Patents by Inventor Derrick Simons

Derrick Simons 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).

  • Patent number: 9297315
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention can provide systems and methods for determining a target exhaust temperature for gas turbines. In one embodiment of the disclosure, there is disclosed a method for determining a target exhaust temperature for a gas turbine. The method can include determining a target exhaust temperature based at least in part on a compressor pressure condition; determining a temperature adjustment to the target exhaust temperature based at least in part on steam humidity; and changing the target exhaust temperature based at least in part on the temperature adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Derrick Simons, Douglas Dean, Carey Romoser, Kevin Wilkes, Predrag Popovic, Abhijit Kulkarni
  • Patent number: 9140189
    Abstract: Embodiments can provide systems and methods for detecting fuel leaks in gas turbine engines. According to one embodiment, there is disclosed a method for detecting a fuel leak in a gas turbine engine. The method may include adjusting a control valve to correspond with a desired fuel flow. The method may also include determining an actual fuel flow based at least in part on an upstream pressure in a fuel manifold and one or more gas turbine engine parameters. The method may also include comparing the desired fuel flow with the actual fuel flow. Moreover, the method may include determining a difference between the desired fuel flow and the actual fuel flow, wherein the difference indicates a fuel leak.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Bryan Wesley Romig, Derrick Simons, Douglas Dean
  • Publication number: 20140090353
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention can provide systems and methods for determining a target exhaust temperature for gas turbines. In one embodiment of the disclosure, there is disclosed a method for determining a target exhaust temperature for a gas turbine. The method can include determining a target exhaust temperature based at least in part on a compressor pressure condition; determining a temperature adjustment to the target exhaust temperature based at least in part on steam humidity; and changing the target exhaust temperature based at least in part on the temperature adjustment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Publication date: April 3, 2014
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Derrick Simons, Douglas Dean, Carey Romoser, Kevin Wilkes, Predrag Popovic, Abhijit Kulkarni
  • Publication number: 20130269364
    Abstract: Embodiments can provide systems and methods for detecting fuel leaks in gas turbine engines. According to one embodiment, there is disclosed a method for detecting a fuel leak in a gas turbine engine. The method may include adjusting a control valve to correspond with a desired fuel flow. The method may also include determining an actual fuel flow based at least in part on an upstream pressure in a fuel manifold and one or more gas turbine engine parameters. The method may also include comparing the desired fuel flow with the actual fuel flow. Moreover, the method may include determining a difference between the desired fuel flow and the actual fuel flow, wherein the difference indicates a fuel leak.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2012
    Publication date: October 17, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Bryan Wesley Romig, Derrick Simons, Douglas Dean
  • Patent number: 8371101
    Abstract: A combustor may include an interior flow path therethrough, a number of fuel nozzles in communication with the interior flow path, and an inlet guide vane system positioned about the interior flow path to create a swirled flow therein. The inlet guide vane system may include a number of windows positioned circumferentially around the fuel nozzles. The inlet guide vane system may also include a number of inlet guide vanes positioned circumferentially around the fuel nozzles and adjacent to the windows to create a swirled flow within the interior flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Baifang Zuo, Derrick Simons, William York, Willy S. Ziminsky
  • Publication number: 20110061389
    Abstract: The present application thus provides a combustor. The combustor may include an interior flow path therethrough, a number of nozzles in communication with the interior flow path, and an inlet guide vane system positioned about the interior flow path to create a swirled flow therein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2009
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Baifang Zuo, Derrick Simons, William York, Willy S. Ziminsky
  • Patent number: 7854121
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a fuel nozzle. The fuel nozzle includes a first fuel introduction location, a second fuel introduction location, and fuel passages. The first fuel introduction location is located radially about the fuel nozzle and is connected with a fuel passage. The second fuel introduction location is located at an end of the fuel nozzle and is connected with another fuel passage such that the fuel passage connected to the first fuel introduction location is separate from the fuel passage connected to the second fuel introduction location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Daniel D. Vandale, Derrick Simons, Alberto Jose Negroni, Carey Romoser
