Patents by Inventor Kevin J. Spence

Kevin J. Spence 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: 10982853
    Abstract: An improved combustion section for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. A fuel nozzle includes new features which provide improved injection patterns of oil fuel and cooling water, resulting in better control of combustion gas temperature and NOx emissions, and eliminated impingement of cooling water on walls of the combustor. A new combustor includes a plate-fin design which provides improved cooling, while the combustor also makes more efficient use of available cooling air and has an improved component life. A new transition component has a smoother shape which reduces stagnation of combustion gas flow and impingement of combustion gas on transition component walls, improved materials and localized thickness increases for better durability, and improved cooling features for more efficient usage of cooling air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: SIEMENS ENERGY, INC.
    Inventors: Charalambos Polyzopoulos, Richard L. Thackway, Stephen A. Ramier, Vinayak V. Barve, Khalil Farid Abou-Jaoude, Daniel W. Garan, David P. Holzapfel, Kevin J. Spence, Joseph Scott Markovitz, Blake R. Cotten, Urmi B. Dave, Vaidyanathan Krishnan, Michael C. Escandon
  • Patent number: 10533750
    Abstract: A cross-flame duct for connecting adjacent combustors together in a gas turbine to guard against flameout conditions within the combustors, whereby the cross-flame duct includes first and second ducts forming a slip joint to prevent stress from developing within the cross-flame duct is disclosed. The cross-flame duct remains flexible during turbine operation due to the slip joint, thereby preventing damaging thermal and mechanical stresses from developing within the cross-flame duct and enhancing the useful life of the cross-flame duct and associated components. The first and second ducts include cooling chambers positioned between outer sleeves and inner housings and maintained with one or more standoffs to reduce thermal stress and gradients or prevent material loss due to overheating or burning. The cooling chambers are supplied with cooling fluids via one or more fluid ports extending through the outer sleeves enabling air to flow through the cooling chambers and into the combustors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Daniel W. Garan, Richard L. Thackway, David P. Holzapfel, Stephen A. Ramier, Charalambos Polyzopoulos, Kevin J. Spence, Joseph Scott Markovitz
  • Publication number: 20190178495
    Abstract: An improved combustion section for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. A fuel nozzle includes new features which provide improved injection patterns of oil fuel and cooling water, resulting in better control of combustion gas temperature and NOx emissions, and eliminated impingement of cooling water on walls of the combustor. A new combustor includes a plate-fin design which provides improved cooling, while the combustor also makes more efficient use of available cooling air and has an improved component life. A new transition component has a smoother shape which reduces stagnation of combustion gas flow and impingement of combustion gas on transition component walls, improved materials and localized thickness increases for better durability, and improved cooling features for more efficient usage of cooling air.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2019
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: Charalambos Polyzopoulos, Richard L. Thackway, Stephen A. Ramier, Vinayak V. Barve, Khalil Farid Abou-Jaoude, Daniel W. Garan, David P. Holzapfel, Kevin J. Spence, Joseph Scott Markovitz, Blake R. Cotten, Urmi B. Dave, Vaidyanathan Krishnan, Michael C. Escandon
  • Patent number: 10309652
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine combustor basket has nested outer and inner liners that are separated by a gap at their respective distal downstream ends for passage of cooling air between the liners. Radially inwardly projecting platefins formed on an inner circumferential surface of the outer liner maintain the cooling air passage gap. In some embodiments effusion cooling through holes are formed in the inner liner outer circumference, oriented in the air passage gap between the fins, so that cooling air passes through the effusion holes into the cooling air passage gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: SIEMENS ENERGY, INC.
    Inventors: Kevin J. Spence, Stephan J. Storms
  • Publication number: 20180306440
    Abstract: A cooling ring (102) of a combustor basket system (110) has a transition zone 108 that extends to a cooling channel (106) at a cooling channel entrance (104). The transition zone (108) has the substantially the same material strength throughout the length of the transition zone (108). By having the same material strength throughout the length of the transition zone (108), the cooling ring (102) is able to withstand greater stresses than previously used cooling rings. One way in which this is accomplished is by having a uniform thickness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Publication date: October 25, 2018
    Inventors: Kevin J. Spence, Domenico Gambacorta, Stephen A. Ramier
  • Publication number: 20170227228
    Abstract: A cross-flame duct (100) for connecting adjacent combustors (1, 2) together in a gas turbine to guard against flameout conditions within the combustors (1, 2), whereby the cross-flame duct (100) may include first and second ducts (102, 106) forming a slip joint to prevent stress from developing within the cross-flame duct (100) is disclosed. The cross-flame duct (100) remains flexible during turbine operation due to the slip joint, thereby preventing damaging thermal and mechanical stresses from developing within the cross-flame duct (100) and enhancing the useful life of the cross-flame duct (100) and associated components. The first and second ducts (102, 106) may also include cooling chambers (138, 156, 174) positioned between outer sleeves (122, 140) and inner housings (128, 146) and maintained with one or more standoffs (134, 152, 170) to reduce thermal stress and gradients or prevent material loss due to overheating or burning.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Publication date: August 10, 2017
    Applicant: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Daniel W. Garan, Richard L. Thackway, David P. Holzapfel, Stephen A. Ramier, Charalambos Polyzopoulos, Kevin J. Spence, Joseph Scott Markovitz
  • Publication number: 20160348911
    Abstract: An improved combustion section for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. A fuel nozzle includes new features which provide improved injection patterns of oil fuel and cooling water, resulting in better control of combustion gas temperature and NOx emissions, and eliminated impingement of cooling water on walls of the combustor. A new combustor includes a plate-fin design which provides improved cooling, while the combustor also makes more efficient use of available cooling air and has an improved component life. A new transition component has a smoother shape which reduces stagnation of combustion gas flow and impingement of combustion gas on transition component walls, improved materials and localized thickness increases for better durability, and improved cooling features for more efficient usage of cooling air.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2014
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: Charalambos Polyzopoulos, Richard L. Thackway, Stephen A. Ramier, Vinayak V. Barve, Khalil Farid Abou-Jaoude, Daniel W. Garan, David P. Holzapfel, Kevin J. Spence, Joseph Scott Markovitz, Blake R. Cotten, Urmi B. Dave, Vaidyanathan Krishnan, Michael C. Escandon
  • Publication number: 20150292742
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine combustor basket has nested outer and inner liners that are separated by a gap at their respective distal downstream ends for passage of cooling air between the liners. Radially inwardly projecting platefins formed on an inner circumferential surface of the outer liner maintain the cooling air passage gap. In some embodiments effusion cooling through holes are formed in the inner liner outer circumference, oriented in the air passage gap between the fins, so that cooling air passes through the effusion holes into the cooling air passage gap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Publication date: October 15, 2015
    Applicant: SIEMENS ENERGY, INC.
    Inventors: Kevin J. Spence, Stephan J. Storms
  • Publication number: 20140338332
    Abstract: An acoustically dampened gas turbine engine having a gas turbine engine combustor with an acoustic damping resonator system is disclosed. The acoustic damping resonator system may be formed from one or more resonators positioned within the gas turbine engine combustor at an outer housing forming a combustor basket and extending circumferentially within the combustor. The resonator may be positioned in a head region of the combustor basket. In one embodiment, the resonator may be positioned in close proximity to an intersection between the outer housing and an upstream wall defining at least a portion of the combustor. The acoustic damping resonator system may mitigate longitudinal mode dynamics thereby increasing an engine operating envelope and decreasing emissions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2013
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Inventors: Juan Enrique Portillo Bilbao, Rajesh Rajaram, Danning You, Kevin J. Spence