Patents by Inventor Brian Joseph Prenger
Brian Joseph Prenger 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: 10788130Abstract: A seal assembly that includes a rotatable seal component, a non-rotatable seal component, and a plurality of pairs of flexures. The non-rotatable seal component is disposed facing the rotatable seal component. The plurality of pairs of flexures is spaced apart from each other along a circumferential direction of the seal assembly. Each pair of the plurality of pairs of flexures has a center line and includes a first flexure and a second flexure disposed in a stressed condition such that a portion of the first flexure and a portion of the second flexure are in contact with each other. Further, the first end of the first flexure is inclined at a first angle relative to the center line and a first end of the second flexure is inclined at a second angle relative to the center line. Also, first end of the first flexure and a first end of the second flexure are coupled to each other and to the non-rotatable seal component.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2020Date of Patent: September 29, 2020Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Deepak Trivedi, Christopher Edward Wolfe, Nathan EvanMcCurdy Gibson, Brian Joseph Prenger
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Publication number: 20200149638Abstract: A seal assembly that includes a rotatable seal component, a non-rotatable seal component, and a plurality of pairs of flexures. The non-rotatable seal component is disposed facing the rotatable seal component. The plurality of pairs of flexures is spaced apart from each other along a circumferential direction of the seal assembly. Each pair of the plurality of pairs of flexures has a center line and includes a first flexure and a second flexure disposed in a stressed condition such that a portion of the first flexure and a portion of the second flexure are in contact with each other. Further, the first end of the first flexure is inclined at a first angle relative to the center line and a first end of the second flexure is inclined at a second angle relative to the center line. Also, first end of the first flexure and a first end of the second flexure are coupled to each other and to the non-rotatable seal component.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 8, 2020Publication date: May 14, 2020Inventors: Deepak Trivedi, Christopher Edward Wolfe, Nathan EvanMcCurdy Gibson, Brian Joseph Prenger
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Patent number: 10563772Abstract: A seal assembly, for example, a face seal assembly for a machine such as a turbomachine, and an associated method of operating the seal assembly in the machine are disclosed. The seal assembly includes a rotatable seal component, a non-rotatable seal component, and a plurality of pairs of flexures. The non-rotatable seal component is disposed facing the rotatable seal component. The plurality of pairs of flexures is spaced apart from each other along a circumferential direction of the seal assembly. Each pair of the plurality of pairs of flexures includes a first flexure and a second flexure disposed in a stressed condition such that a portion of the first flexure and a portion of the second flexure are in contact with each other. Further, an end of the first flexure and an end of the second flexure are coupled to each other and to the non-rotatable seal component.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2017Date of Patent: February 18, 2020Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Deepak Trivedi, Christopher Edward Wolfe, Nathan EvanMcCurdy Gibson, Brian Joseph Prenger
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Patent number: 10359117Abstract: Aspirating face seal between high and low pressure regions of turbomachine between rotatable and non-rotatable members of turbomachine includes gas bearing rotatable and non-rotatable face surfaces, non-rotatable face surface mounted on annular slider on non-rotatable member. Retracting means retracts annular slider away from rotatable member and non-rotatable face surface away from rotatable surface and includes circumferentially spaced apart non-coiled springs axially disposed between slider and non-rotatable engine member. Leaf springs may include first and second ends mounted or attached to first and second mounting lugs or tabs attached to non-rotatable member and slider respectively and middle portion between ends. Springs oriented for retracting slider if slider contacts rotatable member. Primary and starter seal teeth may be mounted on carrier on rotatable member. Primary seal tooth may be on non-rotatable member and starter seal tooth on rotatable member.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2017Date of Patent: July 23, 2019Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Brian Joseph Prenger, Richard Alan Wesling, Nathan Evan McCurdy Gibson, Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Narendra Anand Hardikar, Anand Aravindrao Kulkarni
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Patent number: 10329938Abstract: Aspirating face seal between high and low pressure regions of turbomachine between rotatable and non-rotatable members of turbomachine includes gas bearing rotatable and non-rotatable face surfaces, starter tooth mounted on the rotatable member operable to sealingly engage abradable starter seal land on the non-rotatable member, and annular pocket in an abradable coating or other abradable material of starter seal land. Abradable material may be in radially inwardly facing groove extending into non-rotatable member. Pocket may extend radially outwardly from a cylindrical radially outer abradable surface to pocket bottom which includes thin abradable material layer groove surface along the non-rotatable member. Pocket may extend axially aftwardly from annular forward groove side surface into abradable coating. Pocket may be bounded axially by abradable material. Pocket may be tapered having taper decreasing axially aftwardly away from annular forward groove side surface.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2017Date of Patent: June 25, 2019Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Brian Joseph Prenger, John David Bibler, Mark Leonard Hopper
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Publication number: 20190145522Abstract: A seal assembly, for example, a face seal assembly for a machine such as a turbomachine, and an associated method of operating the seal assembly in the machine are disclosed. The seal assembly includes a rotatable seal component, a non-rotatable seal component, and a plurality of pairs of flexures. The non-rotatable seal component is disposed facing the rotatable seal component. The plurality of pairs of flexures is spaced apart from each other along a circumferential direction of the seal assembly. Each pair of the plurality of pairs of flexures includes a first flexure and a second flexure disposed in a stressed condition such that a portion of the first flexure and a portion of the second flexure are in contact with each other. Further, an end of the first flexure and an end of the second flexure are coupled to each other and to the non-rotatable seal component.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 13, 2017Publication date: May 16, 2019Inventors: Deepak Trivedi, Christopher Edward Wolfe, Nathan EvanMcCurdy Gibson, Brian Joseph Prenger
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Publication number: 20180347389Abstract: Aspirating face seal between high and low pressure regions of turbomachine between rotatable and non-rotatable members of turbomachine includes gas bearing rotatable and non-rotatable face surfaces, starter tooth mounted on the rotatable member operable to sealingly engage abradable starter seal land on the non-rotatable member, and annular pocket in an abradable coating or other abradable material of starter seal land. Abradable material may be in radially inwardly facing groove extending into non-rotatable member. Pocket may extend radially outwardly from a cylindrical radially outer abradable surface to pocket bottom which includes thin abradable material layer groove surface along the non-rotatable member. Pocket may extend axially aftwardly from annular forward groove side surface into abradable coating. Pocket may be bounded axially by abradable material. Pocket may be tapered having taper decreasing axially aftwardly away from annular forward groove side surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 31, 2017Publication date: December 6, 2018Inventors: Brian Joseph Prenger, John David Bibler, Mark Leonard Hopper
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Publication number: 20180252317Abstract: Aspirating face seal between high and low pressure regions of turbomachine between rotatable and non-rotatable members of turbomachine includes gas bearing rotatable and non-rotatable face surfaces, non-rotatable face surface mounted on annular slider on non-rotatable member. Retracting means retracts annular slider away from rotatable member and non-rotatable face surface away from rotatable surface and includes circumferentially spaced apart non-coiled springs axially disposed between slider and non-rotatable engine member. Leaf springs may include first and second ends mounted or attached to first and second mounting lugs or tabs attached to non-rotatable member and slider respectively and middle portion between ends. Springs oriented for retracting slider if slider contacts rotatable member. Primary and starter seal teeth may be mounted on carrier on rotatable member. Primary seal tooth may be on non-rotatable member and starter seal tooth on rotatable member.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2017Publication date: September 6, 2018Inventors: Brian Joseph Prenger, Richard Alan Wesling, Nathan Evan McCurdy Gibson, Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Narendra Anand Hardikar, Anand Aravindrao Kulkarni