Axial Flow Runner Patents (Class 415/58.7)
  • Patent number: 11702945
    Abstract: A fan case assembly adapted for use with a gas turbine engine includes a fan track liner and an annular case. The fan track liner extends circumferentially at least partway about a central axis of the gas turbine engine. The annular case is configured to support the fan track liner at a radial position relative to the central axis. The fan case assembly further includes an air recirculation duct configured to redirect air around the fan track liner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Robert W. Heeter, Daniel E. Molnar, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11624320
    Abstract: A booster splitter for a gas turbine engine and a method of additively manufacturing the booster splitter are provided. The booster splitter includes an annular inner wall defining a radially outer boundary of a compressor flow path defined through a compressor section of the gas turbine engine, an annular outer wall spaced apart from the annular inner wall along the radial direction, the annular outer wall adjacent to the annular inner wall at a forward end, the forward end defining an inlet to the compressor flow path, an annular bulkhead spanning between the annular inner wall and the annular outer wall substantially along the radial direction, the bulkhead defining an inlet port, and a passageway defined within the annular outer wall, the passageway extending from the inlet port, into the bulkhead, radially outward to the outer wall, and through the annular outer wall towards the inlet defined by the forward end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Sreekanth Kumar Dorbala, Nitesh Jain, Prashant Sharma
  • Patent number: 11466694
    Abstract: Multistage gas turbine engine (GTE) compressors having optimized stall enhancement feature (SEF) configurations are provided, as are methods for the production thereof. The multistage GTE compressor includes a series of axial compressor stages each containing a rotor mounted to a shaft of a gas turbine engine. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps or processes of selecting a plurality of engine speeds distributed across an operational speed range of the gas turbine engine, identifying one or more stall limiting rotors at each of the selected engine speeds, establishing an SEF configuration in which SEFs are integrated into the multistage GTE compressor at selected locations corresponding to the stall limiting rotors, and producing the multistage GTE compressor in accordance with the optimized SEF configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Bruce David Reynolds, Nick Nolcheff
  • Patent number: 11333079
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to detect air flow separation of an engine. An example apparatus includes hardware, and memory including instructions that, when executed, cause the hardware to at least determine an inlet flow separation parameter based on a first pressure value from a first pressure sensor included in a nacelle of a turbofan and a second pressure value from a second pressure sensor included in the nacelle, determine a severity level parameter based on the inlet flow separation parameter, the severity level parameter based on a difference between the first pressure value and the second pressure value, and adjust a contribution of airflow from aft of a fan of the turbofan based on the severity level parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sai Venkata Kathik Saripella, Vishnu Vardhan Venkata Tatiparthi, Keith Blodgett
  • Patent number: 10428829
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fan having a fan wheel (2) comprising fan blades (3), which fan wheel extends radially outwards about a rotational axis of the fan (1) and whose outer radial circumference defines a fan wheel diameter (Dv), and a stator (4) with air deflecting webs (5) disposed in the axial direction of flow at a distance (A) from the fan wheel (1), which stator extends radially outwards and has a stator diameter (Dl) that is smaller than the fan wheel diameter (Dv), such that the stator (4) defines a partial cross sectional area of a fan wheel cross sectional area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: EBM-PAPST MULFINGEN GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Daniel Gebert, Thomas Heli, Eugen Kleinhanss, Ann-Kathrin Löber
  • Patent number: 9541092
    Abstract: A tip turbine engine provides increased efficiency while eliminating or reducing the number of axial compressor stages by moving the core airflow inlet aft of the fan. As a result, the core airflow entering the core airflow inlet is the fan exhaust, which is already at an increased pressure. A portion of the fan exhaust is guided radially inward, then axially forward and then radially outward through compressor chambers in the hollow fan blades for further, centrifugal compression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: James W. Norris, Craig A. Nordeen
  • Patent number: 8955315
