Patents by Inventor Joseph A. Orlando

Joseph A. Orlando 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: 20110120136
    Abstract: An inner core cowl baffle assembly for a turbofan engine assembly is provided. The engine assembly includes a core gas turbine engine, a core cowl which circumscribes the core gas turbine engine, a nacelle positioned radially outward from the core cowl, and a fan nozzle duct defined between the core cowl and the nacelle. The inner core cowl baffle assembly includes an inner core cowl baffle, and an actuator assembly configured to vary the throat area of the fan nozzle duct by selectively repositioning the inner core cowl baffle with respect to the core cowl.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Inventors: Thomas Ory Moniz, Jorge Francisco Seda, Robert Joseph Orlando
  • Patent number: 7926259
    Abstract: A turbofan engine assembly includes a core gas turbine engine including a high-pressure compressor, a combustor, and a high-pressure turbine, a booster compressor coupled upstream from the core gas turbine engine, an intermediate-pressure turbine coupled to the booster compressor, the intermediate-pressure turbine disposed downstream from the core gas turbine engine, a first fan assembly coupled to a low-pressure turbine, a second fan assembly disposed downstream from the first fan assembly, and a gearbox coupled between the second fan assembly and the low-pressure turbine. A method of assembling the above turbofan engine assembly is also described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Joseph Orlando, Thomas Ory Moniz
  • Patent number: 7926289
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor, combustor, and high pressure turbine operatively joined together. A first interstage bleed circuit is joined in flow communication between a first preultimate stage of the compressor and hollow blades in the turbine to provide thereto pressurized primary air. A second interstage bleed circuit is joined in flow communication between a second preultimate stage of the compressor and the turbine blades to provide thereto pressurized secondary air at a lower pressure than the primary air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Thomas Ory Moniz, Robert Joseph Orlando
  • Patent number: 7921634
    Abstract: A turbofan engine assembly includes a core gas turbine engine including a high-pressure compressor, a combustor, and a high-pressure turbine, a booster compressor coupled upstream from the core gas turbine engine, an intermediate-pressure turbine coupled to the booster compressor, the intermediate-pressure turbine disposed downstream from the core gas turbine engine, a counter-rotating fan assembly disposed upstream from the booster compressor, the counter-rotating fan assembly comprising a first fan configured to rotate in a first direction and a second fan configured to rotate in an opposite second direction, and a low-pressure turbine disposed downstream from the intermediate-pressure turbine, the low-pressure turbine configured to drive the counter-rotating fan assembly. A method of assembling the above turbofan engine assembly is also described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Joseph Orlando, Thomas Ory Moniz
  • Patent number: 7905083
    Abstract: A turbofan engine assembly includes a core gas turbine engine including a high-pressure compressor, a combustor, and a high-pressure turbine, a booster compressor coupled upstream from the core gas turbine engine, an intermediate-pressure turbine coupled to the booster compressor, the intermediate-pressure turbine disposed downstream from the core gas turbine engine, a counter-rotating fan assembly disposed upstream from the booster compressor, the counter-rotating fan assembly comprising a first fan configured to rotate in a first direction and a second fan configured to rotate in an opposite second direction, and an intermediate-pressure turbine disposed downstream from the core gas turbine engine, wherein the intermediate-pressure turbine drives the booster compressor and the second fan assembly. A method of assembling the above turbofan engine assembly is also described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Joseph Orlando, Thomas Ory Moniz
  • Patent number: 7886518
    Abstract: An inner core cowl baffle assembly for a turbofan engine assembly is provided. The engine assembly includes a core gas turbine engine, a core cowl which circumscribes the core gas turbine engine, a nacelle positioned radially outward from the core cowl, and a fan nozzle duct defined between the core cowl and the nacelle. The inner core cowl baffle assembly includes an inner core cowl baffle, and an actuator assembly configured to vary the throat area of the fan nozzle duct by selectively repositioning the inner core cowl baffle with respect to the core cowl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas Ory Moniz, Jorge Francisco Seda, Robert Joseph Orlando
