Patents by Inventor Nicholas C. Corbett

Nicholas C. Corbett 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: 5743079
    Abstract: A fuel control system for a premixed lean burn combustor in a combustion turbine engine, the combustor having at least two stages (P,S,T), the control system including; an air flow evaluation module having means utilising an iterative algorithm to derive an accurate value of total air flow to the combustor, the evaluation module further having means dividing the derived total air flow value into the proportions (Mp, Ms, Mt) required by the combustor stages (p,s, t) and outputting signals in parallel representing the air flow to respective combustor stages (p,s,t), and a control module associated with each stage (p,s,t) of the combustor and responsible for setting the fuel demand signal for the associated combustor stage (p,s,t), each control module being adapted to set the fuel demand signal with reference to an appropriate one of said output signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1998
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventors: Philip P. Walsh, Nicholas C. Corbett, Arthur L. Rowe
  • Patent number: 5720164
    Abstract: A dual fuel gas generator (10) is provided with a steam injection system (48) having a bleed-off valve (66) and a steam metering valve which are controlled in concert by a controller (50) to supply steam to a steam manifold (22) for injection into the gas generator at rapidly variable rates independent of the steam supply rate from a boiler (42, FIG. 1). A proportion of the system can be reheated using a steam warm-up flow through the bleed-off valve (66). A further portion of the system can be purged and preheated using compressor delivery air to flow through a steam metering valve (80), a purge valve (74) and a drain valve (94). To control the degree of superheat at the steam manifold (22), water can be injected through a metering valve (90) and a vortex mixer (92), and to purge condensation from a gas fuel manifold (30, FIG. 7 ) of the gas generator, compressor delivery air can be allowed to flow through the manifold (30), a supply line (108) and a purge valve (112 to atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 24, 1998
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventors: Nicholas C. Corbett, Norman P. Lines, Lynn I. T. Steward
  • Patent number: 5540045
    Abstract: A duel fuel gas generator (10) is provided with a steam injection system (48) having a bleed-off valve (66) and a steam metering valve which are controlled in concert by a controller (50) to supply steam to a steam manifold (22) for injection into the gas generator at rapidly variable rates independent of the steam supply rate from a boiler (42, FIG. 1 ). A proportion of the system can be preheated using a steam warm-up flow through the bleed-off valve (66). A further portion of the system can be purged and preheated using compressor delivery air to flow through a steam metering valve (80), a purge valve (74) and a drain valve (94). To control the degree of superheat at the steam manifold (22), water can be injected through a metering valve (90) and a vortex mixer (92), and to purge condensation from a gas fuel manifold (30, FIG. 7 ) of the gas generator, compressor delivery air can be allowed to flow through the manifold (30), a supply line (108) and a purge valve (112) to atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1996
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventors: Nicholas C. Corbett, Norman P. Lines, Lynn I. T. Steward
  • Patent number: 5469700
    Abstract: Fuel flow is scheduled to a plurality of combustion stages by putting a plurality of engine fuel flow governors in parallel with each other and letting the governor which outputs the lowest fuel demand signal be the one which schedules the total fuel flow to the engine. Fuel flows to the plurality of combustion stages are then individually schedulled to achieve the lowest fuel flows consistent with predefined temperature limits for the corresponding stages of combustion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 28, 1995
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventors: Nicholas C. Corbett, Norman P. Lines
  • Patent number: 5369951
    Abstract: A duel fuel gas generator (10) is provided with a steam injection system (48) having a bleed-off valve (66) and a steam metering valve which are controlled in concert by a controller (50) to supply steam to a steam manifold (22) for injection into the gas generator at rapidly variable rates independent of the steam supply rate from a boiler (42, FIG. 1). A proportion of the system can be preheated using a steam warm-up flow through the bleed-off valve (66). A further portion of the system can be purged and preheated using compressor delivery air to flow through a steam metering valve (80), a purge valve (74) and a drain valve (94). To control the degree of superheat at the steam manifold (22), water can be injected through a metering valve (90) and a vortex mixer (92), and to purge condensation from a gas fuel manifold (30, FIG. 7) of the gas generator, compressor delivery air can be allowed to flow through the manifold (30 ), a supply line (108) and a purge valve (112) to atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventors: Nicholas C. Corbett, Norman Lines, Lynn I. T. Steward