    Abstract: A hydroelectric generator includes a body and an electromechanical apparatus cabin. The body has a tube penetrating the body and a first flow channel. The tube has a tapering segment and a throat portion communicating with the first tapering segment. One end portion of the first flow channel is located on a wall surface of the throat portion, so that the first flow channel communicates with the tube. The first flow channel is used to enable a fluid to flow into the tube from the first flow channel or guide a fluid to flow out of the body from the throat portion. The electromechanical apparatus cabin has an energy retrieving apparatus disposed in the throat portion of the tube, and the end portion of the first flow channel communicating with the tube is located at a front side or a back side of the energy retrieving apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Chih-Wei Yen, Yi-Chen Li, Tzu-Hung Huang, Yin-Ling Kuo
  • Patent number: 8777558
    Abstract: A casing for a turbomachine rotor wheel includes a plurality of circumferential grooves, each of substantially constant section, with the section areas of the circumferential grooves decreasing from upstream to downstream on going from the first groove to the last groove. By treating the casing in this way, the efficiency of the rotor wheel is optimized and its surge margin is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Antoine Robert Alain Brunet, Olivier Stephane Domercq, Laurent Jablonski, Vincent Paul Gabriel Perrot
  • Patent number: 8690523
    Abstract: A fluid flow machine includes a main flow path which is confined by a hub (3) and a casing (1) and in which at least one row of blades (5) is arranged, with a blade end with gap being provided on the blade row, with the blade end and the main flow path confinement performing a rotary movement relative to each other in a vicinity of the blade end, with at least part of the running gap (11) retracted radially from the main flow path confinement into the main flow path, with the running gap (11) at the retractions no longer being confined by the main flow path confinement, but by a peripheral guiding device (10) passed by the main flow and firmly connected to the main flow path confinement and having a row of profiles (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Volker Guemmer
  • Publication number: 20140086725
    Abstract: Disclosed is a turbocharger with a dual-blade nozzle system, comprising a turbine housing, a fixed nozzle ring (1), a linearly moving nozzle disk (2), a mid-housing (5), a rack (4), rocker arm rods (3), and a gear (6), wherein airfoil-shaped fixed blades (8) are provided on the front end face of the fixed nozzle ring (1), with blade-type holes (9) provided between the fixed blades (8), and the fixed nozzle ring (1) is sheathed around the outside of the mid-housing (5) and fixed to the mid-housing (5) via screws; the linearly moving nozzle disk (2) is provided on the rear end of the fixed nozzle ring (1), a group of moving blades (7) is provided on the front end face of the linearly moving nozzle disk (2), the moving blades (7) are movably inserted into the blade-type holes (9), the rear end face of the linearly moving nozzle disk (2) is fixedly connected to two rocker arm rods (3), with the rocker arm rods (3) inserted into the mid-housing (5) and engaged with the rack (4) via the gear (6).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2012
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: WUXI KAIDI SUPERCHARGER ACCESSORIES CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yongqiang Shi
  • Patent number: 8668433
    Abstract: A wind generating device employs modules each having two turbines. Each of the turbines employs two rotors coaxially aligned by a shaft associated with an in-line generator. Alternatively, the turbine employs only one rotor for low wind areas. The arrangement includes a proximal channel with a leading portion having decreasing radius toward the first rotor which acts as a collector and a following portion connecting fluidly the first and second rotor and a distal channel which is separate from the proximal channel and opens into the following portion thereby adding to the airflow to the second rotor. Downstream from the second rotor is a diffuser with a radius increasing with distance from the rotor. The modules may be stacked vertically stacked which allows for yaw responsive to wind. The modules may be mounted on a tower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Inventors: Kevin L. Friesth, Franklin Joseph Desrochers
  • Publication number: 20130121807
    Abstract: An axial compressor of a fluid-flow machine includes a flow path disposed between a rotor shaft and a relatively stationary housing wall. The flow path extends in an axial direction of the rotor shaft concentrically with the rotor shaft and the housing wall. A plurality of compressor stages are axially arranged in sequence along the flow path in the axial direction. Each of the compressor stages includes a rotor blades row and a guide vane row disposed after the rotor blades row in the axial direction. The flow path and the compressor stages operating therein are penetrable by a mass flow of a fluid to be compressed in a flow direction during operation of the compressor. A return is configured to return a part of the mass flow from a compressor discharge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicant: ALSTOM TECHNOLOGY LTD
    Inventor: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
  • Patent number: 8398364