  • Patent number: 7883311
    Abstract: A rotor assembly for a gas turbine engine is provided. The rotor assembly includes a compressor rotor, a compressor stator coupled upstream from the compressor rotor, and a bearing assembly coupled between the compressor rotor and the compressor stator for supporting the compressor rotor. The bearing assembly includes a pair of foil thrust bearings coupled to a portion of the compressor stator and a pair of spring packs coupled substantially co-axially to the pair of foil thrust bearings. A method of assembling the same is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas Ory Moniz, Robert Joseph Orlando
  • Patent number: 7870742
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor, combustor, and high pressure (HP) turbine operatively joined together. An interstage cooling circuit is joined in flow communication from an intermediate stage of the compressor to a forward face of an HP disk supporting a row of turbine blades for channeling interstage bleed cooling air thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Thomas Ory Moniz, Robert Joseph Orlando
  • Patent number: 7870743
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor, combustor, and high pressure turbine operatively joined together. The turbine includes a nozzle followed by a row of rotor blades. A first bleed circuit is joined in flow communication between the last stage of the compressor and a forward cooling channel in vanes of the nozzle for feeding first cooling holes therein with pressurized primary air at a first pressure. A second bleed circuit is joined in flow communication between an intermediate stage of the compressor and aft cooling channels in the nozzle vanes to feed second cooling holes with pressurized secondary air at a second pressure less than the first pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Thomas Ory Moniz, Robert Joseph Orlando
  • Patent number: 7841165
    Abstract: A method for assembling a gas turbine engine includes coupling a low-pressure turbine to a core turbine engine, coupling a counter-rotating fan assembly including a forward fan assembly and an axially aft fan assembly to the low-pressure turbine such that the forward fan assembly rotates in a first direction and the aft fan assembly rotates in an opposite second direction, and coupling a booster compressor directly to the low-pressure turbine such that the booster compressor rotates in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Joseph Orlando, Thomas Ory Moniz
  • Patent number: 7836703
    Abstract: A turbine nozzle includes first and second vanes joined to outer and inner bands. The vanes include outboard sides defining outboard flow passages containing axial splitlines, and opposite inboard sides defining an inboard flow passage without axial splitline. The two vanes include different cooling circuits for differently cooling the inboard and outboard vane sides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Robert Joseph Orlando
  • Patent number: 7832193
    Abstract: A method of assembling a gas turbine assembly includes providing a core gas turbine engine including a high-pressure compressor, a combustor, and a turbine, coupling a low-pressure turbine to the core gas turbine engine, coupling a booster compressor to a gearbox, and coupling the gearbox to the low-pressure turbine such that the booster compressor is driven by the low-pressure turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Joseph Orlando, Thomas Ory Moniz, Jan Christopher Schilling
  • Publication number: 20100192595
    Abstract: A turbine engine assembly includes, a core gas turbine engine, a first low-pressure turbine section in serial flow communication with the core gas turbine engine, the first low-pressure turbine section configured to rotate in a first rotational direction, a first gear assembly coupled to the first low-pressure turbine section, a second low-pressure turbine section coupled to the gear assembly, the second low-pressure turbine section configured to rotate in a second rotational direction, and a fan assembly coupled to the second low-pressure turbine section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Inventors: Robert Joseph Orlando, Thomas Ory Moniz, Alan Roy Stuart
  • Patent number: 7752836
    Abstract: A method for assembling a gas turbine engine includes coupling a gearbox to a low-pressure turbine, the gearbox includes a plurality of planetary gears intermeshed with the sun gear, each of the planetary gears includes a first gear portion having a first diameter and a second gear portion having a second diameter that is different than the first diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Joseph Orlando, Thomas Ory Moniz
  • Patent number: 7743613
