Patents by Inventor Brandon Wayne Miller
Brandon Wayne Miller 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: 11319085Abstract: A fuel oxygen conversion unit includes a contactor; a fuel gas separator, the fuel oxygen conversion unit defining a circulation gas flowpath from the fuel gas separator to the contactor; and an isolation valve in airflow communication with the circulation gas flowpath for modulating a gas flow through the circulation gas flowpath to the contactor.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2018Date of Patent: May 3, 2022Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Ethan Patrick O'Connor, Daniel Alan Niergarth, Brandon Wayne Miller, Richard Alan Wesling, Christian Xavier Stevenson, Peter Allen Andrews, Jr.
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Publication number: 20220128317Abstract: A system for heat exchange and leak detection is generally provided, the system including a heat exchanger including a first wall defining a first passage containing a first fluid. A leak detection enclosure containing a leak detection medium is defined between the first wall and a second wall surrounding the first wall.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 6, 2022Publication date: April 28, 2022Inventors: Brandon Wayne Miller, Nicholas Taylor Moore, Daniel Alan Niergarth, Jeffrey Douglas Rambo, Hendrik Pieter Jacobus de Bock, William Dwight Gerstler
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Patent number: 11300365Abstract: A system for heat exchange and leak detection is generally provided, the system including a heat exchanger including a first wall defining a first passage containing a first fluid. A leak detection enclosure containing a leak detection medium is defined between the first wall and a second wall surrounding the first wall.Type: GrantFiled: June 19, 2018Date of Patent: April 12, 2022Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Brandon Wayne Miller, Nicholas Taylor Moore, Daniel Alan Niergarth, Jeffrey Douglas Rambo, Hendrik Pieter Jacobus de Bock, William Dwight Gerstler
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Publication number: 20220099031Abstract: A turbine engine that includes an engine core, an inner cowl, an outer cowl and an accessory gearbox. The engine core includes at least a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in axial flow arrangement. The accessory gearbox is operably coupled to the engine core and includes a first portion and a second portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 29, 2020Publication date: March 31, 2022Inventors: Brandon Wayne Miller, John Carl Glessner, Lawrence William Nurre, Ian Francis Prentice, Ethan Patrick O'Connor, Arthur William Sibbach
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Patent number: 11286853Abstract: A thermal management system for a gas turbine engine and/or an aircraft is provided including a thermal transport bus having a heat exchange fluid flowing therethrough. The thermal management system also includes a plurality of heat source exchangers and at least one heat sink exchanger. The plurality of heat source exchangers and the at least one heat sink exchanger are in thermal communication with the heat exchange fluid in the thermal transport bus. The plurality of heat source exchangers are arranged along the thermal transport bus and configured to transfer heat from one or more accessory systems to the heat exchange fluid, and the at least one heat sink exchanger is located downstream of the plurality of heat source exchangers and configured to remove heat from the heat exchange fluid.Type: GrantFiled: October 22, 2018Date of Patent: March 29, 2022Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Matthew Robert Cerny, Christopher James Kroger, Brandon Wayne Miller
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Patent number: 11261792Abstract: A thermal management system is provided for incorporation into at least one of a gas turbine engine or an aircraft. The thermal management system includes: a thermal transport bus having a heat exchange fluid flowing therethrough, the thermal transport bus further including: a first flow loop comprising at least one first heat source exchanger, at least one first heat sink exchanger, and a first pump to move the heat exchange fluid through the first flow loop; and a second flow loop comprising at least one second heat source exchanger, at least one second heat sink exchanger, and a second pump to move the heat exchange fluid through the second flow loop; wherein the first flow loop is isolated from the second flow loop, and wherein the first heat source exchanger and the second heat source exchanger are configured with a common heat source.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2019Date of Patent: March 1, 2022Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Daniel Alan Niergarth, Brandon Wayne Miller, Justin Paul Smith
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Patent number: 11247779Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor section and a turbine section together defining a core air flowpath. Additionally, a rotary component is rotatable with at least a portion of the compressor section and at least a portion of the turbine section. An electric machine is mounted coaxially with the rotary component and positioned at least partially inward of the core air flowpath along a radial direction of the gas turbine engine. A cavity wall defines at least in part a buffer cavity surrounding at least a portion of the electric machine to thermally insulate the electric machine, e.g., from the relatively high temperatures within the core air flowpath.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2019Date of Patent: February 15, 2022Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Thomas Kupiszewski, Brandon Wayne Miller, Daniel Alan Niergarth, Randy M. Vondrell
