Patents by Inventor Jeffrey D. Rambo

Jeffrey D. Rambo 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).

  • Publication number: 20250129741
    Abstract: A turbine engine includes a cooling air duct for cooling air positioned radially between a core air flow path for core air and a bypass airflow passage for bypass air. A heat exchanger is positioned in the cooling air duct to transfer heat from a heat source from within the turbine engine. The heat exchanger may be a condenser. The turbine engine may further include a steam system that extracts water from the combustion gases, vaporizes the water to generate steam, and injects the steam into the core air flow path, the steam system including the condenser to transfer heat from the combustion gases to the cooling air and to condense the water from the combustion gases. The turbine engine may further include a booster fan to increase the pressure of the cooling air and the core air.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2024
    Publication date: April 24, 2025
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Rambo, Bhaskar Nanda Mondal
  • Publication number: 20250092822
    Abstract: A turbine engine for an aircraft. The turbine engine includes a combustor and a steam system. Fuel and steam are injected into the combustor to mix with compressed air to generate a fuel and air mixture. The fuel and air mixture is combusted in the combustor to generate combustion gases. The steam system is fluidly coupled to the combustor as the steam source to provide steam to the combustor. The steam system includes a hot gas path and a steam hot gas path component. The hot gas path is fluidly coupled to the combustor to receive the combustion gases and to route the combustion gases through the steam system. The steam hot gas path component includes a wall having a combustion-gas-facing surface facing the hot gas path and a hydrophobic coating formed on the combustion-gas-facing surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2023
    Publication date: March 20, 2025
    Inventors: Arthur W. Sibbach, Rajesh Kumar, Jeffrey D. Rambo
  • Patent number: 12253023
    Abstract: A turbine engine for an aircraft. The turbine engine includes a combustor and a steam system. Fuel and steam are injected into the combustor to mix with compressed air to generate a fuel and air mixture. The fuel and air mixture is combusted in the combustor to generate combustion gases. The steam system is fluidly coupled to the combustor as the steam source to provide steam to the combustor. The steam system includes a hot gas path and a steam hot gas path component. The hot gas path is fluidly coupled to the combustor to receive the combustion gases and to route the combustion gases through the steam system. The steam hot gas path component includes a wall having a combustion-gas-facing surface facing the hot gas path and a hydrophobic coating formed on the combustion-gas-facing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Arthur W. Sibbach, Rajesh Kumar, Jeffrey D. Rambo
  • Publication number: 20250084789
    Abstract: A turbine engine for an aircraft. The turbine engine includes a combustor fluidly coupled to a fuel delivery assembly to receive fuel from the fuel delivery assembly. The fuel is injected into the combustor and combusted in the combustor to generate combustion gases. A condenser is located downstream of a turbine to receive the combustion gases and to condense water. The fuel heat exchanger is thermally coupled to the condenser to receive heat from the water condensed by the condenser. The fuel heat exchanger is located in the fuel delivery assembly to receive the fuel and to transfer the heat received from the water to the fuel. The boiler is located downstream of the fuel heat exchanger. The boiler receives the water and is fluidly connected to the combustor to receive the combustion gases and to boil the water to generate steam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2023
    Publication date: March 13, 2025
    Inventors: Arthur W. Sibbach, Aaron M. Dziech, Scott Alan Schimmels, Robert R. Rachedi, Jeffrey D. Rambo, Brandon W. Miller
  • Patent number: 12241406
    Abstract: A turbine engine for an aircraft including a turbo-engine, a fan having a fan shaft coupled to the turbo-engine, and a steam system. The steam system is fluidly coupled to a core air flow path at a plurality of steam injection locations to selectively inject steam into the core air flow path at each of the plurality of steam injection locations, using a steam flow control valve. The plurality of steam injection locations include (i) an upstream steam injection location located to inject steam into the core air flow path at a primary combustion zone of a combustor or upstream thereof and (ii) a downstream steam injection location located to inject steam into the core air flow path downstream of the primary combustion zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2025
