Patents by Inventor Byron Andrew Pritchard, Jr.

Byron Andrew Pritchard, Jr. 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).

  • Publication number: 20180128177
    Abstract: A method of forming a hole in an engine component. The hole is formed through a wall defining first and second opposing surfaces. An inlet is located on the first surface and an outlet on the second surface where a passage connects the inlet and the outlet. Fluid is passed through the passage, emitted from the passage, and redirected upon existing the outlet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2016
    Publication date: May 10, 2018
    Inventors: Thomas George Holland, Mehmet Muhittin Dede, Ryan Nicholas Porter, Byron Andrew Pritchard, Jr., Jason Randolph Allen
  • Publication number: 20180094538
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods and systems for in situ cleaning of hot gas flowpath components of a turbine engine that form portions of a hot gas flowpath extending through the turbine. The hot gas flowpath components may include a layer of accumulated contaminants on first portions thereof that form a respective portion of the hot gas flowpath. The first portions may include a thermal battier coating (TBC), and the layer of accumulated contaminants may overlie the TBC and at least partially infiltrate into the TBC. The accumulated contaminants may include CaO—MgO—Al2O3-SiO2 (CMAS) partial melt. The methods may include introducing an acid-including detergent into the hot gas flowpath of the turbine engine and onto the hot gas flowpath components to clean the accumulated contaminants from the first surfaces of the components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2016
    Publication date: April 5, 2018
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Nicole Jessica TIBBETTS, Bernard Patrick BEWLAY, Byron Andrew PRITCHARD, JR., Brian Michael ELLIS, Michael Edward ERIKSEN, Keith Anthony LAURIA
  • Patent number: 9915176
    Abstract: A shroud assembly for a turbine engine includes a shroud having a front side confronting the blades of a turbine and a back side opposite the front side, a hanger configured to couple the shroud to with casing of the turbine, a cooling conduit extending through the hanger to supply a cooling fluid stream to the back side of the shroud, and a particle separator having a through passage forming part of the cooling conduit and a scavenge conduit branching from the through passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Carl Murray, Gregory Michael Laskowski, Corey Bourassa, Byron Andrew Pritchard, Jr., Curtis Walton Stover
  • Publication number: 20170254218
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for in-situ (e.g. on-wing) cleaning of gas turbine engine components. The method includes injecting a dry cleaning medium into the gas turbine engine at one or more locations. The dry cleaning medium includes a plurality of abrasive microparticles. Thus, the method also includes circulating the dry cleaning medium through at least a portion of the gas turbine engine such that the abrasive microparticles abrade a surface of the one or more components so as to clean the surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Publication date: September 7, 2017
    Inventors: Bernard Patrick Bewlay, Brian Alan Kalb, Nicole Jessica Tibbetts, Ambarish Jayant Kulkarni, Byron Andrew Pritchard, JR.
  • Publication number: 20170191376
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a method for in-situ cleaning one or more components of a gas turbine engine using an abrasive gel detergent. More specifically, the gel detergent includes a plurality of abrasive particles suspended in a gel composition. Further, the abrasive particles include organic material. Moreover, the gel composition is formed of a mixture of detergent particles dissolved in a gel reactant. Thus, the method includes injecting the gel detergent into at least a portion of the gas turbine engine at a predetermined pressure. In addition, the method includes allowing the gel detergent to flow across or within one or more of the components of the gas turbine engine so as to clean one or more of the components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Inventors: Michael Edward Eriksen, David E. Caldwell, Nicole Jessica Tibbetts, Ambarish Jayant Kulkarni, Byron Andrew Pritchard, JR.
  • Publication number: 20170191417
    Abstract: An engine component assembly includes a first engine component having a hot surface in thermal communication with a hot combustion gas flow and a cooling surface, and a second engine component having a first surface in fluid communication with a cooling fluid flow and a second surface spaced from the cooling surface to define a space. A cooling aperture extends through the second engine component. A cooling feature extends from the cooling surface of the first engine component, and is oriented relative to the cooling aperture such that the cooling fluid flow is orthogonal and non-orthogonal to different portions of the cooling feature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2016
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Robert Frederick Bergholz, Jason Randolph Allen, Robert David Briggs, Byron Andrew Pritchard, JR., Kevin Robert Feldmann, Curtis Walton Stover, Zachary Daniel Webster, Fernando Reiter, Michael Alan Meade
  • Publication number: 20170165721
    Abstract: A cleaning system and method uses a tank holding a fluid detergent and an equipment assembly formed from a plurality of discrete components joined together. One or more ultrasound transducers remove one or more deposits on the equipment assembly by generating and propagating high frequency ultrasound waves into the fluid detergent while the equipment assembly is in contact with the fluid detergent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Inventors: Nicole Tibbetts, Bernard Patrick Bewlay, Sean Robert Keith, Byron Andrew Pritchard, JR., Brian Kalb, Evan Jarrett Dolley, Andrew James Jenkins, Alistair Searing, Stephen Francis Rutkowski
  • Publication number: 20170167290
    Abstract: Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure include a meta-stable detergent based foam generating device of a turbine cleaning system includes a manifold configured to receive a liquid detergent and an expansion gas, a gas supply source configured to store the expansion gas, and one or more aerators fluidly coupled with, and between, the gas supply source and the manifold. Each aerator of the one or more aerators comprises an orifice through which the expansion gas enters the manifold, and wherein the orifice of each aerator is sized to enable generation of a meta-stable detergent based foam having bubbles with bubble diameters within a range of 10 microns (3.9×10?4 inches) and 5 millimeters (0.2 inches), having a half-life within a range of 5 minutes and 180 minutes, or a combination thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Inventors: Ambarish Jayant Kulkarni, Bernard Patrick Bewlay, Byron Andrew Pritchard, JR., Nicole Jessica Tibbetts, Michael Edward Eriksen, Stephen Wilton
