Patents by Inventor Nathaniel Benedict Hawes

Nathaniel Benedict Hawes 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: 11683919
    Abstract: A heat pipe assembly includes walls having porous wick linings, an insulating layer coupled with at least one of the walls, and an interior chamber sealed by the walls. The linings hold a liquid phase of a working fluid in the interior chamber. The insulating layer is directly against a conductive component of an electromagnetic power conversion device such that heat from the conductive component vaporizes the working fluid in the porous wick lining of the at least one wall and the working fluid condenses at or within the porous wick lining of at least one other wall to cool the conductive component of the electromagnetic power conversion device. The assembly can be placed in direct contact with the device while the device is operating and/or experiencing time-varying magnetic fields that cause the device to operate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Karthik Bodla, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, Brian Magann Rush, Weijun Yin, Andrew Thomas Cross
  • Patent number: 11437808
    Abstract: A wind turbine includes a superconducting generator having an armature and a superconducting field winding set. The armature includes at least one multiphase armature winding set having a plurality of armature windings. The superconducting field winding set is separated by a gap from the armature. The superconducting field winding set includes a plurality of field windings, wherein one of the armature winding set and superconducting field winding set is connectable to rotate with a rotating component of the wind turbine and another of the armature and the superconducting field winding set being non-rotating. The wind turbine also includes a controllable power converter coupled to the at least one multiphase armature winding set and a controller configured to control switching operations of the controllable power converter to effect a phase shift among the plurality of armature windings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, Yuntao Xu, Nidhishri Tapadia, David Allan Torrey, Anbo Wu
  • Patent number: 11359470
    Abstract: A system including a control system is provided. The control system includes a main drive that receives power from a power source and outputs a variable frequency and a variable amplitude AC voltage. The control system also includes a controller to interface with the main drive and an electric machine. The controller receives one or more electrical signals associated with an operating condition of the electric machine from one or more sensors disposed between the electric machine and the main drive. The controller determines correction information based on the received electrical signals and based on a desired operating condition of the electric machine. The controller transmits the correction information to the main drive. The correction information corresponds to a rotor position of the electric machine or operating commands configured to implement the desired operating condition of the electric machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations, LLC
    Inventors: Tomas Sadilek, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, David Allan Torrey, Di Pan, Kum Kang Huh
  • Publication number: 20210378154
    Abstract: A heat pipe assembly includes walls having porous wick linings, an insulating layer coupled with at least one of the walls, and an interior chamber sealed by the walls. The linings hold a liquid phase of a working fluid in the interior chamber. The insulating layer is directly against a conductive component of an electromagnetic power conversion device such that heat from the conductive component vaporizes the working fluid in the porous wick lining of the at least one wall and the working fluid condenses at or within the porous wick lining of at least one other wall to cool the conductive component of the electromagnetic power conversion device. The assembly can be placed in direct contact with the device while the device is operating and/or experiencing time-varying magnetic fields that cause the device to operate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Karthik Bodla, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, Brian Magann Rush, Weijun Yin, Andrew Thomas Cross
  • Patent number: 11122715
    Abstract: A heat pipe assembly includes walls having porous wick linings, an insulating layer coupled with at least one of the walls, and an interior chamber sealed by the walls. The linings hold a liquid phase of a working fluid in the interior chamber. The insulating layer is directly against a conductive component of an electromagnetic power conversion device such that heat from the conductive component vaporizes the working fluid in the porous wick lining of the at least one wall and the working fluid condenses at or within the porous wick lining of at least one other wall to cool the conductive component of the electromagnetic power conversion device. The assembly can be placed in direct contact with the device while the device is operating and/or experiencing time-varying magnetic fields that cause the device to operate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Karthik Bodla, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, Brian Magann Rush, Weijun Yin, Andrew Thomas Cross
  • Patent number: 11043876
    Abstract: A heat pipe assembly includes walls having porous wick linings, an insulating layer coupled with at least one of the walls, and an interior chamber sealed by the walls. The linings hold a liquid phase of a working fluid in the interior chamber. The insulating layer is directly against a conductive component of an electromagnetic power conversion device such that heat from the conductive component vaporizes the working fluid in the porous wick lining of the at least one wall and the working fluid condenses at or within the porous wick lining of at least one other wall to cool the conductive component of the electromagnetic power conversion device. The assembly can be placed in direct contact with the device while the device is operating and/or experiencing time-varying magnetic fields that cause the device to operate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Karthik Bodla, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, Brian Magann Rush, Weijun Yin, Andrew Thomas Cross, Corey Bourassa
  • Publication number: 20210098983
    Abstract: A wind turbine includes a superconducting generator having an armature and a superconducting field winding set. The armature includes at least one multiphase armature winding set having a plurality of armature windings. The superconducting field winding set is separated by a gap from the armature. The superconducting field winding set includes a plurality of field windings, wherein one of the armature winding set and superconducting field winding set is connectable to rotate with a rotating component of the wind turbine and another of the armature and the superconducting field winding set being non-rotating. The wind turbine also includes a controllable power converter coupled to the at least one multiphase armature winding set and a controller configured to control switching operations of the controllable power converter to effect a phase shift among the plurality of armature windings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventors: Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, Yuntao Xu, Nidhishri Tapadia, David Allan Torrey, Anbo Wu
