Patents by Inventor Steven Douglas Johnson
Steven Douglas Johnson 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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Publication number: 20240229658Abstract: A turbine engine having a rotor rotatable about a rotational axis, a stator, a plurality of circumferentially spaced bleed air passages, and an inducer. The plurality of circumferentially spaced bleed air passages being located between an axially adjacent set of vanes of the stator and blades of the rotor. The inducer including a nozzle passage fluidly coupling a nozzle inlet of the inducer to a nozzle outlet of the inducer.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 21, 2022Publication date: July 11, 2024Inventors: Antonio Guijarro Valencia, Scott Alan Schimmels, Steven Douglas Johnson
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Publication number: 20240200463Abstract: A passive flow modulation device for a machine defining an axial direction and a radial direction, the passive flow modulation device including: a first ring with a first coefficient of thermal expansion; a second ring disposed coaxially with the first ring and positioned at least partially inward of the first ring along the radial direction, spaced from the first ring along the axial direction, or both, the first ring, the second ring, or both defining at least in part one or more passages, the second ring with a second coefficient of thermal expansion that is less than the first coefficient of thermal expansion to passively modulate a size of the one or more passages during operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 26, 2024Publication date: June 20, 2024Inventors: Steven Douglas Johnson, Yu-Liang Lin, Craig Alan Gonyou, Scott Alan Schimmels, Jeffrey Douglas Rambo, Brian Gregg Feie
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Patent number: 12000296Abstract: A seal for a rotor is provided. The rotor defines an axial direction, a circumferential direction, and a radial direction. The seal includes a first flexible element coupled to the rotor. The first flexible element extends in a first direction that is within forty five degrees of the axial direction.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2022Date of Patent: June 4, 2024Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Steven Douglas Johnson, Neelesh Nandkumar Sarawate
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Patent number: 11988096Abstract: A seal assembly for a rotary machine, such as a turbine engine, may include a seal rotor comprising a rotor face, a seal slider comprising a slider face, a seal stator, wherein the seal slider is slidably coupled to the seal stator, and wherein the slider face and the rotor face define a primary seal. The seal slider may be configured to slidably engage and retract the slider face with respect to the rotor face. The seal assembly may further include a secondary seal disposed between the seal slider and the seal stator. The secondary seal may be configured to compress and rebound and/or to expand and rebound, over at least a portion of a range of motion of the seal slider.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2022Date of Patent: May 21, 2024Assignees: General Electric Company, General Electric Deutschland Holding GmbHInventors: Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Neelesh Nandkumar Sarawate, Rahul Anil Bidkar, Narendra Anand Hardikar, Kevin Randall McManus, Steven Douglas Johnson, Prateek Jalan, Antonio Guijarro Valencia, Julius John Montgomery, Rodrigo Rodriguez Erdmenger, Jose Maria Rey Villazon
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Patent number: 11976562Abstract: A system for controlling blade clearances within a gas turbine engine includes a rotor disk and a rotor blade coupled to the rotor disk. Additionally, the system includes an outer turbine component positioned outward of the rotor blade such that a clearance is defined between the rotor blade and the outer turbine component. Furthermore, the system includes a heat exchanger configured to receive a flow of cooling air bled from the gas turbine engine and transfer heat from the received flow of the cooling air to a flow of coolant to generate cooled cooling air. Moreover, the system includes a valve configured to control the flow of the coolant to the heat exchanger. In this respect, the cooled cooling air is supplied to at least one of the rotor disk or the rotor blade to adjust the clearance between the rotor blade and the outer turbine component.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2023Date of Patent: May 7, 2024Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Steven Douglas Johnson, Julius John Montgomery, Brandon Wayne Miller, Robert Proctor, Bradley W. Fintel, Jeffrey Douglas Rambo
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Publication number: 20240133308Abstract: A rotary machine, such as a turbomachine of a gas turbine engine, for example, including a rotor and a rotor seal assembly. The rotor is rotatable about a rotational axis and has a rotor seal face. The rotor seal assembly includes a seal body, one or more primary fluid conduits formed in the seal body, and a retraction assembly. The seal body has a seal face and is positionable to form a fluid-bearing gap between the seal face of the seal body and the rotor seal face. The one or more primary fluid conduits are fluidly connected to the fluid-bearing gap to supply a fluid to the fluid-bearing gap. The retraction assembly is connected to the seal body to move the seal body in a retraction direction away from the rotor seal face.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 10, 2023Publication date: April 25, 2024Inventors: David Yamarthi, Prateek Jalan, Grant Portune, Steven Douglas Johnson, Mark L. Hopper, Richard A. Wesling, Ravindra Shankar Ganiger
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Publication number: 20240133303Abstract: A turbine engine having a rotor rotatable about a rotational axis, a stator, a plurality of circumferentially spaced bleed air passages, and an inducer. The plurality of circumferentially spaced bleed air passages being located between an axially adjacent set of vanes of the stator and blades of the rotor. The inducer including a nozzle passage fluidly coupling a nozzle inlet of the inducer to a nozzle outlet of the inducer.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 20, 2022Publication date: April 25, 2024Inventors: Antonio Guijarro Valencia, Scott Alan Schimmels, Steven Douglas Johnson