  • Patent number: 9518513
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine variable bleed apparatus includes a variable bleed valve door disposed in a bleed inlet in a transition duct, rotatable about two or more separate pivot points, operable to open and close an aft bleed slot extending outwardly from transition duct, and operable to open and close a forward bleed slot extending inwardly into transition duct. Door is operable to transition between a first position with aft bleed slot open and forward bleed slot closed to a second position with aft bleed slot closed and forward bleed slot open without fully closing door. Door is rotatable about an axis translatable between the two or more separate pivot points. Transition duct having a transition duct conical angle at least about 10 degrees greater than a booster conical angle of a booster outer shroud upstream of transition duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Byron Andrew Pritchard, Jr., Paul Alfred Pezzi, George Gould Cunningham, III, Thomas Ory Moniz, Steven Alan Ross, Raymond Gust Holm
  • Publication number: 20160123227
    Abstract: A separator assembly for removing entrained particles from a fluid stream passing through a gas turbine engine includes a first particle separator for separating the fluid stream into a reduced-particle stream and a particle-laden stream, and emitting the particle-laden stream through a scavenge outlet. Another particle remover is fluidly coupled to the scavenge outlet to remove more particles from the air stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Inventors: Robert Carl MURRAY, Corey BOURASSA, David Vickery PARKER, Byron Andrew PRITCHARD, JR., Jonathan Russell RATZLAFF, William Collins VINING, Erich Alois KRAMMER
  • Publication number: 20160123154
    Abstract: An engine component for a turbine engine includes a particle collector having a substrate configured to retain at least some particles from a particle-laden stream passing through a portion of the engine. A fluid bypass around the substrate of the collector enables the particle-laden stream to bypass the substrate if the substrate is filled with particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Inventors: Robert Francis MANNING, Victor Hugo Silva CORREIA, Jared Peter BUHLER, Byron Andrew PRITCHARD, JR., William Collins Vining, Corey BOURASSA, Gregory Michael LASKOWSKI, David Vickery PARKER
  • Publication number: 20140245747
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine variable bleed apparatus includes a variable bleed valve door disposed in a bleed inlet in a transition duct, rotatable about two or more separate pivot points, operable to open and close an aft bleed slot extending outwardly from transition duct, and operable to open and close a forward bleed slot extending inwardly into transition duct. Door is operable to transition between a first position with aft bleed slot open and forward bleed slot closed to a second position with aft bleed slot closed and forward bleed slot open without fully closing door. Door is rotatable about an axis translatable between the two or more separate pivot points. Transition duct having a transition duct conical angle at least about 10 degrees greater than a booster conical angle of a booster outer shroud upstream of transition duct.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Byron Andrew Pritchard, JR., Paul Alfred Pezzi, George Gould Cunningham, III, Thomas Ory Moniz, Steven Alan Ross, Raymond Gust Holm
  • Publication number: 20140109589
    Abstract: A variable bleed valve includes a variable bleed valve door disposed in a bleed inlet in transition duct and rotatable about an axis at or near a forward end of door. Valve is operable to open and close a bleed slot open to a booster bleed flowpath located outwardly of transition duct and having an airflow restrictor. Airflow restrictor may be variable such as a flapper valve. Booster bleed flowpath may pass through a bifurcated bleed duct including an inner passage radially bound by spaced apart inner and middle bleed walls and an outer passage radially bound by middle bleed wall and an outer bleed wall. Airflow restrictor may include an outlet area smaller than an inlet area of inner passage. Door seals against middle bleed wall to open inner passage and against outer bleed wall to open both passages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2012
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Byron Andrew Pritchard, JR., Charles Daniel Califf, Peter John Wood, Raymond Gust Holm, Allan George van de Wall, Peter Alfred Pezzi
  • Patent number: 6434441
    Abstract: A method for designing, and optionally making, an article of manufacture. Customer requirement parameters are defined and related engineering parameters are chosen. A parametric geometrical representation (i.e., a master model) of the article is created in terms of geometric parameters using a computer program. A design analysis methodology is crated and programmed into a computer code and stored on a computer medium such that the engineering parameters and the customer requirement parameters are program inputs and the geometric parameters of the master model are program outputs. Specific values of the inputs are inputted into the computer code. The computer code is run on a digital computer and specific values of the geometric parameters of the master model are outputted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Philip Paul Beauchamp, Jeffrey David Erno, Byron Andrew Pritchard, Jr., Richard Wade Stickles
  • Patent number: 6381964
    Abstract: A mixer assembly for use in a combustion chamber of a gas turbine engine. The assembly includes a pilot mixer and a main mixer. The pilot mixer includes an annular pilot housing having a hollow interior, a pilot fuel nozzle mounted in the housing adapted for dispensing droplets of fuel to the hollow interior of the pilot housing, and a plurality of concentrically mounted axial swirlers positioned upstream from the pilot fuel nozzle. Each of the swirlers has a plurality of vanes for swirling air traveling through the respective swirler to mix air and the droplets of fuel dispensed by the pilot fuel nozzle. The main mixer includes a main housing surrounding the pilot housing defining an annular cavity, a plurality of fuel injection ports for introducing fuel into the cavity, and a swirler positioned upstream from the plurality of fuel injection ports having a plurality of vanes for swirling air traveling through the swirler to mix air and the droplets of fuel dispensed by the fuel injection ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Byron Andrew Pritchard, Jr., Allen Michael Danis, Michael Jerome Foust, Mark David Durbin, Hukam Chand Mongia