    Abstract: A turbine stator vane with an airfoil extending from an endwall, a vortex flow retaining chamber formed within the endwall and wrapping around a leading edge region and opening onto a surface of the endwall in front of the leading edge region of the airfoil. A vortex flow tube is formed within the endwall and extends from one side to the opposite side of the endwall and passes through the vortex flow retaining chamber. Cooling air supply holes open into the vortex flow tube to produce a vortex flow in a direction opposite to a vortex flow of the hot secondary gas that flows into the vortex flow retaining chamber. A row of exit cooling holes are connected to the vortex flow tube and open onto the endwall surface to discharge the hot secondary flow that flows into the chamber and is mixed with the cooling air supplied through the supply holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: George Liang
  • Patent number: 8322972
    Abstract: A system for reducing flow separation in a turbo machine is provided, the system including a stationary vane coupled to a stationary vane support; at least one circumferential extraction band through the stationary vane or the stationary vane support; the circumferential extraction band having a first side proximate to an operative fluid flow through the turbo machine; at least one opening in the first side of the circumferential extraction band; and a channel having a first end in fluid connection with the circumferential extraction band and a second end extending through the stationary vane support, such that the operative fluid flow through the turbo machine is redirected through the extraction opening into the circumferential extraction band and through the channel towards a rotating blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Nestor Hernandez Sanchez
  • Patent number: 8257017
    Abstract: A method for cooling a component of a turbine is provided, wherein a fluid with a pressure below 1 bar is guided away from the component. Moreover, a turbine is described comprising a component, a conduit which is connected to the component so that a fluid can be guided away from the component, and a fluid discharge which is connected to the conduit. The fluid discharge is constructed so that it removes a fluid with a pressure below 1 bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Andrew Down, Ulf Nilsson
  • Publication number: 20120189427
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine flow path member is disclosed which includes an extending end portion capable of contacting a surface of the turbine engine. The flow path member includes openings to pass a cooling fluid to cool the extending end portion. The flow path member, furthermore, can be made using a variety of approaches. To set forth just two non-limiting examples, the flow path member can be cast and it can be a laminated construction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Inventors: Okey Kwon, Jeffrey F. Rhodes
  • Patent number: 8202039
    Abstract: A fluid flow machine includes a main flow path in which at least one row of blades (3, 4) is arranged, and a blade shroud (2) which forms a confinement of the main flow path in the area of a blade row (3, 4) and is arranged in a recessed cavity (10) of a surrounding physical structure (11). The cavity (10) so formed between the shroud (2) and the surrounding physical structure (11) is provided with an annular connection (14) to the main flow path at least on the outflow side of the blade shroud (2), and with the blade shroud (2) being penetrated by at least one secondary flow path (16) which, commencing at a location of high pressure on the shroud (2), issues at a surface wetted by the main flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Volker Guemmer
  • Patent number: 8202037
    Abstract: Disclosed is a steam turbine comprising an exterior housing and an interior housing. The exterior housing and the interior housing are provided with a fresh steam supply duct. A rotor that encompasses several impeller blades and a thrust-compensating piston is rotably mounted within the interior housing. The interior housing is equipped with several guide blades that are disposed such that a flow duct comprising several blade stages, each of which comprises a series of impeller blades and a series of guide blades, is formed along a specific direction of flow. The interior housing is further equipped with a recirculation duct which is embodied as a pipe that communicates between a space located between the interior housing and the exterior housing and the flow duct downstream of a blade stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Frank Deidewig, Yevgen Kostenko, Oliver Myschi, Michael Wechsung, Uwe Zander
  • Patent number: 8182209
    Abstract: Reinjecting air to the inlet of a compressor in order to improve its pumping margin. The inlet stator of the compressor includes injection holes passing through at least some of the vanes in the vicinity of their pivots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Michel Gilbert Roland Brault, Thierry Jean-Jacques Obrecht
  • Patent number: 8152445
    Abstract: A fluid flow machine has a flow duct confined by a wall of a casing, with a fluid supply chamber being arranged in an area of the wall, which is in flow connection with an injector insert. The injector insert is provided with an injector nozzle for supplying fluid from the fluid supply chamber into the flow duct. The injector insert is closely connected to the wall of the fluid supply chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Volker Guemmer