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Patent number: 11225914Abstract: A gas turbine engine including a fan, a core including at least one rotatable shaft, and a gearbox mechanically coupling at least one rotatable shaft of the core to the fan is provided. The gas turbine engine also includes a coupling system for mounting the gearbox within the gas turbine engine. The coupling system includes a flexible coupling connected to at least one of a fan frame or a core frame, as well as a torque frame connected to the flexible coupling and the gearbox. Moreover, a deflection limiter is provided, loosely attaching the flexible coupling to the gearbox to provide a predetermined axial range of motion, radial range of motion, and circumferential range of motion between the gearbox and the frame to which the flexible coupling is attached.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2019Date of Patent: January 18, 2022Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Brandon Wayne Miller, Donald Albert Bradley
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Patent number: 11225975Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a core turbine engine and a fan mechanically coupled to the core turbine engine. The fan includes a plurality of fan blades, each fan blade defining a base and an inner end along a radial direction of the gas turbine engine. The fan also includes a hub covering the base of each of the plurality of fan blades. Further, the fan includes one or more bearings for supporting rotation of the plurality of fan blades. The one or more bearings define a fan bearing radius along a radial direction of the gas turbine engine. Similarly, the hub defines a hub radius along the radial direction of the gas turbine engine. The ratio of the hub radius to the fan bearing radius is less than about three, providing for desired packaging of the various components within the fan of the gas turbine engine.Type: GrantFiled: July 5, 2019Date of Patent: January 18, 2022Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Brandon Wayne Miller, Daniel Alan Niergarth, Darek Tomasz Zatorski
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Patent number: 11193671Abstract: A fuel oxygen conversion unit includes a contactor defining a liquid fuel inlet, a stripping gas inlet and a fuel/gas mixture outlet; and a fuel gas separator defining a fuel/gas mixture inlet in flow communication with the fuel/gas mixture outlet of the contactor and an axis. The fuel gas separator further includes a stationary casing; and a separator assembly including a core and a plurality of paddles extending from the core, the separator assembly rotatable about the axis within the stationary casing to separate a fuel/gas mixture received through the fuel/gas mixture inlet into a liquid fuel flow and stripping gas flow.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2018Date of Patent: December 7, 2021Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Ethan Patrick O'Connor, Daniel Alan Niergarth, Brandon Wayne Miller, Richard Alan Wesling
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Patent number: 11187156Abstract: A combustion engine includes a combustion section; a fuel delivery system for providing a fuel flow to the combustion section, the fuel delivery system including an oxygen reduction unit for reducing an oxygen content of the fuel flow; a thermal management system including a heat sink heat exchanger, the heat sink heat exchanger in thermal communication with the fuel delivery system at a location downstream of the oxygen reduction unit; and a control system including a sensor operable with the fuel delivery system for sensing data indicative of an operability of the oxygen reduction unit and a controller operable with the sensor, the controller configured to initiate a corrective action based on the data sensed by the sensor indicative of the operability of the oxygen reduction unit.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2017Date of Patent: November 30, 2021Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Daniel Alan Niergarth, Sridhar Adibhatla, Brandon Wayne Miller, David William Crall
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Patent number: 11186382Abstract: An engine includes a stripping gas source, a combustion section, and a fuel oxygen conversion unit positioned upstream of the combustion section, the fuel oxygen conversion unit defining a stripping gas flowpath in airflow communication with the stripping gas source. The fuel oxygen conversion unit includes a contactor defining a fuel inlet, a gas inlet in airflow communication with the stripping gas flowpath, and a fuel gas mixture outlet; and a fuel gas separator defining a fuel gas mixture inlet for receiving a fuel gas mixture from the contactor, a liquid fuel outlet, and a stripping gas outlet; wherein the stripping gas flowpath receives substantially all of a stripping gas flow therethrough from the stripping gas source and provides the stripping gas flow to the contactor.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2018Date of Patent: November 30, 2021Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Peter Allen Andrews, Jr., Ethan Patrick O'Connor, Daniel Alan Niergarth, Brandon Wayne Miller, Christian Xavier Stevenson, David Vickery Parker
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Publication number: 20210339846Abstract: An aircraft defining a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction is provided. The aircraft includes a fuselage; an engine mounted at a location spaced from the fuselage of the aircraft, the engine comprising rotor blades; and at least one fuselage shield removably coupled to the fuselage at a location in alignment with the rotor blades along the lateral direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 15, 2020Publication date: November 4, 2021Inventors: David William Crall, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Douglas Duane Ward, Brandon Wayne Miller
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Publication number: 20210340936Abstract: A fuel oxygen reduction unit for an engine is provided. The fuel oxygen reduction unit includes a contactor including a fuel inlet that receives an inlet fuel flow and a stripping gas inlet that receives an inlet stripping gas flow, the contactor configured to form a fuel/gas mixture; a separator that receives the fuel/gas mixture, the fuel oxygen reduction unit defining a circulation gas flowpath from the separator to the contactor; and a stripping gas source selectively in fluid communication with the circulation gas flowpath for selectively introducing a stripping gas from the stripping gas source to the circulation gas flowpath, wherein the stripping gas source is an accessory gearbox.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 1, 2020Publication date: November 4, 2021Inventors: Ethan Patrick O'Connor, Christian Xavier Stevenson, Brandon Wayne Miller