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Patent number: 11965697Abstract: A heat exchanger is provided. The heat exchanger includes a first wall manifold. The heat exchanger further includes a second wall manifold spaced apart from the first wall manifold. The heat exchanger further includes a plurality of vanes that extend generally circumferentially between the first wall manifold and the second wall manifold. The heat exchanger further includes a plurality of fluid circuits defined within the heat exchanger. Each fluid circuit in the plurality of fluid circuits includes an inlet channel portion and an outlet channel portion defined within the first wall manifold. A return channel portion defined within the second wall manifold. At least one passage portion of a plurality of passage portions defined within each vane of the plurality of vanes. The at least one passage portion extends between the return channel portion and one of the inlet channel portion and the outlet channel portion.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2021Date of Patent: April 23, 2024Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Nicholas M. Daggett, Steven Douglas Johnson, Anand P. Roday, Scott Alan Schimmels
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Publication number: 20240110515Abstract: A gas turbine engine including: a fan assembly comprising a fan; and a turbomachine drivingly coupled to the fan and including a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section arranged in serial flow order and defining in part a working gas flowpath, the gas turbine engine defining a bypass passage over the turbomachine; the turbomachine further including a heat exchanger and defining an annular cooling passage extending between an inlet and an outlet, the inlet in airflow communication with the working gas flowpath at a location upstream of the compressor section and the outlet in airflow communication with the bypass passage, the heat exchanger in thermal communication with an airflow through the cooling passage.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2022Publication date: April 4, 2024Inventors: Brandon Wayne Miller, Andrew Hudecki, Steven Douglas Johnson, Eric Barre, John Carl Glessner, Efren Souza Chavez
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Patent number: 11920500Abstract: A passive flow modulation device for a machine defining an axial direction and a radial direction, the passive flow modulation device including: a first ring with a first coefficient of thermal expansion; a second ring disposed coaxially with the first ring and positioned at least partially inward of the first ring along the radial direction, spaced from the first ring along the axial direction, or both, the first ring, the second ring, or both defining at least in part one or more passages, the second ring with a second coefficient of thermal expansion that is less than the first coefficient of thermal expansion to passively modulate a size of the one or more passages during operation.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2021Date of Patent: March 5, 2024Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Steven Douglas Johnson, Yu-Liang Lin, Craig Alan Gonyou, Scott Alan Schimmels, Jeffrey Douglas Rambo, Brian Gregg Feie
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Publication number: 20240035390Abstract: A turbine engine having a stator, a rotor, and a seal assembly. The rotor being rotatable about a rotational axis. The seal assembly having a carriage assembly, a seal body and a biasing element. The carriage assembly being carried by the stator. The carriage assembly defining a seal cavity. The seal body being provided within the seal cavity.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 9, 2023Publication date: February 1, 2024Inventors: Steven Douglas Johnson, Kevin Randall McManus, Rahul Anil Bidkar
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Publication number: 20230417188Abstract: A thermal management system for a gas turbine engine includes a heat exchanger including first and second sides, with the first side in contact with flow path air flowing through a flow path of the engine. Furthermore, the system includes a housing positioned relative to the heat exchanger such that the housing and the second side of the heat exchanger define a plenum configured to receive bleed air from the engine. Moreover, the system includes and at least one of a plurality of fins extending outward from the second side of the heat exchanger in a radial direction into the plenum and along the second surface of the heat exchanger in the circumferential direction or an impingement plate defining a plurality of impingement apertures, with each impingement aperture configured to direct an impingement jet of the bleed air within the plenum onto the second side of the heat exchanger.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 7, 2023Publication date: December 28, 2023Inventors: Steven Douglas Johnson, Jonathan Russell Ratzlaff
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Publication number: 20230383670Abstract: A turbine engine comprising an engine core having a rotor and a stator, and a floating seal assembly sealing at least portions of the rotor and the stator relative to a higher-pressure area and a lower-pressure area. The floating seal assembly can comprise a carriage assembly at least partially defining a seal cavity and a seal body floating within the seal cavity. The floating seal assembly can further include at least one of a seal located between the seal body and the carriage assembly, and a seal face located between the seal body and the carriage assembly.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 26, 2021Publication date: November 30, 2023Inventors: Rahul Anil Bidkar, Steven Douglas Johnson, Uttara Vijay Kumar, Randy Thomas Antelo, Keith William Gary