  • Patent number: 8152444
    Abstract: A fluid flow machine includes an annulus duct formed between a casing and a rotor drum, which is rotatable about a machine axis. At least one row of rotor blades is arranged in the annulus duct, with the latter forming a main flow path and with at least one fluid injector nozzle being arranged in the area of a wall of the casing and/or of the rotor drum. At least part of the injector nozzle protrudes into the main flow path and is provided for the generation of a jet which is tangentially directed to the wall of the main flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Volker Guemmer
  • Patent number: 8123459
    Abstract: A fuel pump has substantially coaxial outer and inner pump chambers. An impeller has partition walls correspondingly to the inner pump chamber to define inner vane grooves. A rear surface is located at a rear side in a rotative direction of each inner vane groove. At least a radially inner side of the rear surface inclines rearward in the rotative direction from the radially inner side to a radially outer side. A first line connects a radially inner end of the rear surface with a radially outer end of the rear surface. A second line radially extends from the radially inner end of the rear surface. The first line and the second line therebetween define a backward tilt angle ?2, which satisfies a relationship of 30°??2?80°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Tomomatsu, Tadashi Hazama, Eiji Iwanari, Yuuji Nakazu, Hiromi Sakai
  • Patent number: 8100629
    Abstract: A casing supporting a series of stationary vanes between which there are disposed series of moving blades movable in rotation about a longitudinal axis in which the radially outer ends of the moving blades being close to the inside face of the casing is disclosed. The casing includes, at least over an annulus situated facing one of the series of moving blades, at least one casing treatment zone facing towards the blades and including a surface relief disturbance in the form of a groove of closed outline. The invention is applicable to controlling rotating separation in a turbomachine compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventor: Yann Pascal Raymond Rene Lebret
  • Patent number: 8092148
    Abstract: A gas turbine having at least one compressor, at least one combustion chamber, and at least one turbine, the or each compressor and/or the or each turbine having a rotor that includes rotor blades surrounded by a stationary housing, and a run-in coating being assigned to the housing is disclosed. The gas turbine includes at least one channel which is configured to apply a pressure prevailing on the high-pressure side of the blades of a rotor to a low-pressure side of the same in the area of a gap between the radially outer ends of the blades and the housing and thereby prevent a flow through the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Seitz, Roland Huttner, Karl-Heinz Dusel
  • Patent number: 8052375
    Abstract: Disclosed is a seal for turbomachinery including a seal face locatable between a first turbomachinery component and a second turbomachinery component. At least one fluid channel extends through the seal. The at least one fluid channel is capable of injecting fluid flow between the first turbomachinery component and the second turbomachinery component at the seal face thereby disrupting a leakage flow between the first turbomachinery component and the second turbomachinery component. Further disclosed is a turbomachine utilizing the seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Norman Arnold Turnquist, Kevin L. Bruce, Ciro Cerretelli, John Ernest Tourigny
  • Patent number: 7967556
    Abstract: A turbomachine has at least one stator (4) and at least one downstream rotor (7), with the stator (4) being provided with stationary stator blades and the rotor (7) comprising several rotor blades attached to a rotating shaft. A casing (2) confines the passage of fluid through the rotor (7) and the stator (4) in the outward direction. A mechanism for peripheral jet creation is provided in the area of at least one vane of the stator (4), with at least one nozzle (21) issuing fluid at the radially outer boundary of a main flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Volker GĂĽmmer
  • Patent number: 7758300
    Abstract: The wind generating device employs modules each having two turbines. Each of the turbines employs two rotors, coaxially aligned and arranged one downstream from the other. The arrangement includes a proximal channel with a leading portion having decreasing radius toward the first rotor which acts as a collector and a following portion connecting fluidly the first and second rotor and a distal channel which is separate from the proximal channel and opens into the following portion thereby adding to the airflow to the second rotor. Downstream from the second rotor is a diffuser with radius increasing with distance from the rotor. The device includes mounting modules vertically stacked which allows for yaw responsive to wind. The device further includes mounting the modules on a tower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Splitrock Capital, LLC
    Inventor: Kevin L. Friesth
  • Patent number: 7575412