  • Patent number: 7320213
    Abstract: A system for ranking combustion chambers in a gas turbine in order of chamber combustion temperature including: at least one fuel nozzle supplying fuel to the combustion chambers at a predetermined fuel rate abnormally near a lean blow out (LBO) condition of the chambers; at least one dynamic pressure sensor in each chamber sensing combustion dynamic pressures in said combustion chambers and generating dynamic pressure signals representative of the dynamic pressure in each of said combustion chambers, wherein the dynamic pressure signals provide information regarding the dynamic pressure at a plurality of frequencies; a signal band pass filter segmenting the signals into a plurality of predefined frequency bands comprising a lean blow out (LBO) precursor frequency band, a cold tone frequency band and a hot tone frequency band; a processor determining a value for each chamber representative of amplitudes of the signals in each of LBO precursor frequency band, the cold tone frequency band and the hot tone frequ
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Minesh Ashok Shah, Ajai Singh, Willy Steve Ziminsky, Derrick Simons
  • Publication number: 20070199328
    Abstract: A system for ranking combustion chambers in a gas turbine in order of chamber combustion temperature including: at least one fuel nozzle supplying fuel to the combustion chambers at a predetermined fuel rate abnormally near a lean blow out (LBO) condition of the chambers; at least one dynamic pressure sensor in each chamber sensing combustion dynamic pressures in said combustion chambers and generating dynamic pressure signals representative of the dynamic pressure in each of said combustion chambers, wherein the dynamic pressure signals provide information regarding the dynamic pressure at a plurality of frequencies; a signal band pass filter segmenting the signals into a plurality of predefined frequency bands comprising a lean blow out (LBO) precursor frequency band, a cold tone frequency band and a hot tone frequency band; a processor determining a value for each chamber representative of amplitudes of the signals in each of LBO precursor frequency band, the cold tone frequency band and the hot tone frequ
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2007
    Publication date: August 30, 2007
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Minesh SHAH, Ajai SINGH, Willy ZIMINSKY, Derrick SIMONS
  • Publication number: 20070157620
    Abstract: A method for determining a target exhaust temperature for a gas turbine including: determining a target exhaust temperature based on a compressor pressure condition; determining a temperature adjustment to the target exhaust temperature based on at least one parameter of a group of parameters consisting of specific humidity, compressor inlet pressure loss and turbine exhaust back pressure; and adjusting the target exhaust temperature by applying the temperature adjustment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2007
    Publication date: July 12, 2007
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Timothy Healy, Derrick Simons
  • Publication number: 20070130955
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a fuel nozzle. The fuel nozzle includes a first fuel introduction location, a second fuel introduction location, and fuel passages. The first fuel introduction location is located radially about the fuel nozzle and is connected with a fuel passage. The second fuel introduction location is located at an end of the fuel nozzle and is connected with another fuel passage such that the fuel passage connected to the first fuel introduction location is separate from the fuel passage connected to the second fuel introduction location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2005
    Publication date: June 14, 2007
    Inventors: Daniel Vandale, Derrick Simons, Alberto Negroni, Carey Romoser
  • Patent number: 7210297
    Abstract: A method for identifying combustion characteristics of a plurality combustion chambers in a gas turbine, the method including: supplying fuel to the combustion chambers at a predetermined fuel rate; sensing combustion dynamic pressure in said plurality of combustion chambers and generating dynamic pressure signals representative of the dynamic pressure in each of said combustion chambers, wherein the dynamic pressure signals provide information regarding the dynamic pressure at a plurality of frequencies; segmenting the signals into a plurality of predefined frequency bands; determining a characteristic value for each of the segmented signals, and identifying an order of combustion chambers based on the characteristic value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Minesh Ashok Shah, Ajai Singh, Willy Steve Ziminsky, Derrick Simons
