Patents by Inventor Randy E Whitener
Randy E Whitener 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).
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Patent number: 8541916Abstract: A system for securing a nut (24) used to compress a compliant seal (23) surrounding a radial conductor lead (21) of an electric generator (10). The generator has a rotor (11) with the radial conductor lead arranged in a radial lead bore (20) of the rotor and the seal coaxially arranged surrounding the radial lead. A receiving pocket (15) is arranged in a body of the rotor adjacent to the radial lead bore. The nut is arranged coaxially with the radial conductor lead, the nut including a seal contacting surface (35) and a ligament (26) arranged opposite the seal contacting surface, wherein a portion of the ligament is deformed into the receiving pocket to lock the nut against rotation, thereby maintaining a desired degree of compression on the seal.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2009Date of Patent: September 24, 2013Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.Inventors: Randy E. Whitener, Stephen T. Soto, Neil R. Smith
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Patent number: 7966717Abstract: A rotor pole crossover connection joint for use in a rotating electrical machine is disclosed. The connection joint integrally couples a bottom rotor coil strap to a rotor pole crossover connector with a single piece connector that reduces, distributes or otherwise tolerates stress concentrations in the connector. A corresponding method of forming a rotor pole crossover connection and a rotor assembly including a rotor pole crossover connection joint are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2010Date of Patent: June 28, 2011Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.Inventors: Randy E. Whitener, Justin England, Jiping Zhang, Peter J. Clayton, Thomas L. Schuchart, William C. Gardner
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Publication number: 20110148231Abstract: A system for securing a nut (24) used to compress a compliant seal (23) surrounding a radial conductor lead (21) of an electric generator (10). The generator has a rotor (11) with the radial conductor lead arranged in a radial lead bore (20) of the rotor and the seal coaxially arranged surrounding the radial lead. A receiving pocket (15) is arranged in a body of the rotor adjacent to the radial lead bore. The nut is arranged coaxially with the radial conductor lead, the nut including a seal contacting surface (35) and a ligament (26) arranged opposite the seal contacting surface, wherein a portion of the ligament is deformed into the receiving pocket to lock the nut against rotation, thereby maintaining a desired degree of compression on the seal.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2009Publication date: June 23, 2011Inventors: Randy E. Whitener, Stephen T. Soto, Neil R. Smith
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Patent number: 7861435Abstract: A method of determining an alignment of a floating seal for a turbo machine, including establishing a reference surface on a rotor of the turbomachine that is essentially perpendicular to an instantaneous centerline of the rotor, establishing a control surface that radially aligns a floating seal member that surrounds the rotor, providing an inflatable member arranged between a stationary portion of the turbomachine and a surface of the floating seal, inflating the inflatable member such that the inflatable member urges the floating seal firmly against the control surface, measuring an axial distance between the floating seal and the reference surface at a plurality of locations, determining a parallelism between the facing surfaces of the floating seal and the rotor based upon the plurality of measured axial distances, comparing the determined parallelism with a predetermined threshold, and adjusting an orientation of the control surface based upon the comparison.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2009Date of Patent: January 4, 2011Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.Inventors: Randy E. Whitener, Terrell H. Yon, III, William G. Morgan, Jr.
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Publication number: 20100313435Abstract: A method of determining an alignment of a floating seal for a turbo machine, including establishing a reference surface on a rotor of the turbomachine that is essentially perpendicular to an instantaneous centerline of the rotor, establishing a control surface that radially aligns a floating seal member that surrounds the rotor, providing an inflatable member arranged between a stationary portion of the turbomachine and a surface of the floating seal, inflating the inflatable member such that the inflatable member urges the floating seal firmly against the control surface, measuring an axial distance between the floating seal and the reference surface at a plurality of locations, determining a parallelism between the facing surfaces of the floating seal and the rotor based upon the plurality of measured axial distances, comparing the determined parallelism with a predetermined threshold, and adjusting an orientation of the control surface based upon the comparison.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 10, 2009Publication date: December 16, 2010Inventors: Randy E. Whitener, Terrell H. Yon, III, William G. Morgan, JR.
