Abstract: An airfoil for a gas turbine engine. The airfoil includes a unique cooling path for a coolant, routing the coolant through a cooling cavity, through a column of crossover passages and through a pin array near a trailing edge of the airfoil. The crossover passages produce impingement cooling and the pin array produces convective cooling. This combination of impingement cooling and convective cooling results in increased cooling of the airfoil and better aeromechanical life objectives.

Abstract: An airfoil for a gas turbine engine. The airfoil includes a unique cooling path for a coolant, routing the coolant through a cooling cavity, through a column of crossover passages and through a pin array near a trailing edge of the airfoil. The crossover passages produce impingement cooling and the pin array produces convective cooling. This combination of impingement cooling and convective cooling results in increased cooling of the airfoil and better aeromechanical life objectives.

Abstract: A cooling system for a transition duct for routing a gas flow from a combustor to the first stage of a turbine section in a combustion turbine engine is disclosed. The transition duct may have a multi-panel outer wall formed from an inner panel having an inner surface that defines at least a portion of a hot gas path plenum and an intermediate panel positioned radially outward from the inner panel such that at least one cooling chamber is formed between the inner and intermediate panels. The transition duct may also include an outer panel. The inner, intermediate and outer panels may include one or more metering holes for passing cooling fluids between cooling chambers for cooling the panels. The intermediate and outer panels may be secured with an attachment system coupling the panels to the inner panel such that the intermediate and outer panels may move in-plane.

Abstract: An air bearing with a rotor and a static land forming a clearance gap, the rotor including a compressible fluid supply channel to supply fluid to the bearing, and the rotor including a bearing inner race rotatably secured to the rotor, the inner race having an outer surface with a plurality of pockets opening outward and connected to a high pressure reservoir on the inner surface of the inner race through a plurality of radial extending supply channels that function as centrifugal pumps when the inner race is rotating to increase the bearing fluid pressure within the air bearing and increase the bearing stiffness. The inner race pockets extend around the full annular surface.

Abstract: A cooling system for a transition duct for routing a gas flow from a combustor to the first stage of a turbine section in a combustion turbine engine is disclosed. The transition duct may have a multi-panel outer wall formed from an inner panel having an inner surface that defines at least a portion of a hot gas path plenum and an intermediate panel positioned radially outward from the inner panel such that at least one cooling chamber is formed between the inner and intermediate panels. The transition duct may also include an outer panel. The inner, intermediate and outer panels may include one or more metering holes for passing cooling fluids between cooling chambers for cooling the panels. The intermediate and outer panels may be secured with an attachment system coupling the panels to the inner panel such that the intermediate and outer panels may move in-plane.

Abstract: A rotary shaft to hub connection, such as that used between a centrifugal compressor or pump and a shaft. The hub includes inner and outer axial extending members that fit within inner and outer annular grooves formed within the rotary shaft so that a tight fit between the shaft and the hub is maintained during high speed rotation. An inwardly extending projection is formed on the outer axial extending member of the hub that forms a tight fit against the shaft.

Abstract: A turbomachine having a rotor blade with a tip seal formed between the blade tip and the shroud, where the tip seal is formed by a thin metal plate extending from the blade tip and bending away from the direction of rotation of the blade such that a flat surface of the thin metal plate floats against the shroud surface by a cushion of air formed due to the rotation. The tip seal is forced against the shroud surface due to centrifugal force from rotation so that the tip seals maintain a seal even in cases of high eccentricity. Because of the cushion of air formed from rotation, the tip seal does not wear from rubbing. The flexible plate tip seal is formed from a material such as titanium for use in a compressor, or from a high temperature resistant metal alloy such as Inco 625 for use in a turbine of a gas turbine engine.

Abstract: A rotor disk assembly having a plurality of rotor disks secured together by annular projections with screw threads thereon for easy assembly and disassembly. The annular projections include a plurality of spring biased pins that push against an opposing annular projection due to centrifugal forces during rotation of the rotor disks at such a force as to hold the rotor disks against loosening from vibrations. The spring biased pins have a low enough spring constant that the pins are disengaged when enough torque is applied to unscrew the rotor disk from one another.

Abstract: A hydrostatic air bearing in which a journal rotates within a cavity formed within a bearing race, and a sleeve that rotates with the journal within the cavity of the bearing race, where the sleeve is formed of a porous metallic material that allows for a bearing fluid such as air to flow from a high pressure side of the journal to a low pressure side of the journal through the porous sleeve that acts to dampen the bearing fluid flow, and therefore dampen the bearing. Another embodiment is for a hydrodynamic air bearing with an annular sleeve arranged between the rotating journal and the bearing race, where the annular sleeve is formed of a porous metallic material to dampen air flow across the journal.