    Assignee: GENEERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Rakshit Tirumala, Sushilkumar Shevakari, Arthur W. Sibbach, Jeffrey D. Rambo, Bhaskar Nanda Mondal, Vaibhav M. Deshmukh
  • Publication number: 20250052175
    Abstract: A turbine engine for an aircraft. The turbine engine includes a fan, a combustor in a core air flowpath that generates combustion gases, a core shaft, a turbine that receives the combustion gases to rotate the turbine, and a steam system. The steam system extracts water from the combustion gases, vaporizes the water to generate steam, and injects the steam into the core air flowpath. The steam system includes one or more water storage devices that store the water therein. The one or more water storage devices include a first state in which the one or more water storage devices increase or maintain a level of the water as the water flows through the one or more water storage devices, and a second state in which the one or more water storage devices decrease the level of the water in the one or more water storage devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2023
    Publication date: February 13, 2025
    Inventors: Arthur W. Sibbach, Robert R. Rachedi, Brandon W. Miller, Jeffrey D. Rambo, Daniel A. Niergarth
  • Patent number: 12221905
    Abstract: A turbine engine for an aircraft. The turbine engine includes a fan, a combustor in a core air flowpath that generates combustion gases, a core shaft, a turbine that receives the combustion gases to rotate the turbine, and a steam system. The steam system extracts water from the combustion gases, vaporizes the water to generate steam, and injects the steam into the core air flowpath. The steam system includes one or more water storage devices that store the water therein. The one or more water storage devices include a first state in which the one or more water storage devices increase or maintain a level of the water as the water flows through the one or more water storage devices, and a second state in which the one or more water storage devices decrease the level of the water in the one or more water storage devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Arthur W. Sibbach, Robert R. Rachedi, Brandon W. Miller, Jeffrey D. Rambo, Daniel A. Niergarth
  • Publication number: 20250027427
    Abstract: A turbine engine having a longitudinal centerline axis. The turbine engine including a fan comprising a plurality of fan blades that rotate about the longitudinal centerline axis and a rotational component coupled to the fan. The turbine engine including a fluid circuit for supplying fuel or lubricant to the turbine engine and a hydraulic fan brake coupled to the fluid circuit to prevent rotation of the rotational component, thus preventing rotation of the fan. The hydraulic fan brake including a hydraulic cylinder fluidly coupled to the fluid circuit and a valve coupled to the hydraulic cylinder and having a first valve position that disengages the hydraulic fan brake to allow rotation of the rotational component and a second valve position that engages the hydraulic fan brake to prevent rotation of the rotational component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2024
    Publication date: January 23, 2025
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Rambo, Brandon W. Miller, Arthur W. Sibbach, Scott D. Hunter, Ryan T. Roehm
  • Publication number: 20250020070
    Abstract: A lubrication system for a turbine engine. The turbine engine includes a fan having a fan shaft and one or more rotating components. The lubrication system includes one or more tanks that stores lubricant therein, a primary lubrication system, and an auxiliary lubrication system. The primary lubrication system supplies the lubricant from the one or more tanks to the one or more rotating components during normal operation of the turbine engine. The auxiliary lubrication system includes an auxiliary pump that is coupled to the fan shaft. The auxiliary lubrication system supplies the lubricant from the one or more tanks to the one or more rotating components based on a pressure of the lubricant in the primary lubrication system. Rotation of the fan shaft causes the auxiliary pump to pump the lubricant to the one or more rotating components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2023
    Publication date: January 16, 2025
    Inventors: Arthur W. Sibbach, Brandon W. Miller, Andrew Hudecki, Randy M. Vondrell, Jeffrey D. Rambo
  • Patent number: 12173669
