Patents by Inventor Hironobu Kobayashi

Hironobu Kobayashi 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: 5349812
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor is capable of reducing NOx over a whole load range of a gas turbine. The combustor comprises two burner systems. It is possible to independently control a flow rate of combustion air supplied to a burner of the respective systems and a flow rate of bypass air jetted from through a bypass air port. The air supplied to the burners is mixed with fuel in a mixing chamber and then ejected into a combustion chamber so as to form a flame. The amount of bypass air is controlled in accordance with an operation load, a humidity of air and a heating value of fuel. It is therefore possible to prevent any blow off and reduce NOx over the whole load range of the gas turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1994
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Taniguchi, Hironobu Kobayashi, Kiyoshi Narato, Tadayoshi Murakami, Shigeru Azuhata, Michio Kuroda, Noriyuki Hayashi
  • Patent number: 5339635
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor of the pre-mixed combustion system in which the pre-mixed fuel and the air are combusted. The gas turbine combustor comprises main cylindrical nozzles provided in the end wall on the upstream side of a cylindrical combustion chamber, auxiliary nozzles formed to surround the main nozzles, a main pre-mixed gas supply for supplying a pre-mixed gas to the main nozzles, and an auxiliary pre-mixed gas supply for supplying a pre-mixed gas having an fuel/air ratio smaller than that of the main pre-mixed gas to the auxiliary nozzles, and wherein it is allowed to stably burn a lean pre-mixed gas having an fuel/air ratio of greater than 1 from a low-load condition through and up to a high-load condition of the gas turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Iwai, Shigeru Azuhata, Kenichi Sohma, Kiyoshi Narato, Hironobu Kobayashi, Tooru Inada, Tadayoshi Murakami, Norio Arashi, Yoji Ishibashi, Michio Kuroda
  • Patent number: 5328355
    Abstract: In a combustor including a premixing type combustion burner which has an atomizer for ejecting a liquid fuel together with combustion air to atomize the liquid fuel, the atomizer is comprised of an inner shell to an inner peripheral surface of which the liquid fuel is supplied, an outer shell defining a passage for the combustion air running substantially straightly between the outer shell itself and an outer peripheral surface of the inner shell, and a swirling-flow guide plate for swirling the combustion air passed into the inner shell, while directing it in a downstream direction. The combustor further includes a resistor abruptly decreased in sectional area downstream and provided substantially downstream of the center of the swirling flow and in the vicinity of an outlet of the premixing type combustion burner for providing a resistance to a premixture ejected from the premixing type combustion burner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 12, 1994
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hironobu Kobayashi, Shigeru Azuhata, Masayuki Taniguchi, Tadayoshi Murakami, Kiyoshi Narato, Michio Kuroda, Satoshi Tsukahara
  • Patent number: 5325660
    Abstract: Method of burning a premixed gas and a combustor for practicing the method. A jet of the premixed gas is burnt from an inside to an outside of the jet to form a premix flame. A burned gas is mixed into the premixed gas from the outside of the jet. The burned gas is produced when premixed gas is burned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1994
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Taniguchi, Yasuo Yoshii, Tadayoshi Murakami, Shigeru Azuhata, Norio Arashi, Kenichi Sohma, Michio Kuroda, Hironobu Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 5263426
    Abstract: A combustion apparatus including a mixture feeding pipe for injecting a mixture of pulverized coal and combustion air into a furnace, with the mixture then being ignited. A radially outwardly flared flame maintaining ring is provided at a tip end of the mixture feeding pipe, with the maintaining ring being exposed to a reduced atmosphere and to high temperatures due to radiant heat from the furnace. A projection extends into the furnace beyond the flame maintaining ring so as to protect the flame maintaining ring from radiation from inside the furnace thereby suppressing an excessive increase in temperature. Combustion air flows along a surface of the projection so as to provide at oxidized atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1993
    Assignee: Babcock-Hitachi Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeki Morita, Kouji Kuramashi, Shigeto Nakashita, Keiji Ishii, Tadashi Jimbo, Kunio Hodozuka, Akira Baba, Hironobu Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 5231937
