Patents by Inventor Derrick W. Simons

Derrick W. 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: 8474268
    Abstract: A method of managing transient events regularly seen during gas turbine operation that may cause undesirable operation and hardware damage. During certain transient operations, a lag may be seen between reference exhaust temperature and actual turbine exhaust temperature. This lag can result in an under-fired condition within the combustion system of variable magnitude and duration. Either fuel split schedules or a control algorithm can be positioned during these transients to prevent combustion dynamics or loss of flame. Combustion dynamics are known to cause damage that may require hardware replacement. Once the transient has completed, normal control operation is resumed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jason D. Fuller, Derrick W. Simons, Douglas E. Dean, Christopher T. Meadows
  • Publication number: 20090044513
    Abstract: A method of managing transient events regularly seen during gas turbine operation that may cause undesirable operation and hardware damage. During certain transient operations, a lag may be seen between reference exhaust temperature and actual turbine exhaust temperature. This lag can result in an under-fired condition within the combustion system of variable magnitude and duration. Either fuel split schedules or a control algorithm can be positioned during these transients to prevent combustion dynamics or loss of flame. Combustion dynamics are known to cause damage that may require hardware replacement. Once the transient has completed, normal control operation is resumed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2007
    Publication date: February 19, 2009
    Inventors: Jason D. Fuller, Derrick W. Simons, Douglas E. Dean, Christopher T. Meadows
  • Patent number: 7185494
    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: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Willy Steve Ziminsky, Derrick W. Simons, Arthur James Fossum
  • Patent number: 7181916
    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: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Willy Steve Ziminsky, Derrick W. Simons, Arthur James Fossum