Patents by Inventor Robert James Bracken

Robert James Bracken 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: 9726026
    Abstract: The present application provides a turbine rotor and blade assembly for a steam turbine. The turbine rotor and blade assembly may include a rotor, a number of buckets positioned about the rotor and a locking blade positioned about the rotor. The locking blade may include a base, a first side hook, and a second side hook. The locking blade may include a first side pilot hole defined between the base and the first side hook and a second side pilot hole defined between the base and the second side hook.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: John Thomas Basirico, Timothy Scott McMurray, Laurence Scott Duclos, Robert James Bracken
  • Patent number: 9057278
    Abstract: A turbine bucket including an integral rotation controlling feature is disclosed. In one embodiment, a turbine bucket includes: a blade section having an inner radial end and an outer radial end; an integral cover section connected to the outer radial end of the blade section; and a base section for engaging a rotor body, the base section connected to the inner radial end, wherein the base section includes: a central body; a set of tangs extending axially from the central body; a set of flanges radially inboard of the set of tangs and extending axially from the central body; and an integral rotation controlling feature extending from the central body, wherein the rotation controlling feature engages a radial opening in the rotor body. The integral rotation controlling feature is sized to limit rotation of the base section, when the turbine bucket is engaged with a rotor body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James Royce Howes, Mark Kevin Bowen, Robert James Bracken, Laurence Scott Duclos, Scott Leroy Irwin, Nicholas Andrew Tisenchek
  • Publication number: 20140056712
    Abstract: A turbine bucket including an integral rotation controlling feature is disclosed. In one embodiment, a turbine bucket includes: a blade section having an inner radial end and an outer radial end; an integral cover section connected to the outer radial end of the blade section; and a base section for engaging a rotor body, the base section connected to the inner radial end, wherein the base section includes: a central body; a set of tangs extending axially from the central body; a set of flanges radially inboard of the set of tangs and extending axially from the central body; and an integral rotation controlling feature extending from the central body, wherein the rotation controlling feature engages a radial opening in the rotor body. The integral rotation controlling feature is sized to limit rotation of the base section, when the turbine bucket is engaged with a rotor body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: James Royce Howes, Mark Kevin Bowen, Robert James Bracken, Laurence Scott Duclos, Scott Leroy Irwin, Nicholas Andrew Tisenchek
  • Publication number: 20130330195
    Abstract: The present application provides a turbine rotor and blade assembly for a steam turbine. The turbine rotor and blade assembly may include a rotor, a number of buckets positioned about the rotor and a locking blade positioned about the rotor. The locking blade may include a base, a first side hook, and a second side hook. The locking blade may include a first side pilot hole defined between the base and the first side hook and a second side pilot hole defined between the base and the second side hook.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2013
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John Thomas Basirico, Timothy Scott McMurray, Laurence Scott Duclos, Robert James Bracken
  • Patent number: 8105032
    Abstract: A system may cool a wheel of a steam turbine, the wheel being associated with a rotor of the steam turbine. The system may include an inlet passage and an outlet passage. The inlet passage may be positioned to communicate steam from an exterior of the rotor, through an interior of the rotor, and to the wheel. The outlet passage may be positioned to communicate steam from the wheel, through the interior of the rotor, and to the exterior of the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert James Bracken, Michael Earl Montgomery, Stephen Roger Swan
  • Patent number: 8100641
    Abstract: A steam turbine having a stage including buckets of different material. For example, a set of first buckets may be made of a first material and a set of second buckets may be made of a second material, where the first material is different than the second material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Robert James Bracken
  • Patent number: 7921556
    Abstract: A fully bladed closure design for a turbine wheel with tangential entry. A set of the final three buckets including a bladed closure bucket are disposed about a wheel margin with two buckets adjacent to the bladed closure bucket secured to the wheel margin by the dovetails. The closure bucket is secured to adjacent buckets by a combination of one or more retaining keys and to the margin by one or more retaining pins. The bladed closure bucket and the adjoining faces of the adjacent buckets have flat skirts providing suppport from the retaining keys across the full axial width of the bladed closure bucket and the adjacent buckets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert James Bracken, John C. Lavash, Praveen Kumar Garlapati
  • Patent number: 7866949
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a turbine rotor is provided. The method includes fabricating a plurality of substantially cylindrical disks. Fabricating each disk includes fabricating a substantially cylindrical body and extending a bore substantially concentrically through the body. The method also includes coupling at least two of the plurality of disks together to form a rotor having a bore extending axially therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert James Bracken, John Thomas Murphy, Clement Gazzillo, John Cleland Lavash, Stephen Roger Swan, Ronald Wayne Korzun, Jeffrey Robert Simkins
  • Publication number: 20100061857
    Abstract: A steam turbine having a stage including buckets of different material. For example, a set of first buckets may be made of a first material and a set of second buckets may be made of a second material, where the first material is different than the second material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2008
    Publication date: March 11, 2010
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Robert James Bracken
  • Patent number: 7645117
    Abstract: A rotary machine includes a rotor, a stationary machine casing extending around the rotor, and a bling assembly extending between the casing and the rotor. The machine also includes at least one rotor tip seal assembly and at least one shaft seal assembly. The seal assemblies have a groove configured to receive at least one seal ring band. A method of assembling a rotary machine is also provided. The method includes fabricating the bling assembly by providing two identical members comprising a mating surface and having a semi-circular profile. The method also includes coupling the two members together at their mating surfaces such that a circular ring is formed and such that the mating surfaces define a horizontal joint. The method further includes machining concentric, circular and annular radially inner and outer and airfoil portions within predetermined radial portions of the bling assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert James Bracken, David Orus Fitts, Sterling Hathaway, William Edward Adis, Ronald Korzun, Larry Duclos
