Patents by Inventor George Albert Coffinberry

George Albert Coffinberry 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: 8789376
    Abstract: An aircraft compound cooling system includes a power thermal management system for cooling one or more aircraft components, an air cycle system, a vapor cycle system, and a turbine cooling circuit for cooling bleed air and cooling turbine components in a high pressure turbine in the engine. An air to air FLADE duct heat exchanger is disposed in a FLADE duct of the engine and a valving apparatus is operable for selectively switching the FLADE duct heat exchanger between the turbine cooling circuit and the air cycle system. A vapor cycle system includes a vapor cycle system condenser that may be in heat transfer cooling relationship with the air cycle system. An air cycle system heat exchanger and an engine burn fuel to air heat exchanger in the vapor cycle system condenser may be used for cooling a working fluid in a refrigeration loop of the vapor cycle system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: George Albert Coffinberry
  • Patent number: 8522572
    Abstract: An aircraft adaptive power thermal management system for cooling one or more aircraft components includes an air cycle system, a vapor cycle system, and a fuel recirculation loop operably disposed therebetween. An air cycle system heat exchanger is between the air cycle system and the fuel recirculation loop, a vapor cycle system heat exchanger is between the vapor cycle system and the fuel recirculation loop, and one or more aircraft fuel tanks are in the fuel recirculation loop. An intercooler including a duct heat exchanger in an aircraft gas turbine engine FLADE duct may be in the air cycle system. The system is operable for providing on-demand cooling for one or more of the aircraft components by increasing heat sink capacity of the fuel tanks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: George Albert Coffinberry, Neil Richard Garrigan
  • Publication number: 20120297789
    Abstract: An aircraft compound cooling system includes a power thermal management system for cooling one or more aircraft components, an air cycle system, a vapor cycle system, and a turbine cooling circuit for cooling bleed air and cooling turbine components in a high pressure turbine in the engine. An air to air FLADE duct heat exchanger is disposed in a FLADE duct of the engine and a valving apparatus is operable for selectively switching the FLADE duct heat exchanger between the turbine cooling circuit and the air cycle system. A vapor cycle system includes a vapor cycle system condenser that may be in heat transfer cooling relationship with the air cycle system. An air cycle system heat exchanger and an engine burn fuel to air heat exchanger in the vapor cycle system condenser may be used for cooling a working fluid in a refrigeration loop of the vapor cycle system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Inventor: George Albert Coffinberry
  • Patent number: 8266889
    Abstract: A heat exchanger system for a gas turbine engine includes: (a) a fan having at least two stages of rotating fan blades surrounded by a fan casing, the fan operable to produce a flow of pressurized air at a fan exit; (b) at least one heat exchanger having a first flowpath in fluid communication with the fan at a location upstream of the fan exit; and (c) a fluid system coupled to a second flowpath of the at least one heat exchanger. The first and second flowpaths are thermally coupled to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: George Albert Coffinberry
  • Publication number: 20120186267
    Abstract: A bleed system for a gas turbine engine includes: (a) a bleed air turbine having a turbine inlet adapted to be coupled to a source of compressor bleed air at a first pressure; (b) a bleed air compressor mechanically coupled to the bleed air turbine, and having a compressor inlet adapted to be coupled to a source of fan discharge air at a second pressure substantially lower than the first pressure; and (c) a mixing duct coupled to a turbine exit of the bleed air turbine and to a compressor exit of the bleed air compressor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: George Albert Coffinberry, Kevin Richard Leamy
  • Publication number: 20120000205
    Abstract: An aircraft adaptive power thermal management system for cooling one or more aircraft components includes an air cycle system, a vapor cycle system, and a fuel recirculation loop operably disposed therebetween. An air cycle system heat exchanger is between the air cycle system and the fuel recirculation loop, a vapor cycle system heat exchanger is between the vapor cycle system and the fuel recirculation loop, and one or more aircraft fuel tanks are in the fuel recirculation loop. An intercooler including a duct heat exchanger in an aircraft gas turbine engine FLADE duct may be in the air cycle system. The system is operable for providing on-demand cooling for one or more of the aircraft components by increasing heat sink capacity of the fuel tanks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Publication date: January 5, 2012
