Patents by Inventor Minoru Takaba

Minoru Takaba 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: 5584171
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine control method and apparatus as disclosed for optimizing fuel/air mixture, especially during decreasing load conditions. In a large capacity gas turbine engine system used for generation of electric power, the system is designed to operate at a relatively constant rotational speed of the turbine which drives an electric generator unit. The load of the turbine engine varies throughout the day due to changes in electrical power demands. During normal rated load conditions, the control of the fuel/air mixture is by way of changes in fuel supply, corrected to return the turbine exhaust temperature to a desired rated temperature. During this mode of operation, the compressor inlet guide vanes are maintained in a substantially constant open position. For accommodating decreasing load conditions where the temperature drops below a predetermined temperature level below the rated temperature operation, the system is switched to an inlet guide vane control mode of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 17, 1996
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Isao Sato, Fumiyuki Hirose, Minoru Takaba, Akira Shimura, Shoei Takahashi, Hiraku Ikeda
  • Patent number: 5477670
    Abstract: A control apparatus of a gas turbine combustor for effecting a stable combustion with limited NOx emission through a control of a fuel flow rate according to a turbine output and a control of a flow rate of intake air mixed with the fuel comprises: means for detecting at least one of the temperature and the humidity of an intake air to be taken into the combustor; means for determining and storing, in advance, a stable combustion limit line between a stable combustion region and an unstable combustion region, on a plane of coordinates of a ratio of fuel flow rate/intake air flow rate or an intake air flow rate and the temperature or the humidity of the intake air, on each turbine load; means for detecting an instant operational point of the combustor on the plane of coordinates; and means for correcting an intake air flow rate or a ratio of fuel flow rate to the intake air flow rate according to an increase in the detected temperature or humidity so that the operational point does not cross the stable combust
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1995
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiraku Ikeda, Tetsuo Sasada, Isao Sato, Yoshikazu Moritomo, Koji Takahashi, Minoru Takaba
  • Patent number: 5339620
    Abstract: A control apparatus of a gas turbine combustor obtains a stable combustion with limited NOx emission through a control of a fuel flow rate according to a turbine output and a control of a flow rate of intake air mixed with the fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiraku Ikeda, Tetsuo Sasada, Isao Sato, Yoshikazu Moritomo, Koji Takahashi, Minoru Takaba
  • Patent number: 5327718
    Abstract: A gas turbine apparatus has a gas turbine and a plurality of burners for providing combustion gas to drive the turbine. A flow control means of each burner for fuel or combustion air is adjusted by control means to control each said burner individually in dependence on a predetermined combustion characteristic of the respective burner. Sensed quantities relating to the combustion performance of the burners are input to the control means which adjusts the flow control means of each burner in dependence on the sensed quantities and the predetermined combustion characteristic of the respective burner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 12, 1994
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naohiko Iwata, Yasuhiko Otawara, Akira Shimura, Nobuyuki Iizuka, Isao Sato, Fumiyuki Hirose, Minoru Takaba, Yasutaka Komatsu, Hiraku Ikeda, Takeshi Iwamiya, Takeshi Ishida
  • Patent number: 5319919
    Abstract: A method for controlling a gas turbine combustor which comprises nozzles for injecting fuel into a combustor and which serves to combust the fuel with air in a combustion chamber so as to rotatively drive a gas turbine by combustion gas compressed as a result of combustion of a fuel, wherein the ratio of a flow rate of fuel supplied into the combustor to a flow rate of air supplied into the combustor is changed in accordance with at least one of the states of fuel, air and rotational frequency of the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1994
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Nakayama, Isao Sato, Hiraku Ikeda, Michio Kuroda, Nobuyuki Iizuka, Kazuhiko Kumata, Fumiyuki Hirose, Akira Shimura, Minoru Takaba, Shoei Takahashi