  • Patent number: 10844875
    Abstract: A self-cooling electric submersible pump having an integrated cooling system is provided. The cooling system is configured to cool and lubricate the electric motor section of the pump by expanding a compressed multi-component coolant fluid through flow channels within the motor. The coolant fluid contains a first fluid having a boiling point of at least 230° C. and a second fluid having a boiling point of less than 150° C. During pump operation the first fluid acts as a largely incompressible liquid and the second fluid behaves as a compressible gas. A compressor compresses the second fluid in the presence of the first fluid to produce a hot compressed coolant fluid from which heat is transferred to a production fluid being processed by the pump. The compressed coolant fluid is expanded through an orifice and into the motor flow channels, returning thereafter to the compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Jalal Hunain Zia, Yogen Vishwas Utturkar, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes
  • Publication number: 20200336045
    Abstract: A heat pipe assembly includes walls having porous wick linings, an insulating layer coupled with at least one of the walls, and an interior chamber sealed by the walls. The linings hold a liquid phase of a working fluid in the interior chamber. The insulating layer is directly against a conductive component of an electromagnetic power conversion device such that heat from the conductive component vaporizes the working fluid in the porous wick lining of the at least one wall and the working fluid condenses at or within the porous wick lining of at least one other wall to cool the conductive component of the electromagnetic power conversion device. The assembly can be placed in direct contact with the device while the device is operating and/or experiencing time-varying magnetic fields that cause the device to operate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2019
    Publication date: October 22, 2020
    Inventors: Karthik Bodla, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, Brian Magann Rush, Weijun Yin, Andrew Thomas Cross, Corey Bourassa
  • Patent number: 10778124
    Abstract: A method of controlling an electric motor assembly includes receiving sensor feedback that is based at least in part on electrical properties of a variable frequency power signal provided to the electric motor assembly. The method also includes adjusting the phase angle of the variable frequency power signal provided to the electric motor assembly based at least in part on the sensor feedback. The method also includes determining an operational status of the electric motor assembly that receives the variable frequency power signal based at least in part on the sensor feedback.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, Stefan Grubic, Prabhakar Neti
  • Patent number: 10662953
    Abstract: A fluid extraction system is presented. The fluid extraction system includes a direct current (DC) bus and a plurality of fluid extraction sub-systems configured to be electrically coupled to the DC-bus. At least one fluid extraction sub-system includes an electric machine configured to aid in the extraction of a fluid from a well. The electric machine includes a plurality of phase windings and a rotor. The at least one fluid extraction sub-system further includes a control sub-system to control a rotational speed of the rotor by selectively controlling a supply of a phase current to the plurality of phase windings such that the rotational speed of the rotor of the electric machine is different from rotational speed of a rotor of another electric machine in at least one of other fluid extraction sub-systems. Related method for controlling rotational speeds of electric machines is also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations, LLC
    Inventors: David Allan Torrey, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, Ayman Mohamed Fawzi El-Refaie, Muhammad Hassan Chishti
  • Patent number: 10504656
    Abstract: A switched capacitive device includes a stationary portion including a plurality of first electrodes extending at least partially in a longitudinal dimension. Each first electrode has a first substantially active electrode volume. The device also includes a translatable portion including a plurality of second electrodes proximate the plurality of first electrodes. Each second electrode has a second substantially active electrode volume. The first active electrode volume is greater than the second active electrode volume. The second electrodes are translatable with respect to the first electrodes. The second electrodes extend at least partially in the longitudinal dimension. The first electrodes are configured to induce substantially linear motion of the second electrodes in the longitudinal dimension through the use of an electric field induced by at least a portion of the first electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Stefan Grubic, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, Manoj Ramprasad Shah, Martin Kin-Fei Lee, Rui Zhou, Kevin Michael Grace, Qin Chen
  • Publication number: 20190350111
    Abstract: A heat pipe assembly includes walls having porous wick linings, an insulating layer coupled with at least one of the walls, and an interior chamber sealed by the walls. The linings hold a liquid phase of a working fluid in the interior chamber. The insulating layer is directly against a conductive component of an electromagnetic power conversion device such that heat from the conductive component vaporizes the working fluid in the porous wick lining of the at least one wall and the working fluid condenses at or within the porous wick lining of at least one other wall to cool the conductive component of the electromagnetic power conversion device. The assembly can be placed in direct contact with the device while the device is operating and/or experiencing time-varying magnetic fields that cause the device to operate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Inventors: Karthik Bodla, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, Brian Magann Rush, Weijun Yin, Andrew Thomas Cross
  • Patent number: 10454323
    Abstract: An electric machine is presented. The electric machine includes a stator and a rotor disposed concentric to the stator. At least one of the rotor and the stator includes a core including a plurality of laminates stacked along the axial direction of the electric machine, where the stacked plurality of laminates defines a plurality of axial slots. The at least one of the rotor and the stator further includes a permanent magnet assembly disposed in one or more of the plurality of axial slots, where the permanent magnet assembly includes two or more permanent magnets disposed serially along the axial direction of the electric machine such that adjacently disposed permanent magnets overlap one another to form an overlapped interface. The overlapped interface spans at least two laminates of the plurality of laminates of the core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: GE Oil & Gas ESP, Inc.