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Publication number: 20210339878Abstract: A fuel oxygen reduction unit assembly for a fuel system is provided. The fuel oxygen reduction unit assembly includes: a fuel oxygen reduction unit located downstream from the fuel source and defining a stripping gas flowpath and a liquid fuel flowpath, the fuel oxygen reduction unit comprising a means for transferring an amount of oxygen from a liquid fuel flow through the liquid fuel flowpath to a gas flow through the stripping gas flowpath; and an oxygen conversion unit in flow communication with the stripping gas flowpath configured to extract a flow of oxygen from a gas flow through the stripping gas flowpath, the oxygen conversion unit defining an oxygen outlet configured to provide the extracted flow of oxygen to an external system.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 1, 2020Publication date: November 4, 2021Inventors: Daniel Alan Niergarth, Brandon Wayne Miller, John Michael Pyles, Ethan Patrick O'Connor, Justin Paul Smith, William James Mailander
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Publication number: 20210340914Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a turbomachine and a thermal management system. The thermal management system includes a heat source heat exchanger configured to collect heat from the turbomachine during operation; a heat sink heat exchanger; and a thermal transport bus having a heat exchange fluid configured to flow therethrough at a pressure within an operational pressure range. The thermal management system defines an operational temperature range for the heat exchange fluid, the operational temperature range having a lower temperature limit less than about zero degrees Fahrenheit at a pressure within the operational pressure range and an upper temperature limit of at least about 1000 degrees Fahrenheit at a pressure within the operational pressure range.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 14, 2021Publication date: November 4, 2021Inventors: Daniel Alan Niergarth, Adon Delgado, JR., Brandon Wayne Miller, Hendrik Pieter Jacobus de Bock
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Publication number: 20210340907Abstract: A fuel oxygen reduction unit for an engine is provided. The fuel oxygen reduction unit includes an inlet fuel line; a stripping gas source; a contactor selectively in fluid communication with the stripping gas source, the inlet fuel line, or both to form a fuel/gas mixture; and a separator that receives the fuel/gas mixture, the separator configured to separate the fuel/gas mixture into an outlet stripping gas flow and an outlet fuel flow; wherein a flow of stripping gas passes through the fuel oxygen reduction unit a single time.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 1, 2020Publication date: November 4, 2021Inventors: Ethan Patrick O'Connor, Brandon Wayne Miller, Daniel Alan Niergarth, Alfred Albert Mancini
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Publication number: 20210339867Abstract: An aircraft defining a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction is provided. The aircraft includes: a fuselage; an engine mounted at a location spaced from the fuselage of the aircraft, the engine comprising a plurality of rotor blades; and a fuselage shield attached to or formed integrally with the fuselage at a location in alignment with the plurality of rotor blades along the lateral direction, the fuselage shield comprising a first layer defining a first density and a second layer defining a second density, the first density being different than the second density.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 15, 2020Publication date: November 4, 2021Inventors: David William Crall, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Douglas Duane Ward, Brandon Wayne Miller
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Publication number: 20210340916Abstract: In one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating a fuel system for an aeronautical gas turbine engine is provided. The method includes: providing a flow of fuel to a fuel nozzle of the aeronautical gas turbine engine during a wind down condition; operating a fuel oxygen reduction unit to reduce an oxygen content of the flow of fuel provided to the fuel nozzle of the aeronautical gas turbine engine during the wind down condition; and ceasing providing the flow of fuel to the fuel nozzle of the aeronautical gas turbine engine, the fuel nozzle comprising a volume of fuel after ceasing providing the flow of fuel to the fuel nozzle; wherein operating the fuel oxygen reduction unit comprises operating the fuel oxygen reduction unit to reduce an oxygen content of the volume of fuel in the fuel nozzle to less than 20 parts per million.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 1, 2020Publication date: November 4, 2021Inventors: Alfred Albert Mancini, Daniel Alan Niergarth, Ethan Patrick O'Connor, Brandon Wayne Miller
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Publication number: 20210340913Abstract: A fuel delivery system for a gas turbine engine including a fuel oxygen reduction unit is provided. The fuel oxygen reduction unit defines a liquid fuel flowpath and a stripping gas flowpath and is configured to transfer an oxygen content of a fuel flow through the liquid fuel flowpath to a stripping gas flow through the stripping gas flowpath. The fuel oxygen reduction unit includes an impeller in airflow communication with the stripping gas flowpath for circulating the stripping gas flow through the stripping gas flowpath; and a turbine coupled to the impeller.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 1, 2020Publication date: November 4, 2021Inventors: Peter Allen Andrews, JR., Ethan Patrick O'Connor, David Vickery Parker, Brandon Wayne Miller, Richard Alan Wesling, Christian Xavier Stevenson