  • Publication number: 20060288706
    Abstract: A method for combustion in a combustor in a gas turbine including: fueling the center fuel nozzle with a fuel-rich mixture of gaseous fuel and air and fueling the outer fuel nozzles with a fuel-lean mixture of fuel and air; igniting the fuel-rich mixture injected by the center fuel nozzle while the fuel-lean mixture injected by the outer combustors is insufficient to sustain ignition; stabilizing a flame on the center fuel nozzle using the bluff body and while the outer fuel nozzles inject the fuel-lean mixture; staging fuel to the outer nozzles by increasing a fuel ratio of the fuel-lean mixture, and after the outer nozzles sustain ignition, reducing fuel applied to the center nozzle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2006
    Publication date: December 28, 2006
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Willy Ziminsky, Derrick Simons, Arthur Fossum
  • Publication number: 20060168967
    Abstract: A double wall venturi chamber having a converging section, a diverging section and a cylindrical section wherein said chamber defines a venturi zone in which compressed air, fuel and combustion products flow downstream through converging section, diverging section and cylindrical section, and has a cooling gas passage between the walls of the venturi chamber, a least one cooling gas inlet in an outlet wall of the venturi chamber, and at least one cooling gas outlet in an inner wall of the venturi chamber, wherein said cooling gas outlet is in at least one of the diverging and the cylindrical section, and the outlet is downstream of the at least one cooling gas inlet and upstream of an axial end of the chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2005
    Publication date: August 3, 2006
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Derrick Simons, Thomas Amond, Ajay Gupta
  • Publication number: 20060090471
    Abstract: A method for identifying combustion characteristics of a plurality combustion chambers in a gas turbine, the method including: supplying fuel to the combustion chambers at a predetermined fuel rate; sensing combustion dynamic pressure in said plurality of combustion chambers and generating dynamic pressure signals representative of the dynamic pressure in each of said combustion chambers, wherein the dynamic pressure signals provide information regarding the dynamic pressure at a plurality of frequencies; segmenting the signals into a plurality of predefined frequency bands; determining a characteristic value for each of the segmented signals, and identifying an order of combustion chambers based on the characteristic value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2004
    Publication date: May 4, 2006
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Minesh Shah, Ajai Singh, Willy Ziminsky, Derrick Simons
  • Publication number: 20050223713
    Abstract: A single stage combustor for a gas turbine having an annular array of outer fuel nozzles arranged about a center axis of the combustor; a center fuel nozzle aligned with the center axis, wherein the center fuel nozzle is substantially smaller than each of the outer fuel nozzles, wherein the combustor includes a pre-mix operating mode in which the center nozzle receives a fuel rich air-fuel mixture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2004
    Publication date: October 13, 2005
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Willy Ziminsky, Derrick Simons, Arthur Fossum
  • Publication number: 20050204741
    Abstract: A transition piece body, having an inlet end for receiving combustion products from a turbine combustor and an outlet end for flowing the gaseous products into a first stage nozzle, has dilution holes in zones respectively adjacent the transition piece body inlet and outlet ends. The volume of dilution air flowing into the gas stream is substantially equal at the inlet and outlet ends of the transition piece. The locations and sizes of the openings are given in the respective X, Y, Z coordinates and hole diameters in Table I. The X and Y coordinates lie in the circular plane of the transition body at its inlet end and the Z coordinates extend in the direction of gas flow from the origin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2004
    Publication date: September 22, 2005
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Derrick Simons, Aja Gupta, Carey Romoser
  • Publication number: 20050114010
    Abstract: A method for determining a target exhaust temperature for a gas turbine including: determining a target exhaust temperature based on a compressor pressure condition; determining a temperature adjustment to the target exhaust temperature based on at least one parameter of a group of parameters consisting of specific humidity, compressor inlet pressure loss and turbine exhaust back pressure; and adjusting the target exhaust temperature by applying the temperature adjustment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2003
    Publication date: May 26, 2005
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Timothy Healy, Derrick Simons