Patents by Inventor Joseph A. Alifano
Joseph A. Alifano 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).
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Patent number: 9388976Abstract: A combustor including a housing, an injector body, insulation, an air/fuel premix injector, a hot surface igniter, a fuel injector and a burner. The housing forms a main combustion chamber. The injector body is coupled within the housing and the injector body includes an initial combustion chamber. The insulation lines the initial combustion chamber. The air/fuel premix injector is configured and arranged to dispense a flow of air/fuel mixture into the initial combustion chamber. The hot surface igniter is configured and arranged to heat up and ignite the air/fuel mixture in the initial combustion chamber. The fuel injector dispenses a flow of fuel and the burner dispenses a flow of air. The flow of fuel from the fuel injector and the flow of air from the burner are ignited in the main combustion chamber by the ignition of the air/fuel mixture in the initial combustion chamber.Type: GrantFiled: March 1, 2013Date of Patent: July 12, 2016Assignee: Orbital ATK, Inc.Inventors: Daniel Tilmont, Joseph A. Alifano, Akiva A. Sklar, Nicholas Tiliakos, Vincenzo Verrelli
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Patent number: 9383093Abstract: A direct contact heat exchanger assembly is provided. The direct contact heat exchanger assembly includes an evaporator jacket and an inner member. The inner member is received within the evaporator jacket. A sleeve passage is formed between the evaporator jacket and the inner member. The sleeve passage is configured and arranged to pass a flow of liquid. The inner member has an inner exhaust chamber that is configured to pass hot gas. The inner member further has a plurality of exhaust passages that allow some of the hot gas passing through the inner exhaust chamber to enter the flow of liquid in the sleeve passage.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 2013Date of Patent: July 5, 2016Assignee: Orbital ATK, Inc.Inventors: Daniel Tilmont, Joseph A. Alifano
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Patent number: 9383094Abstract: A fracturing apparatus in a wellbore, having a housing with at least one injection port; an injection fluid supply interface to provide injection fluid for the fracturing apparatus; and at least one high pressure combustor received within the housing. The housing further includes a combustible medium interface that is in fluid communication with the at least one high pressure combustor, which is configured and arranged to provide repeated ignition cycles that include a combustion cycle that ignites the combustible medium and a fuel delivery cycle that delivers the combustible medium to the combustor, wherein pressure resulting from the combustion cycle forces the injection fluid out an injection port to cause fracturing in a portion of the earth around the wellbore.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2013Date of Patent: July 5, 2016Assignee: Orbital ATK, Inc.Inventors: Joseph A. Alifano, Daniel Tilmont
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Patent number: 9291041Abstract: An injector insert apparatus includes a body that has an inner oil passage that is configured and arranged to allow oil to pass therethrough. The body further has an annular chamber formed around the inner oil passage. The annular chamber has a chamber opening that is configured to be coupled to receive a flow of thermal gas medium. The body also has at least one injector orifice that provides a passage between the annular chamber and the inner oil passage. The at least one injector orifice is configured to inject the thermal gas medium into oil passing through the inner oil passage.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2013Date of Patent: March 22, 2016Assignee: Orbital ATK, Inc.Inventors: Joseph A. Alifano, Daniel Tilmont, Sean C. Peiffer
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Publication number: 20140216737Abstract: An injector insert apparatus is provided. The injector insert apparatus includes a body that has an inner oil passage that is configured and arranged to allow oil to pass there through. The body further has an annular chamber formed around the inner oil passage. The annular chamber has a chamber opening that is configured to be coupled to receive a flow of thermal gas medium. The body also has at least one injector orifice that provides a passage between the annular chamber and the inner oil passage. The at least one injector orifice is configured to inject the thermal gas medium into oil passing through the inner oil passage.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2013Publication date: August 7, 2014Inventors: Joseph A. Alifano, Daniel Tilmont, Sean C. Peiffer