    Abstract: A compressor includes a casing defining a generally cylindrical flow passage, a rotor carrying at least one set of rotor blades, at least one set of stator blades, and anti-stall casing treatment. The casing treatment includes an annular recess in the casing for removing low momentum flow adjacent the tips of the rotor blades, and returning the flow to the generally cylindrical flow passage upstream of the point of removal. A plurality of curved guide vanes are located within the annular recess so as to define an annular inlet downstream of the vanes and/or an annular outlet upstream of the vanes. Each guide vane projects radially inwardly from the casing towards a free end which is exposed at or near the mouth of the recess to define a series of curved channels within the recess adjacent the annular inlet and/or the annular outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines GmbH
    Inventor: Peter Seitz
  • Patent number: 7186072
    Abstract: A recirculation structure for turbo-compressors has an annular chamber that is positioned in the area of the free blade ends of a rotating blade ring and that radially borders the main flow channel, and has a multitude of guide vanes arranged in the annular chamber and distributed around its circumference. The annular chamber enables the passage of air flow in the forward and/or rear areas, and the guide vanes are firmly fixed to at least one wall of the annular chamber and otherwise are designed to be free-standing. The tips of the guide vanes that face the annular chamber extend along and/or near the contour of the main flow channel, and axially overlap the free blade ends or axially border the area of the free blade ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines GmbH
    Inventor: Peter Seitz
  • Fan
    Patent number: 7086825
    Abstract: A fan is provided for use with a casing having a bellmouth and a conduit portion. The fan has a hub, a number of blades extending from the hub, and a shroud. In cooperation with the casing and the conduit portion surrounding the shroud, the shroud has means for generating a separation bubble effective to limit a recirculation flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Carrier Corporation
    Inventors: Yu Wang, Peter R. Bushnell, Xavier Girod
  • Patent number: 7074006
    Abstract: An endwall treatment for a gas turbine engine having at least one rotor blade extending from a rotatable hub and a casing circumferentially surrounding the rotor and the hub, the endwall treatment including, an inlet formed in an endwall of the gas turbine engine adapted to ingest fluid from a region of a higher-pressure fluid, an outlet formed in the endwall and located in a region of lower pressure than the inlet, wherein the inlet and the outlet are in a fluid communication with each other, the outlet being adapted to inject the fluid from the inlet in the region of lower pressure, and wherein the outlet is at least partially circumferentially offset relative to the inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Michael D. Hathaway, Anthony J. Strazisar, Kenneth L. Suder
  • Patent number: 6648591
    Abstract: A tip treatment assembly is provided including a tip treatment bar (16) and retaining means (24, 26) which cooperate with a retaining element (30, 32) to retain the tip treatment bar (16) with respect to support means (44) of the assembly. The retaining means (24, 26) may comprise a hole through the bar (16) through which the retaining element, in the form of wire 30, 32, extends. The tip treatment bars (16) can be formed by stamping from a sheet of material such as a suitable alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Larry Collins
  • Patent number: 6619909
    Abstract: An axial or centrifugal flow compressor having arrays of blades (16) extending across a working medium flowpath (18) includes a casing treatment for enhancing the compressor's fluid dynamic stability. The casing treatment features a circumferentially extending compartment (62), typically comprising a voluminous pressure compensation chamber (64) and a single passage (66) circumferentially coextensive with the chamber, for establishing fluid communication between the chamber and the flowpath. The voluminous character of the compartment attenuates the circumferential pressure difference across the tips of heavily loaded compressor blades (16), making the compressor less susceptible to tip vortex induced instabilities. In one embodiment of the invention, a passage (66) is oriented so that any fluid discharged from the passage enters the flowpath with a streamwise directional component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Barnett, Martin Graf, John A. Raw, Om Sharma, William D. Sprout
  • Patent number: 6591516
    Abstract: A hair dryer including a main body, a centrifugal fan, at least one air inlet and at least one inlet guide. The main body has an air outlet. The centrifugal fan is provided in the main body and configured to blow air toward the air outlet. The centrifugal fan has an intake side and an outer circumferential surface around a central axis of the centrifugal fan. The at least one air inlet is formed in the main body to face the intake side of the centrifugal fan. The at least one inlet guide is provided to project from an inside surface of the main body and extends along a circumference of the at least one air inlet to surround and face a part of the outer circumferential surface of the centrifugal fan along a circumference of the centrifugal fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Kamada, Yuji Yamane, Kazunori Nakasai, Kouji Asakawa