    Inventors: George Albert Coffinberry, Neil Richard Garrigan
  • Publication number: 20100107594
    Abstract: A bleed system for a gas turbine engine includes: (a) a bleed air turbine having a turbine inlet adapted to be coupled to a source of compressor bleed air at a first pressure; (b) a bleed air compressor mechanically coupled to the bleed air turbine, and having a compressor inlet adapted to be coupled to a source of fan discharge air at a second pressure substantially lower than the first pressure; and (c) a mixing duct coupled to a turbine exit of the bleed air turbine and to a compressor exit of the bleed air compressor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2008
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: George Albert Coffinberry, Kevin Richard Leamy
  • Publication number: 20100043396
    Abstract: A heat exchanger system for a gas turbine engine includes: (a) a fan having at least two stages of rotating fan blades surrounded by a fan casing, the fan operable to produce a flow of pressurized air at a fan exit; (b) at least one heat exchanger having a first flowpath in fluid communication with the fan at a location upstream of the fan exit; and (c) a fluid system coupled to a second flowpath of the at least one heat exchanger. The first and second flowpaths are thermally coupled to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Publication date: February 25, 2010
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: George Albert Coffinberry
  • Patent number: 7406829
    Abstract: A high energy system comprising a high energy electrical device powered by an electrical generator both of which are cooled by a cryogenic liquid oxidant stored in a storage tank. A power turbine powered by a combustor using fuel and the oxidant drives the electrical generator. A turbopump powered by a portion of exhaust flow from the power turbine pumps the cryogenic liquid oxidant from the storage tank to the generator and the device. In an exemplary embodiment of the system, the electrical device is a directed energy weapon, uses liquid air as the liquid oxidant, and uses a variable geometry turbine nozzle in the power turbine. A reheater may be used between a high pressure turbine and a lower pressure turbine of the power turbine. Compressor bleed from a gas turbine engine may provide air augmentation to the power turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: George Albert Coffinberry
  • Patent number: 7059136
    Abstract: An aircraft accessory system includes an aircraft engine powered direct air turbine driven accessory and an air turbine drivingly directly connected by an air turbine shaft to the accessory. The air turbine includes a variable geometry turbine nozzle in selectable direct flow communication with at least two compressed engine air sources. The two compressed engine air sources may be an HPC interstage bleed and an HPC compressor discharge stage bleed. The variable geometry turbine nozzle may be in selectable direct flow communication with a third compressed engine air source such as a bypass duct or an engine inlet duct. The air turbine includes a turbine exit which may be in selectable direct flow communication with at least two relatively lower pressure engine air sinks. The air sinks may be located in the aft end of a bypass duct and in a divergent section of the exhaust nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: George Albert Coffinberry
  • Patent number: 6578362
    Abstract: A cooling air cooling system operable to reduce fuel gum deposits within the cooling system when a gas turbine engine operates above a predefined percentage of rated engine power. The cooling system includes a recirculating loop including a plurality of heat exchanges in fluid communication with the recirculating loop. A first head exchange uses heat transfer fluid to cool cooling air used by the gas turbine engine. A second head exchange is a fluid-fuel head exchanger that uses combustor main fuel flow to cool the head transfer fluid circulating in the recirculating loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Co.
    Inventor: George Albert Coffinberry
  • Patent number: 5693368
    Abstract: A method is disclosed to deposit aluminum coatings on high temperature superalloys for corrosion, oxidation, and erosion protection using low temperature chemical vapor deposition and an organometallic halide precursor, specifically an aluminum alkyl halide. The process is adapted to protective coatings for turbine parts having internal passages. Due to the lower temperatures used during chemical vapor deposition, a broad range of substrate materials can be utilized. The precursor vapors clean the substrate surfaces by removing native oxides while simultaneously depositing aluminum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1997
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John Frederick Ackerman, William Randolph Stowell, George Albert Coffinberry, John Herbert Wood, Adrian Maurice Beltran