Patents by Inventor Tim C. Lieuwen

Tim C. Lieuwen 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).

  • Systems and methods for detection and control of blowout precursors in combustors using acoustical and optical sensing
    Patent number: 7454892
    Abstract: The present invention comprises methods for detecting and controlling flame blowout in combustors. The blowout precursor detection system comprises a combustor, a blowout precursor detection unit, a pressure measuring device and/or an optical measuring device. The methods of the present invention comprise receiving optical data measured by an optical measuring device, performing one or a combination of raw data analysis, spectral analysis, statistical analysis, and wavelet analysis on received optical data, and determining the existence of a blowout precursor based on such analyses. The present invention further comprises closed-loop control methods for controlling a combustor to prevent blowout.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Georgia Tech Research Corporation
    Inventors: Tim C. Lieuwen, Suraj Nair, Muruganandam Thiruchengode, Ben T. Zinn, Yediddia Neumeier, Jerry Seitzman, David Scarborough
  • Systems and methods for detection of combustor stability margin
    Patent number: 7194382
    Abstract: The present invention comprises systems and methods for determining stability margin of a combustor. One embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of providing a measuring device in communication with the combustor, wherein the measuring device generates signals indicative of combustor quantities; performing an autocorrelation calculation on the signals to determine the correlation time of the signals in the combustor; and determining the damping coefficient from the autocorrelation calculation, wherein the damping coefficient signifies a proximity of the combustor to instability. The damping coefficient may be estimated from the oscillatory envelope of the autocorrelation calculation data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Georgia Tech Research Corporation
    Inventor: Tim C. Lieuwen
  • Systems and methods for detection of blowout precursors in combustors
    Patent number: 7089746
    Abstract: The present invention comprises systems and methods for detecting flame blowout precursors in combustors. The blowout precursor detection system comprises a combustor, a pressure measuring device, and blowout precursor detection unit. A combustion controller may also be used to control combustor parameters. The methods of the present invention comprise receiving pressure data measured by an acoustic pressure measuring device, performing one or a combination of spectral analysis, statistical analysis, and wavelet analysis on received pressure data, and determining the existence of a blowout precursor based on such analyses. The spectral analysis, statistical analysis, and wavelet analysis further comprise their respective sub-methods to determine the existence of blowout precursors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Georgia Tech Reasearch Corporation
    Inventors: Tim C. Lieuwen, Suraj Nair