoir in the gearbox assembly. The secondary reservoir has a second lubricant level that is greater than the first lubricant level. A plurality of drain ports includes a first drain port and a second drain port. The lubrication system fills the secondary reservoir with lubricant between the first lubricant level and the second lubricant level and a portion of the lubricant drains though the second drain port. The one or more gears collects the lubricant to supply the lubricant from the secondary reservoir to the one or more gears or to the one or more bearings.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 5, 2023Publication date: December 26, 2024Inventors: Brandon W. Miller, Arthur W. Sibbach, Andrew Hudecki, Ryan T. Roehm
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Patent number: 12173669Abstract: A gas turbine has a core turbine engine, and a fan having a plurality of fan blades. A nacelle surrounds the fan and at least a portion of the core turbine engine. The nacelle defines an inlet arranged upstream of the fan, and a bypass flow passage downstream of the fan defined between the nacelle and the core turbine engine. The gas turbine also includes a bypass flow passage water injection system that includes (a) at least one water injection nozzle assembly arranged to inject water into at least one of the inlet of the nacelle, or into the bypass flow passage, and (b) a water injection supply system arranged to supply water from a storage tank to the at least one water injection nozzle assembly. Water is provided by the bypass flow passage water injection system during a high power operating states of the gas turbine to augment thrust.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2023Date of Patent: December 24, 2024Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Brandon W. Miller, Arthur W. Sibbach, Jeffrey D. Rambo, Daniel A. Niergarth
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Publication number: 20240359816Abstract: A hydrogen fuel including a safety marker and a method and apparatus for adding the safety marker to the hydrogen fuel. The hydrogen fuel may be stored in a tank in a liquid phase and then heated to at least one of a gaseous phase and a supercritical phase. The safety marker may be added to the hydrogen fuel when the hydrogen fuel is in the at least one of the gaseous phase and the supercritical phase after heating the hydrogen fuel. The hydrogen fuel may be delivered in the at least one of the gaseous phase and the supercritical phase to a power generator, such as a gas turbine engine. The safety marker may be a visual safety marker, such as a noble gas, or an odorant.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 10, 2024Publication date: October 31, 2024Inventors: Arthur W. Sibbach, Michael A. Benjamin, Paul Burchell Glaser
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Publication number: 20240342525Abstract: Methods and apparatus for dual-purposing of thermal transport bus (TTB) working fluid as a fire extinguishing agent are disclosed herein. An example fire extinguishing system includes a thermal transport bus to transfer heat between fluids on an aircraft using a working fluid, and a fire extinguishing nozzle connected to the thermal transport bus, the fire extinguishing nozzle positioned to deploy the working fluid as a fire extinguishing agent to a location of the aircraft.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 13, 2023Publication date: October 17, 2024Inventors: Kevin Edward Hinderliter, Arthur W Sibbach
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Patent number: 12037128Abstract: A hydrogen fuel including a safety marker and a method and apparatus for adding the safety marker to the hydrogen fuel. The hydrogen fuel may be stored in a tank in a liquid phase and then heated to at least one of a gaseous phase and a supercritical phase. The safety marker may be added to the hydrogen fuel when the hydrogen fuel is in the at least one of the gaseous phase and the supercritical phase after heating the hydrogen fuel. The hydrogen fuel may be delivered in the at least one of the gaseous phase and the supercritical phase to a power generator, such as a gas turbine engine. The safety marker may be a visual safety marker, such as a noble gas, or an odorant.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2021Date of Patent: July 16, 2024Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Arthur W. Sibbach, Michael A. Benjamin, Paul Burchell Glaser
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Patent number: 12012898Abstract: A gas turbine engine comprises a fan, a core turbine engine coupled to the fan, a fan case housing the fan and the core turbine engine, a plurality of outlet guide vanes extending between the core turbine engine and the fan case, and an acoustic spacing. The fan comprises a plurality of fan blades that define a fan diameter and a BEAL. The fan case comprises an inlet and an inlet length between the inlet and the fan. The acoustic spacing comprises a distance between the fan and the plurality of outlet guide vanes, and in combination with the BEAL determines an acoustic spacing ratio of the gas turbine engine.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2022Date of Patent: June 18, 2024Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Brandon Wayne Miller, Egbert Geertsema, Arthur W. Sibbach, Andrew Hudecki, Timothy Richard DePuy, John C. Schilling, Frank Worthoff, Tsuguji Nakano