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Publication number: 20100299913Abstract: A rotor pole crossover connection joint for use in a rotating electrical machine is disclosed. The connection joint integrally couples a bottom rotor coil strap to a rotor pole crossover connector with a single piece connector that reduces, distributes or otherwise tolerates stress concentrations in the connector.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 11, 2010Publication date: December 2, 2010Inventors: Randy E. Whitener, Justin England, Jiping Zhang, Peter J. Clayton, Thomas L. Schuchart, William C. Gardner
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Patent number: 7808138Abstract: A rotor pole crossover connection joint for use in a rotating electrical machine is disclosed. The connection joint integrally couples a bottom rotor coil strap to a rotor pole crossover connector with a single piece connector that reduces, distributes or otherwise tolerates stress concentrations in the connector. A corresponding method of forming a rotor pole crossover connection and a rotor assembly including a rotor pole crossover connection joint are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 2007Date of Patent: October 5, 2010Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.Inventors: Randy E. Whitener, Justin England, Jiping Zhang, Peter J. Clayton, Thomas L. Schuchart, William C. Gardner
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Publication number: 20080143202Abstract: A rotor pole crossover connection joint for use in a rotating electrical machine is disclosed. The connection joint integrally couples a bottom rotor coil strap to a rotor pole crossover connector with a single piece connector that reduces, distributes or otherwise tolerates stress concentrations in the connector.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 14, 2007Publication date: June 19, 2008Applicant: SIEMENS POWER GENERATION, INC.Inventors: Randy E. Whitener, Justin England, Jiping Zhang, Peter J. Clayton, Thomas L. Schuchart, William C. Gardner
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Patent number: 7129605Abstract: An interconnecting assembly for a rotor assembly of a dynamoelectric machine is provided. The interconnecting assembly may be part of a conductive path generally extending from a radially inward section of the rotor assembly to a winding located at a radially outward section of the rotor assembly. The interconnecting assembly may be made up of a flexible member (44) comprising a bend (50). The interconnecting assembly may be further made up of a connector (70) connected to the flexible member to pass axial and radial forces that develop during operation of the machine. The positioning of the connector relative to the flexible member may be arranged so that an effect of an axial force on a radius of curvature of the bend and an effect of a radial force on that radius of curvature are opposed to one another. This leads to lower peaks of mechanical stress at the flexible member (44) (e.g.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2003Date of Patent: October 31, 2006Assignee: Siemens Power Generation, Inc.Inventors: Jiping Zhang, Robert R. Messel, Randy E. Whitener, Peter J. Clayton, Larry Zeller
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Patent number: 7119462Abstract: An interconnecting assembly (100) for a rotor assembly of a dynamoelectric machine is provided. The interconnecting assembly may be part of an electrically conductive path generally extending from a radially inward section of the rotor assembly to a top winding of a stacked winding (128) located at a radially outward section of the rotor assembly. The interconnecting assembly may include a first connecting member (106) connected to a radial lead (104) at the inward section of the rotor assembly. This first connecting member is made up of multiple conductive leaves and includes a flexible bend (108) positioned to provide a resilient-connection relative to at least a radial direction. The interconnecting assembly may further include a second connecting member (124) mechanically connected to the first connecting member by way of the resilient connection. This second connecting member is electrically connected to the first connecting member and to the top winding.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2004Date of Patent: October 10, 2006Assignee: Siemens Power Generation, Inc.Inventors: Jiping Zhang, Stephen T. Soto, Peter J. Clayton, Randy E. Whitener, Robert R. Messel
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Patent number: 6930434Abstract: The present invention increases the life of a pole crossover while minimizing the need for timely inspections and costly replacements. The present invention splits the pole crossover band 4 at one or more locations along its circumference and then joins the multiple arcs with a flexible member 10, such as an omega shaped bow. As deflection related stresses 8 increase, the circumference of the pole crossover band, the flexible member 10 allows for a natural expansion point in the otherwise rigid material. This relieves stresses that would otherwise be transferred to the connection point 6 between the pole crossover and the generator windings that can cause cracking and eventually generator failure.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2004Date of Patent: August 16, 2005Assignee: Siemens Westinghouse Power CorporationInventors: Craig Michael Spencer, Randy E Whitener, Raul R Rico, Larry Zeller
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Publication number: 20040217662Abstract: An interconnecting assembly for a rotor assembly of a dynamoelectric machine is provided. The interconnecting assembly may be part of a conductive path generally extending from a radially inward section of the rotor assembly to a winding located at a radially outward section of the rotor assembly. The interconnecting assembly may be made up of a flexible member (44) comprising a bend (50). The interconnecting assembly may be further made up of a connector (70) connected to the flexible member to pass axial and radial forces that develop during operation of the machine. The positioning of the connector relative to the flexible member may be arranged so that an effect of an axial force on a radius of curvature of the bend and an effect of a radial force on that radius of curvature are opposed to one another. This leads to lower peaks of mechanical stress at the flexible member (44) (e.g.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 30, 2003Publication date: November 4, 2004Inventors: Jiping Zhang, Robert R. Messel, Randy E. Whitener, Peter J. Clayton, Larry Zeller