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor, combustor, and high pressure turbine operatively joined together. The turbine includes a row of nozzle vanes followed by a row of rotor blades. The vanes and blades have corresponding forward and aft internal cooling channels. First, second, third, and fourth bleed circuits are joined in flow communication with different stages of the compressor for bleeding pressurized air therefrom at different pressures to provide coolant to the forward and aft channels of the turbine vanes and blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Thomas Ory Moniz, Robert Joseph Orlando
  • Patent number: 7739873
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine combustion system includes a plurality of fuel injectors circumferentially disposed around a combustor in a one to one fuel supply relationship with a plurality of fuel nozzle valves, and an electronic controller for controlling the fuel nozzle valves to eliminate and/or reduce hot streaking in response to sensed hot streak conditions. The fuel nozzle valves may be modulating valves. The electronic controller may be used to individually control the fuel nozzle valves. The hot streak conditions may be sensed with temperature sensors such as temperature sensors operably mounted in the combustor. A program in the electronic controller may be used for determining broken or malfunctioning sensors by calculating a combustor temperature and comparing it to measured temperatures from the sensors and comparing the measured fuel pressures in the individual fuel nozzle circuits with the simulated or calculated fuel pressures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kattalaicheri Srinivasan Venkataramani, William Joseph Myers, Jr., Robert Joseph Orlando, Paul Cooker, Ching-Pang Lee
  • Patent number: 7726113
    Abstract: A method for assembling a gas turbine engine includes coupling a low-pressure turbine to a core turbine engine, and coupling a counter-rotating fan assembly including a first fan assembly and a second fan assembly to the low-pressure turbine such that the first fan assembly rotates in a first direction and the second fan assembly rotates in an opposite second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Joseph Orlando, Thomas Ory Moniz
  • Patent number: 7685808
    Abstract: A method for assembling a gas turbine engine includes providing a core gas turbine engine including a high-pressure compressor, a combustor, and a turbine, and coupling a counter-rotating fan assembly to the core gas turbine engine such that air discharged from the counter-rotating fan assembly is channeled directly into an inlet of the gas turbine engine compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Joseph Orlando, Thomas Ory Moniz
  • Patent number: 7681399
    Abstract: A turbofan engine assembly is provided. The turbofan engine assembly includes a core gas turbine engine, a core cowl which circumscribes the core gas turbine engine, a nacelle positioned radially outward from the core cowl, a fan nozzle duct defined between the core cowl and the nacelle, and an inner core cowl baffle assembly positioned within the fan nozzle duct. The inner core cowl baffle assembly includes a first core cowl baffle coupled to a portion of the core cowl within the fan nozzle duct, a second core cowl baffle coupled to a portion of the core cowl and positioned a distance radially inward from the first core cowl baffle, and an actuator assembly configured to vary the throat area of the fan nozzle duct by selectively repositioning the second core cowl baffle with respect to the first core cowl baffle. A method for operating the turbofan engine assembly is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Joseph Orlando, Thomas Ory Moniz, Jorge Francisco Seda
  • Patent number: 7673442
    Abstract: A method for operating a turbofan engine assembly is provided. The turbofan engine assembly includes a core cowl which circumscribes the core gas turbine engine, a nacelle positioned radially outward from the core cowl, a fan nozzle duct having an area defined between the core cowl and a portion of the nacelle, a first cowl and a second cowl that define a portion of the nacelle wherein the second cowl is repositionable with respect to the first cowl, and a thrust reverser assembly wherein the second cowl surrounds the thrust reverser assembly. The method includes varying an operating speed of the fan assembly from a first operating speed to a second operating speed. The method further includes selectively positioning the second cowl between a first operational position and a second operational position to vary the area of the fan nozzle duct to facilitate improving engine efficiency at the second operating speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jorge Francisco Seda, Thomas Ory Moniz, Robert Joseph Orlando, Alan Roy Stuart, Kenneth S. Scheffel