    Abstract: A gas turbine has a core turbine engine, and a fan having a plurality of fan blades. A nacelle surrounds the fan and at least a portion of the core turbine engine. The nacelle defines an inlet arranged upstream of the fan, and a bypass flow passage downstream of the fan defined between the nacelle and the core turbine engine. The gas turbine also includes a bypass flow passage water injection system that includes (a) at least one water injection nozzle assembly arranged to inject water into at least one of the inlet of the nacelle, or into the bypass flow passage, and (b) a water injection supply system arranged to supply water from a storage tank to the at least one water injection nozzle assembly. Water is provided by the bypass flow passage water injection system during a high power operating states of the gas turbine to augment thrust.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Brandon W. Miller, Arthur W. Sibbach, Jeffrey D. Rambo, Daniel A. Niergarth
  • Patent number: 12116956
    Abstract: A propulsion system includes a turbine engine, and a ramjet engine arranged in parallel with the turbine engine, a fuel storage tank that stores a fuel, such as an ammonia-based fuel, a heat exchanger through which the fuel passes to obtain gaseous (or supercritical) fuel components of the fuel, and a separator that separates the gaseous fuel components into a first fuel component and a second fuel component. The first fuel component is provided to the ramjet engine for ramjet combustion and/or to the turbine engine for turbine combustion, in a high speed operating state of the propulsion system, while the second fuel component may be provided to an inlet of the turbine engine for the turbine combustion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Rambo, Scott G. Edens
  • Patent number: 12110827
    Abstract: A turbo engine for an aircraft includes a gas turbine engine having a combustion section and a fuel system to provide pressurized fuel to the combustion section. The fuel system includes a fuel tank and a boost pump and a main pump driven by an accessory gearbox that is powered by a shaft of the turbo engine. The boost pump and the main pump are arranged in series. The fuel system also includes an auxiliary pump and a controller to operate the fuel system in (1) a first mode in which the boost pump and the main pump produce pressurized fuel for the turbo engine and the auxiliary pump is deactivated, and (2) a second mode in which the auxiliary pump is activated and produces the pressurized fuel for the turbo engine while bypassing the boost pump and the main pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Rambo, Scott G. Edens, Michael Joseph Murray
  • Publication number: 20240229726
    Abstract: A propulsion system includes (a) a turbine engine including a compressor section, a combustor, and a turbine section, (b) a ramjet engine, and (c) an inlet section including a turbine engine inlet portion and a ramjet inlet portion, the inlet section providing an inlet airflow to the turbine engine and to the ramjet engine. The turbine engine inlet portion includes an expansion turbine arranged upstream of the compressor section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2023
    Publication date: July 11, 2024
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Rambo, Brandon W. Miller, Scott G. Edens
  • Publication number: 20240191675
    Abstract: A propulsion system includes a turbine engine, and a ramjet engine arranged in parallel with the turbine engine, a fuel storage tank that stores a fuel, such as an ammonia-based fuel, a heat exchanger through which the fuel passes to obtain gaseous (or supercritical) fuel components of the fuel, and a separator that separates the gaseous fuel components into a first fuel component and a second fuel component. The first fuel component is provided to the ramjet engine for ramjet combustion and/or to the turbine engine for turbine combustion, in a high speed operating state of the propulsion system, while the second fuel component may be provided to an inlet of the turbine engine for the turbine combustion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2022
    Publication date: June 13, 2024
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Rambo, Scott G. Edens
  • Publication number: 20240191674
    Abstract: A propulsion system includes a turbine engine and a ramjet engine. A turbine engine inlet section restriction device permits an inlet airflow to a turbine engine inlet in a first (low speed) operating state of the propulsion system, and restricts the inlet airflow to the turbine engine inlet in a second (high speed) operating state of the propulsion system. A combustor inlet flow control device, in the first operating state, provides an airflow from a compressor to the turbine engine combustor, and restricts an airflow from a ramjet bleed air passage, and, in the second operating state, provides a ramjet inlet bleed airflow to the turbine engine combustor, while restricting airflow from the compressor. In the second operating state, the turbine engine drives at least one accessory gearbox to drive at least one accessory component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2022
    Publication date: June 13, 2024
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Rambo, Scott G. Edens