  • Patent number: 6432302
    Abstract: This circulation device is equipped with a water impeller that is larger than and tightly fitted over the top of the draft tube through which the water from the pond or reservoir is drawn. The water drawn up and directed outwardly over a large diffuser plate that is centrally located within the invention. The outer edge of the diffuser plate is equipped with a laminar flow diffuser lip which is specifically designed to inhibit the passage of water from the diffuser plate to the open water as little as possible. Additionally, a means of providing a floating water circulation apparatus with the ability to operate effectively in weather conditions in which a layer of ice is likely to form over the diffusor plat of the apparatus in the nighttime hours is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignees: PSI-ETS, A ND Partnership
    Inventors: Tait Joseph Obritsch, Willard Richard Tormaschy, Wayne Everet Ruzicka, Joel John Bleth, Gary Allen Kudrna
  • Patent number: 6409470
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine casing includes a tip treatment ring 20 which comprises end supports 18 which support tip treatment bars 16. Each tip treatment bar 16 is mounted at its ends within the respective end supports 18 by damping elements 22, which isolate the bar 16 from the end supports 18. The elements 22 damp vibrations induced in the tip treatment bars 16 so inhibiting the initiation of high cycle fatigue cracking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce, PLC
    Inventors: Peter Allford, Mark J. Houle
  • Patent number: 6302640
    Abstract: An axial fan includes a hub within a housing. A cavity is formed between the hub and housing. A plurality of blades is on the hub, with an air separator ring disposed operatively adjacent to the blades. The ring supports a plurality of vanes that are longitudinally aligned with the blades. A diverter is disposed operatively adjacent to the vanes so that the diverter directs a skip-stall air flow about the ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: AlliedSignal Inc.
    Inventor: Wilfred G. McKelvey
  • Patent number: 6264425
    Abstract: A fluid-flow machine for compressing or expanding a compressible medium is described, having a rotor on which there is arranged perpendicularly to the rotor axis at least one moving-blade row, the individual moving blades of which have moving-blades ends, which are free on the radial side and face the inner wall of a casing, surrounding the rotor, in a freely movable manner, through the interior space of which casing the compressible medium flows axially relative to the rotor axis. An annular-passage system is open to receive the compressible medium on either side of the moving-blade row and the flow in the interior of the casing, and in a modified form may have surface contours on the ends of the blades to create pressure conditions which correspond approximately to the static pressure conditions at the opposite sides of the blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Assignee: Asea Brown Boveri AG
    Inventor: Jakob Keller
  • Patent number: 6238180
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a leak reducing structure in a steam turbine having high pressure, intermediate pressure, and low pressure turbine sections in a single casing, in which steam leaking from the high pressure side to the intermediate pressure side is recovered to be used effectively. The high pressure, intermediate pressure, and low pressure turbine sections are arranged along a rotor in an external casing. High-pressure steam from a high-pressure steam inlet port passes through a nozzle chamber formed integrally with a dummy ring, and flows into the high pressure turbine section to do work. On the other hand, some of high-pressure steam attempts to leak from a seal portion of the dummy ring to the intermediate pressure turbine section side. However, the leaking steam flows from point X of an external pipe to point Y on the high pressure side to be recovered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryotaro Magoshi, Takashi Nakano, Kouji Tanaka
  • Patent number: 6231301
    Abstract: An axial flow or centrifugal flow compressor having arrays of blades (16) extending across a working medium flowpath (18) includes a casing treatment for enhancing the compressor's fluid dynamic stability. In one variant of the invention the casing treatment comprises one or more circumferentially extending grooves (40) that each receive indigenous fluid from the compressor flowpath at a fluid extraction site (56) and discharge indigenous fluid into the flowpath at a fluid injection site (58), circumferentially offset from the extraction site, where the migrated fluid is better able to advance against an adverse pressure gradient in the flowpath. Each groove is oriented so that the discharged fluid enters the flowpath with a streamwise directional component that promotes efficient and reliable integration of the introduced fluid into the flowpath fluid stream (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Barnett, Martin Graf, John A. Raw, Om Sharma, William D. Sprout