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Patent number: 11821320Abstract: A turbine engine comprising an engine core having at least a compressor section, a combustor section, and a turbine section in axial flow arrangement defining an axial direction and an engine centerline. The turbine engine further having a rotor and a stator, a carriage assembly carried by the stator, and a seal assembly biased toward the rotor.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2021Date of Patent: November 21, 2023Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Steven Douglas Johnson, Kevin Randall McManus, Rahul Anil Bidkar
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Patent number: 11788469Abstract: A thermal management system for a gas turbine engine includes a heat exchanger including first and second sides, with the first side in contact with flow path air flowing through a flow path of the engine. Furthermore, the system includes a housing positioned relative to the heat exchanger such that the housing and the second side of the heat exchanger define a plenum configured to receive bleed air from the engine. Moreover, the system includes and at least one of a plurality of fins extending outward from the second side of the heat exchanger in a radial direction into the plenum and along the second surface of the heat exchanger in the circumferential direction or an impingement plate defining a plurality of impingement apertures, with each impingement aperture configured to direct an impingement jet of the bleed air within the plenum onto the second side of the heat exchanger.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2020Date of Patent: October 17, 2023Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Steven Douglas Johnson, Jonathan Russell Ratzlaff
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Publication number: 20230279781Abstract: A seal assembly for a rotary machine, such as a turbine engine, may include a seal rotor comprising a rotor face, a seal slider comprising a slider face, a seal stator, wherein the seal slider is slidably coupled to the seal stator, and wherein the slider face and the rotor face define a primary seal. The seal slider may be configured to slidably engage and retract the slider face with respect to the rotor face. The seal assembly may further include a secondary seal disposed between the seal slider and the seal stator. The secondary seal may be configured to compress and rebound and/or to expand and rebound, over at least a portion of a range of motion of the seal slider.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 16, 2022Publication date: September 7, 2023Inventors: Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Neelesh Nandkumar Sarawate, Rahul Anil Bidkar, Narendra Anand Hardikar, Kevin Randall McManus, Steven Douglas Johnson, Prateek Jalan, Antonio Guijarro Valencia, Julius John Montgomery, Rodrigo Rodriguez Erdmenger, Jose Maria Rey Villazon
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Publication number: 20230265767Abstract: A seal for a rotor is provided. The rotor defines an axial direction, a circumferential direction, and a radial direction. The seal includes a first flexible element coupled to the rotor. The first flexible element extends in a first direction that is within forty five degrees of the axial direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 22, 2022Publication date: August 24, 2023Inventors: Steven Douglas Johnson, Neelesh Nandkumar Sarawate
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Publication number: 20230265764Abstract: A system for controlling blade clearances within a gas turbine engine includes a rotor disk and a rotor blade coupled to the rotor disk. Additionally, the system includes an outer turbine component positioned outward of the rotor blade such that a clearance is defined between the rotor blade and the outer turbine component. Furthermore, the system includes a heat exchanger configured to receive a flow of cooling air bled from the gas turbine engine and transfer heat from the received flow of the cooling air to a flow of coolant to generate cooled cooling air. Moreover, the system includes a valve configured to control the flow of the coolant to the heat exchanger. In this respect, the cooled cooling air is supplied to at least one of the rotor disk or the rotor blade to adjust the clearance between the rotor blade and the outer turbine component.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 10, 2023Publication date: August 24, 2023Inventors: Steven Douglas Johnson, Julius John Montgomery, Brandon Wayne Miller, Robert Proctor, Bradley W. Fintel, Jeffrey Douglas Rambo
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Patent number: 11732592Abstract: A gas turbine engine defining an axial direction and a radial direction, and including a primary cooling circuit configured to receive a first flow of air; and a turbine rotor comprising a rotor blade, the rotor blade defining at least in part a forward wheelspace that is located forward of the rotor blade, the forward wheelspace configured to receive a second flow of air, the rotor blade further defining: a first cooling circuit internal to the rotor blade and in fluid communication with the primary cooling circuit for receiving the first flow of air from the primary cooling circuit; a second cooling circuit internal to the rotor blade and in fluid communication with the forward wheelspace for receiving a portion of the second flow of air from the forward wheelspace; and a means for drawing a portion of the second flow of air into the second cooling circuit.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2021Date of Patent: August 22, 2023Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Steven Douglas Johnson
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Patent number: 11692448Abstract: A nozzle assembly for a gas turbine engine includes a nozzle having a first material defining a first coefficient of thermal expansion, the nozzle having an airfoil defining a fluid passage therein, an inlet wall defining a fluid inlet that is fluidly connected to the fluid passage, and a passive valve assembly comprising an annular band, the annular band comprising a second material having a second coefficient of thermal expansion less than the first coefficient of thermal expansion such that the passive valve assembly is at least partially moveable relative to the fluid inlet.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 2022Date of Patent: July 4, 2023Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Paul Hadley Vitt, Steven Douglas Johnson