    Abstract: A burner for pulverized coal has a coal duct for pulverized coal and primary combustion air and a secondary combustion air duct such that the coal and primary air and secondary air mix outside the outlet nozzles of the duct in a mixing zone at which combustion occurs. Coal distribution means in the coal duct create, adjacent the outlet nozzle, at least one outer zone of flow spaced from the coal duct axis and at least one inner zone of flow nearer the coal duct axis. These are means for slowing flow in the outer zone relative to the flow in the inner zone, prior to the mixing zone. To achieve good mixing, and promote NO.sub.x reduction, the coal concentration in the outer zone is higher than in the inner zone. The slowing means may be radially inwardly projecting baffles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1993
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Babcock-Hitachi Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hironobu Kobayashi, Kiyoshi Narato, Shigeru Azuhata, Hiroshi Miyadera, Shigeki Morita, Tadashi Jimbo, Kunio Hodozuka, Akira Baba
  • Patent number: 5216885
    Abstract: Method of burning a premixed gas and a combustor for practicing the method. A jet of the premixed gas is burnt from an inside to an outside of the jet to form a premix flame. A burned gas is mixed into the premixed gas from the outside of the jet. The burned gas is produced when premixed gas is burned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 8, 1993
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Taniguchi, Yasuo Yoshii, Tadayoshi Murakami, Shigeru Azuhata, Norio Arashi, Kenichi Sohma, Michio Kuroda, Hironobu Kobayashi, Yoji Ishibashi
  • Patent number: 5090339
    Abstract: A burner apparatus for pulverized coal comprises a pulverized coal supply pipe, a starter oil burner extending within the pulverized coal supply pipe to define therebetween a tubular passage through which a mixture of combustion air and pulverized coal passes into a furnace, a flame holder provided at an outer periphery of one end of the pulverizerd coal supply pipe facing to the furnace, a cylindrical member disposed in the tubular passage for dividing a part thereof into two coaxial passage parts, and a valve adapted to close an axial end opening of the cylindrical member for varying a concentration of pulverized coal in a radial outer passage part of the coaxial passage parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1992
    Assignee: Babcock-Hitachi Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kunio Okiura, Akira Baba, Noriyuki Oyatsu, Hiroyuki Kaku, Shigeki Morita, Hironobu Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 5067419
    Abstract: A low-NOx boiler comprises a burner for burning gaseous fuel, heat transfer pipes heating water by combustion heat of the burner to generate steam and having a passage through which water flows, a steam drum communicating with the heat transfer pipe and accumulating the steam from the heat transfer pipe, and an exhaust gas duct located in the furnace to exhaust combustion gas generated by combustion of gaseous fuel outside of the boiler. The boiler further comprises unburnt gas burner in the exhaust gas duct for burning unburnt content in the combustion gas flowing in the duct. The unburnt gas burner includes a nozzle for injecting premixture flow of fuel and combustion air and flame holding plate located near the downstream side of the outlet of the nozzle to interrupt the premixture flow to form a circulating flow on downstream side of the flame holding plate. As gaseous fuel and air are mixed in advance and a flame is formed, the flame length can be shortened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1991
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Babcock Kabushiki-kaisha
    Inventors: Hironobu Kobayashi, Shigeru Azuhata, Kiyoshi Narato, Kenichi Sohma, Yasuo Yoshii, Norio Arashi, Shigekazu Nishimoto, Isao Koyama, Tooru Inata, Hideo Kikuchi, Tadayoshi Murakami, Masayuki Taniguchi, Hiroshi Miyadera, Fumio Koda, Tatsuzou Enomoto, Kenshi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 5038558
    Abstract: A gas turbine combustor comprises a combustion chamber, a premixing chamber in which hydrocarbon fuel and air are premixed, a nozzle with swirler for swirling and injecting the premixed fuel and air into the combustion chamber, to effect premixed combustion, and a fuel nozzle projecting into the combustion chamber and adapted to inject fuel at region wherein the premixed combustion is completed, so as to effect low air-ratio diffusion combustion thereby to produce reducing substance. NOx produced by the premixed combustion is reduced by reducing reaction with the reducing substances, so that the NOx concentration in the combustion gas is reduced. The combustor further includes an after-air ports on a peripheral wall defining the combustion chamber to effect combustion of unburnt substances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1991