    Inventors: Manoj Ramprasad Shah, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, James Pellegrino Alexander, Patel Bhageerath Reddy
  • Patent number: 10427351
    Abstract: An apparatus for bending a composite tube that includes an induction coil. Induction coil includes multiple turns and the turn-to-turn spacing changes at least once along the length of the induction coil. There is a heating element positioned near the induction coil and the induction coil is configured to cause the heating element to increase in temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Wendy Win-Ling Lin, Gary Scott Reese, Tsarafidy Raminosoa, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes
  • Patent number: 10288074
    Abstract: A control sub-system for controlling an electric machine is presented. The control sub-system includes a phase shift control unit to receive an electric signal indicative of an angular position of a rotor. The phase shift control unit generates a phase shifted electric signal by applying a phase shift to the electric signal. The magnitude of the phase shift is determined based on a speed control signal. The phase shift control unit is configured to generate a phase command signal based on the phase shifted electric signal. The control sub-system also includes a switching unit to control a supply of a phase current to one or more phase windings the electric machine based on the phase command signal such that the rotor is operated at a predetermined rotational speed. Related method of controlling the electric machine is also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: David Allan Torrey, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, Jr., Ayman Mohamed Fawzi El-Refaie, Muhammad Hassan Chishti
  • Patent number: 10263561
    Abstract: A method of controlling an electric motor assembly includes detecting a backspin event of an electric motor, and managing a response to the detected backspin event of the electric motor. The backspin event of the electric motor is detected based at least in part on feedback from a sensor configured to measure a current or a voltage on a cable coupled to the electric motor. The response includes communicating an alert to personnel, controlling the voltage on the cable to be less than a voltage threshold, or any combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Kum Kang Huh, David Allan Torrey, Di Pan, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, Tomas Sadilek
  • Patent number: 10256762
    Abstract: A method includes controlling a first power output to an electric machine during a transient event. Controlling the first power output includes measuring values of the first power output provided to the electric machine during the transient event, receiving an estimated speed input of the electric machine, determining adjustment commands to compensate the first power output for the transient event of the electric machine, generating switch commands for gate drives of a variable frequency drive (VFD) based at least in part on the adjustment commands, and modifying the first power output during the transient event based on the switch commands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Kum Kang Huh, Di Pan, David Allan Torrey, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, Tomas Sadilek
  • Publication number: 20190010946
    Abstract: A fluid extraction system is presented. The fluid extraction system includes a direct current (DC) bus and a plurality of fluid extraction sub-systems configured to be electrically coupled to the DC-bus. At least one fluid extraction sub-system includes an electric machine configured to aid in the extraction of a fluid from a well. The electric machine includes a plurality of phase windings and a rotor. The at least one fluid extraction sub-system further includes a control sub-system to control a rotational speed of the rotor by selectively controlling a supply of a phase current to the plurality of phase windings such that the rotational speed of the rotor of the electric machine is different from rotational speed of a rotor of another electric machine in at least one of other fluid extraction sub-systems. Related method for controlling rotational speeds of electric machines is also presented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Inventors: David Allan Torrey, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, JR., Ayman Mohamed Fawzi EL-Refaie, Muhammad Hassan Chishti
  • Publication number: 20180375456
    Abstract: A method includes controlling a first power output to an electric machine during a transient event. Controlling the first power output includes measuring values of the first power output provided to the electric machine during the transient event, receiving an estimated speed input of the electric machine, determining adjustment commands to compensate the first power output for the transient event of the electric machine, generating switch commands for gate drives of a variable frequency drive (VFD) based at least in part on the adjustment commands, and modifying the first power output during the transient event based on the switch commands.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2017
    Publication date: December 27, 2018
    Inventors: Kum Kang Huh, Di Pan, David Allan Torrey, Nathaniel Benedict Hawes, Tomas Sadilek