Patents by Inventor George Alan Richards

George Alan Richards 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).

  • Flashback detection sensor for lean premix fuel nozzles
    Patent number: 6429020
    Abstract: A sensor for detecting the flame occurring during a flashback condition in the fuel nozzle of a lean premix combustion system is presented. The sensor comprises an electrically isolated flashback detection electrode and a guard electrode, both of which generate electrical fields extending to the walls of the combustion chamber and to the walls of the fuel nozzle. The sensor is positioned on the fuel nozzle center body at a location proximate the entrance to the combustion chamber of the gas turbine combustion system. The sensor provides 360° detection of a flashback inside the fuel nozzle, by detecting the current conducted by the flame within a time frame that will prevent damage to the gas turbine combustion system caused by the flashback condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
    Inventors: Jimmy Dean Thornton, George Alan Richards, Douglas L. Straub, Eric Arnold Liese, John Lee Trader, Jr., George Edward Fasching