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Sohma, Shigeru Azuhata, Yasuo Iwai, Tooru Inada, Hironobu Kobayashi, Kiyoshi Narato, Stephen M. Masutani, Tadayoshi Murakami, Norio Arashi, Yoji Ishibashi, Michio Kuroda
  • Patent number: 5022849
    Abstract: A low NOx burning method and apparatus wherein a low air ratio flame burned with an amount of air less than an amount of air in a theoretical air ratio required for burning fuel perfectly is formed, and combustibles discharged from the low air ratio flame are burned at a trailing stream of the low air ratio flame while supplying air. The low air ratio flame is a premixing flame burned by premixing the fuel and air, and combustion of the premixing flames is maintained in the vicinity of the premixing flame. In this way, the generation of the NOx during the burning can be greatly decreased, and the required apparatus can be small-sized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 11, 1991
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Yoshii, Shigeru Azuhata, Norio Arashi, Kenichi Sohma, Tooru Inada, Hideo Kikuchi, Masayuki Taniguchi, Kiyoshi Narato, Hironobu Kobayashi, Tadayoshi Murakami, Michio Kuroda, Yoji Ishibashi, Stephen M. Masutani
  • Patent number: 4973159
    Abstract: A spectroscope apparatus includes a device for separating light from an object to be measured into spectral components, a device for mixing spectral components which exists in a desired wavelength range, and a device for forming an image of the to-be-measured body of mixed light. The image obtained is very useful for observing the state of a combustion flame, the progress a photochemical reaction, the progress of a biochemical reaction, tissue in a cell, and the state of a flame for analyzing a solution which contains a metal ion by flame spectrophotometry. The apparatus provides accurate analytical information and makes possible precise control operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 27, 1990
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Sohma, Shigeru Azuhata, Kiyoshi Narato, Tooru Inada, Hironobu Kobayashi, Norio Arashi, Hiroshi Miyadera
  • Patent number: 4958301
    Abstract: An apparatus for displaying display data without color competition includes a memory for storing the display data, attributes being assigned to portions of the display data in units of pixels, a controller for obtaining, in response to an input change instruction, a relation between the display data portions and a size of an area of each display data portion, and for determining display code data in accordance with the relation and the sizes, and a display unit for reading out the display data from the memory and displaying the display data with colors determined in accordance with the display code data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 18, 1990
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Hironobu Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 4907962
    Abstract: A low NOx burner comprises a pulverized coal nozzle for injecting a flow of a mixture of pulverized coal with primary air, a secondary air nozzle arranged externally of and coaxially with the pulverized coal nozzle, a tertiary air nozzle arranged externally of the secondary air nozzle and disposed coaxially with the pulverized coal nozzle, and a swirl flow generator for injecting secondary air and tertiary air as a respective swirl flow. Between the secondary air nozzle and the tertiary air nozzle, there is provided a spacer having such a thickness as to delay the mixing of the secondary air and the tertiary air and to form a swirl flow between the secondary air and the tertiary air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1987
    Date of Patent: March 13, 1990
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Babcock-Hitachi Kabushiki
    Inventors: Shigeru Azuhata, Kiyoshi Narato, Hironobu Kobayashi, Kenichi Sohma, Tooru Inada, Norio Arashi, Hiroshi Miyadera, Masao Masutani
  • Patent number: 4830390
    Abstract: A front fork for a bicycle comprises a stem tube, a shoulder lug and two fork tubes. The shoulder lug is made of a light metal alloy by casting. The stem tube is set in dies and the light metal alloy is poured into the dies so that part of the stem tube is embedded in the light metal alloy to form the shoulder lug and simultaneously the shoulder lug is integrally formed with fitting protrusions. The fitting protrusions of the shoulder lug are fitted in the fork tubes and joined thereto by an adhesive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 16, 1989