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Publication number: 20130340691Abstract: A direct contact heat exchanger assembly is provided. The direct contact heat exchanger includes an evaporator jacket and an inner member. The inner member is received within the evaporator jacket. A sleeve passage is formed between the evaporator jacket and the inner member. The sleeve passage is configured and arranged to pass a flow of liquid. The housing has an inner exhaust chamber that is coupled to pass hot gas. The inner member further has a plurality of exhaust passages that allow some of the hot gas passing through the inner exhaust chamber to enter the flow of liquid in the sleeve passage.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 11, 2013Publication date: December 26, 2013Applicant: Alliant Techsystems Inc.Inventors: Daniel Tilmont, Joseph A. Alifano
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Publication number: 20130344448Abstract: A combustor including a housing, an injector body, insulation, an air/fuel premix injector, a hot surface igniter, a fuel injector and a burner. The housing forms a main combustion chamber. The injector body is coupled within the housing, the injector body includes an initial combustion chamber. The insulation lines the initial combustion chamber. The air/fuel premix injector assembly is configured and arranged to dispense a flow of air/fuel mixture into the initial combustion chamber. The hot surface igniter is configured and arranged to heat up and ignite the air/fuel mixture in the initial combustion chamber. The fuel injector dispenses a flow of fuel and the burner dispenses a flow of air. The flow of fuel from the fuel injector and the flow of air from the burner are ignited in the main combustion chamber by the ignition of the air/fuel mixture in the initial combustion chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 1, 2013Publication date: December 26, 2013Applicant: Alliant Techsystems Inc.Inventors: Daniel Tilmont, Joseph A. Alifano, Akiva A. Sklar, Nicholas Tiliakos, Vincenzo Verrelli
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Publication number: 20130341026Abstract: A fracturing apparatus in a wellbore, having a housing with at least one injection port; an injection fluid supply interface to provide injection fluid for the hydraulic fracturing apparatus; and at least one high pressure combustor received within the housing. The housing further includes a combustible medium interface that is in fluid communication with the high pressure combustor, which is configured and arranged to provide repeated ignition cycles that include a combustion cycle that ignites the combustible medium and a fuel delivery cycle that delivers the combustible medium to the combustor, wherein pressure resulting from the combustion cycle forces the injection fluid out an injection port to cause fracturing in a portion of the earth around the wellbore.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2013Publication date: December 26, 2013Inventors: Joseph A. Alifano, Daniel Tilmont
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Patent number: 8292217Abstract: Hypersonic inlet systems and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, an inlet for an airbreathing propulsion system includes an inboard surface at least partially shaped to conform to a plurality of streamline-traces of a design flowfield approaching an aperture, an outboard surface spaced apart from the inboard surface, an upper surface extending between the inboard and outboard surfaces, and a lower surface extending between the inboard and outboard surfaces, wherein leading edges of the inboard, outboard, upper, and lower surfaces cooperatively define the aperture.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2008Date of Patent: October 23, 2012Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventors: Thomas R. Smith, Angel M. Espinosa, Daniel J. Farrell, Andrew Robertson, John C. Leylegian, Jason S. Tyll, Florin Girlea, Joseph A. Alifano, Randy S. M. Chue
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Publication number: 20090313968Abstract: Hypersonic inlet systems and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, an inlet for an airbreathing propulsion system includes an inboard surface at least partially shaped to conform to a plurality of streamline-traces of a design flowfield approaching an aperture, an outboard surface spaced apart from the inboard surface, an upper surface extending between the inboard and outboard surfaces, and a lower surface extending between the inboard and outboard surfaces, wherein leading edges of the inboard, outboard, upper, and lower surfaces cooperatively define the aperture.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 4, 2008Publication date: December 24, 2009Inventors: Thomas R. Smith, Angel M. Espinosa, Daniel J. Farrell, Andrew Robertson, John C. Leylegian, Jason S. Tyll, Florin Girlea, Joseph A. Alifano, Randy S.M. Chue