  • Publication number: 20090196735
    Abstract: A system may cool a wheel of a steam turbine, the wheel being associated with a rotor of the steam turbine. The system may include an inlet passage and an outlet passage. The inlet passage may be positioned to communicate steam from an exterior of the rotor, through an interior of the rotor, and to the wheel. The outlet passage may be positioned to communicate steam from the wheel, through the interior of the rotor, and to the exterior of the rotor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2008
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert James Bracken, Michael Earl Montgomery, Stephen Roger Swan
  • Patent number: 7537430
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a rotor assembly for a steam turbine. The steam turbine includes a retention portion having a stacked rotor section. The steam turbine further includes a first shaft end disposed at a first end of the retention portion. The steam turbine yet further includes a second shaft end disposed at a second end of the retention portion that is opposite to the first end of the retention portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert James Bracken, John Thomas Murphy, Stephen Swan, Jeffrey Robert Simkins, Clement Gazzillo, Ronald W. Korzun, David Orus Fitts
  • Patent number: 7497658
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a stator assembly for a steam turbine. The stator assembly includes a stacked stator section and a retention device. The stacked stator section has a plurality of adjacently disposed stator plates. The retention device retains the adjacent stator plates proximate to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert James Bracken, John Thomas Murphy, Stephen Swan, Jeffrey Robert Simkins, Clement Gazzillo, David Orus Fitts, Mark William Kowalczyk
  • Publication number: 20090047128
    Abstract: A fully bladed closure design for turbine wheel with tangential entry. A set of the final three buckets including a bladed closure bucket are disposed about a wheel margin with two buckets adjacent to the bladed closure bucket secured to the wheel margin by the dovetails. The closure bucket is secured to adjacent buckets by a combination of one or more retaining keys and to the margin by one or more retaining pins. The bladed closure bucket and the adjoining faces of the adjacent buckets have flat skirts providing suppport from the retaining keys across the full axial width of the bladed closure bucket and the adjacent buckets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2007
    Publication date: February 19, 2009
    Inventors: Robert James Bracken, John C. Lavash, Praveen Kumar Garlapati
  • Patent number: 7410345
    Abstract: A retaining key for a turbine nozzle includes a key body having top and bottom surfaces, a pair of sides and a pair of ends including a forward end having a pair of horizontal shoulders on opposite sides of a center rib, the shoulders located substantially midway between the top and bottom surfaces such that the forward end has a substantially inverted T-shaped profile, and a rearward end having a first surface portion extending from and substantially perpendicular to the top surface and a second surface portion extending at an acute angle downwardly and toward the forward end and intersecting the bottom surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Robert James Bracken
  • Patent number: 7407370
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a rotor assembly for a steam turbine including a stacked rotor section having rotor plates. The rotor plates include a main body portion having a plate shape and a first axial face and a second axial face opposite to the first axial face. The rotor plates also include an airfoil base surface at an outer radial edge of the main body portion. The rotor plates further include buckets which extend radially outward from the airfoil base surface. And the rotor plates yet further include a seal disposed to prevent steam exposure to the first and second axial faces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert James Bracken, John Thomas Murphy, Stephen Swan, Jeffrey Robert Simkins, Clement Gazzillo
  • Publication number: 20080050226
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a turbine rotor is provided. The method includes fabricating a plurality of substantially cylindrical disks. Fabricating each disk includes fabricating a substantially cylindrical body and extending a bore substantially concentrically through the body. The method also includes coupling at least two of the plurality of disks together to form a rotor having a bore extending axially therethrough.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2006
    Publication date: February 28, 2008
    Inventors: Robert James Bracken, John Thomas Murphy, Clement Gazzillo, John Cleland Lavash, Stephen Roger Swan, Ronald Wayne Korzun, Jeffrey Robert Simkins
  • Patent number: 7287956
    Abstract: The turbine includes a diaphragm having a seal carrier mounted in opposition to seal teeth carried by the rotary component. The seal carrier includes a seal face having a coating of abradable material enabling the rotary component to abrade the material from the seal face. The seal carrier is removable from the diaphragm and is carried by an axial extension integral with or removable from the outer diaphragm ring. A spring may be interposed between the seal carrier and the stationary component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert James Bracken, Sterling Ray Hathaway, David Orus Fitts, Ron W. Korzun, Laurence Scott Duclos, William Edward Adis, Mark William Kowalczyk, Bernard Arthur Couture
  • Patent number: 7270512
    Abstract: The steampath for a steam turbine includes stacked stator rings each mounting inwardly directed nozzles and stacked rotor wheels each mounting outwardly directed buckets mounting blades. By alternately stacking the stator rings and rotor wheels, the nozzles and buckets of the various stages are interdigitated to form a steampath. Each bucket includes a blade and a root received in a generally complementary shaped groove on a wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christopher Walter Sullivan, Robert James Bracken, Jeffrey Robert Simkins, Stephen Roger Swan, David Orus Fitts, Ronald Wayne Korzun, John Thomas Murphy
  • Patent number: 6908279
    Abstract: A wedge-like nozzle radial loading pin, preferably formed from steel, that contacts the bottom of a reaction nozzle along a graduated, that is inclined or stepped, surface. This contact will secure the reaction nozzle radially inward against the retaining surface of the carrier dovetail with sufficient force to maintain the designed airfoil pre-twist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christopher Walter Sullivan, David Orus Fitts, Robert James Bracken, Gregory Lee Landry