    Assignee: Bridgestone Cycle Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidenori Yamaki, Hironobu Kobayashi, Akio Minari
  • Patent number: 4820046
    Abstract: A spectroscope apparatus includes means for separating light from an object to be measured into spectral components, means for mixing that part of the spectral components which exists in a desired wavelength range, and means for forming an image of the to-be-measured body of mixed light. The image thus obtained is very useful for observing the state of a combustion flame, the progress of photochemical reaction, the progress of biochemical reaction, a desired tissue in a cell, and the state of a flame for analyzing a solution which contains a metal ion, by flame spectrophotometery, that is, provides accurate information and makes possible a precise control operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1987
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1989
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Sohma, Shigeru Azuhata, Kiyoshi Narato, Tooru Inada, Hironobu Kobayashi, Norio Arashi, Hiroshi Miyadera
  • Patent number: 4784043
    Abstract: An atomizer including a fuel supply passage for supplying a fuel, an atomizing medium supply passage for supplying an atomizing medium which is to be mixed with the fuel, a mixing chamber in communication with the fuel supply passage and the atomizing medium supply passage, and spray ports for spraying the fluid mixture consisting of the fuel and the atomizing medium from the mixing chamber. The fuel supply passage and the atomizing medium supply passages are communicated with the mixing chamber through a pre-mixing chamber having an annular cross-section defined by a large-diameter cylindrical surface and a small-diameter cylindrical surface. The fuel and the atomizing medium supplied from the fuel supply passage and the atomizing medium supply passage are pre-mixed the pre-mixing chamber. With this arrangement, it is possible to efficiently mix a slurry fuel and an atomizing medium, thus reducing the particle size of the atomized fuel particles and shortening the flame length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1988
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Babcock-Hitachi Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hironobu Kobayashi, Shigeru Azuhata, Kiyoshi Narato, Tooru Inada, Kenichi Sohma, Norio Arashi, Hiroshi Miyadera, Yoshitaka Takahashi
  • Patent number: 4741279
    Abstract: A method of combusting a coal-water mixture fuel. The mixture is atomized into a conically-shaped primary pre-combustion chamber. Primary air is supplied, at a rate smaller than that required for complete burning of the mixture and in the form of a swirl about the axis of the jet of the atomized mixture, from the peripheral portion of the primary pre-combustion chamber into a secondary pre-combustion chamber connected to said primary pre-combustion chamber, thus forming a region of low pressure around the jet of the mixture. The region of low pressure serves to induce the atmosphere gas from the secondary pre-combustion chamber of higher temperature back into the primary pre-combustion chamber of a lower temperature, so that the water content of the mixture is evaporated and the mixture is ignited by the heat of the hot atmosphere gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 3, 1988
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Babcock-Hitachi Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeru Azuhata, Kazutoshi Higashiyama, Kiyoshi Narato, Hironobu Kobayashi, Norio Arashi, Tooru Inada, Kenichi Sohma, Keizou Ohtsuka, Yoshitaka Takahashi, Fumio Koda, Tadahisa Masai, Masakiyo Tanikawa, Kei Kawano
  • Patent number: 4653998
    Abstract: A furnace system connected to a burner including a furnace for burning a fuel and air ejected from the burner into the furnace to produce a flame therein, and a combustion condition determining device for determining the conditions of combustion of the fuel in a zone of the flame extending along different strata thereof by collecting light in the flame at one point in the flame by moving such point. Signals outputted by the combustion condition determining device are utilized for monitoring or controlling the flame and controlling exhaust emission control devices for controlling exhaust emissions produced by the combustion of the fuel. Control of the conditions of combustion of the flame can be effected quickly with a high degree of precision by monitoring the flame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1987
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Babcock-Hitachi Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ken-ichi Sohma, Norio Arashi, Shigeru Azuhata, Kiyoshi Narato, Tooru Inada, Hironobu Kobayashi, Keizou Ohtsuka, Yukio Hishinuma