Tined Or Irregular Periphery Patents (Class 416/228)
  • Patent number: 7927078
    Abstract: A wind turbine includes a tower supporting a drive train with a rotor, at least one blade extending radially from the rotor; and a plurality of substantially flat flaps extending substantially perpendicular from a suction surface of the blade and along different chord lines near a tip of the blade for capturing and directing tip vortices toward a trailing edge of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nishant Parsania, Kevin Standish
  • Patent number: 7922455
    Abstract: A bucket for a steam turbine includes an airfoil portion having a radially outer tip, the radially outer tip having a thermal barrier coating applied thereto, and wherein the thermal barrier coating is resurfaced to form at least one ridge along the radially outer tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gary Michael Itzel, Philip Lynn Andrew
  • Patent number: 7922454
    Abstract: A blade segment of a rotor blade assembly formed from two or more blade segments is disclosed. The blade segment may generally include a body shell and a shear web extending longitudinally within the body shell. The shear web may be disposed between opposed spar caps. The blade segment may also include an attachment member and a spar member. The attachment member may be at least partially disposed within the body shell. The spar member may generally extend outwardly from the spar caps along an inner surface of the body shell and may be configured to support the attachment member within the body shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Scott Gabell Riddell
  • Patent number: 7918653
    Abstract: A method of assembling a rotor blade for a turbine is provided that includes forming a rotor blade trailing edge by coupling a suction side terminus to a pressure side terminus and positioning a trailing edge assembly between the suction side terminus and the pressure side terminus, the trailing edge assembly having a varying cross-section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kevin James Standish, Stefan Herr, Nicholas Keane Althoff, Jamie Thomas Livingston
  • Patent number: 7914259
    Abstract: An advantageous new design of a wind turbine blade and rotor is obtained by providing one, two or more parallel rows of sub-boundary layer vortex generators, whereby a blade is obtained, which is resistant to stall and provides for a high maximum lift coefficient CL,max of the blades and a slender blade design, a low socalled radius specific solidity of the rotor. The very high lift coefficient CL can reduce the necessary blade area and loads or/and increase the length of the blade and maintain the original loads with higher production. The row or rows of sub-boundary layer vortex generators are in a preferred embodiment of the invention provided in combination with Gurney Flaps generating a very high lift coefficient CL with a relative gentle stall at very high angle of attack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventor: Kristian Balschmidt Godsk
  • Patent number: 7909576
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly is disclosed. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade having a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root. The rotor blade assembly further includes a rotor blade component, and a fastening device for fastening the rotor blade component to the rotor blade, the fastening device comprising at least one button associated with one of the rotor blade or the rotor blade component and at least one mating groove associated with the other of the rotor blade or the rotor blade component, wherein the at least one button and the at least one mating groove are configured to fasten the rotor blade component to the rotor blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Roelant van der Bos, Andreas G. W. Starke
  • Patent number: 7901188
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade transversely subdivided into two or more separate modules (1-2) consisting of outer aerodynamic walls or hulls (4) and a longitudinal inner reinforcing structure (3). The modules include coupling means at the ends of the longitudinal reinforcing structure (3), which means consist of lugs (5-7, 6-8) projecting into respective portions with alignable openings (9) for receiving coupling elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Gamesa Innovation & Technology, S.L.
    Inventors: Jose Ignacio Llorente Gonzalez, Sergio Velez Oria
  • Patent number: 7896614
    Abstract: A wind turbine includes an electrical stall sensor configured on a pressure surface of at least one turbine blade at a location to detect backflow in a stall condition. The stall sensor includes a flap pivotally configured on the respective pressure surface so as to be moved from a first position towards a second position by backflow over the pressure surface during a stall condition. A sensor circuit responds to movement of the flap between the first and second positions and generates a corresponding electrical signal that indicates the stall condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Murray Fisher
  • Patent number: 7896618
    Abstract: In a centrifugal compressing apparatus, a height of a blade of an impeller is made to decrease gradually from a front edge thereof to a rear edge thereof, and a rate of change of the height of the blade is relatively large near the rear edge. The height of the blade can be made large at the rear edge side under the design restriction that an exit width of the rear edge of the blade is set to a predetermined design value. The ratio of the width of the clearance and the height of the blade is thereby made relatively large. As a result, the ratio of a flow path area occupied by a clearance flow to a flow path area occupied by a main flow is reduced. Since the pressure loss is thus made small, a drop in the efficiency can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Higashimori, Hiroshi Kuma, Ryoma Nogami
  • Publication number: 20110033307
    Abstract: A crossflow fan includes an impeller formed by plate-like blades 42. Each blade 42 is inclined such that the outer edge 42a is located on the leading side of the inner edge 42d with respect to the rotation direction of the impeller 41. The face of each blade 42 that is located on the leading side of the rotation direction forms a positive pressure surface 42p, and a face located on the trailing side forms a negative pressure surface 42q. Notches 42b are formed at the outer edge 42a of the blade 42. The notches 42b are arranged at predetermined intervals along the rotation axis of the impeller. A basic shape section 42c is formed between each adjacent pair of the notches 42b. The blade thickness L2 in the vicinity of the bottom 42y of each notch 42b is smaller than the blade thickness of the basic shape section 42c adjacent to the notch 42b.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Publication date: February 10, 2011
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Hironobu Teraoka, Shimei Tei
  • Patent number: 7871244
    Abstract: A turbine engine ring seal for sealing gaps between turbine engine outer seal segments and turbine blade tips. The turbine engine ring segment may have an inner radial surface that defines a portion of a gap gas flow path where the inner radial surface may be formed of an abradable ceramic coating and includes a plurality of gas flow protrusions that are oriented transverse to the gap gas flow path. The gas flow protrusions may induce vortices in the gas flow in the gap gas flow path. Additionally, the gas flow protrusions may be series of peaks and depressions between two adjacent peaks, where the depressions have an approximate semicircular shape. The distance between two adjacent peaks may be equal or greater than a width of the depression and the height of a single peak may be six percent or greater than the distance between two adjacent peaks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Bonnie D. Marini, Douglas A. Keller
  • Publication number: 20100329879
    Abstract: A horizontal axis wind turbine blade comprises a leading edge surface, a trailing edge surface, an upper camber surface extending between the leading edge surface and the trailing edge surface, and a lower camber surface extending between the leading edge surface and the trailing edge surface. Notably, the trailing edge surface includes a plurality of air flow mixing lobes. An ejector blade may be located above the upper camber surface and behind the trailing edge surface. The ejector blade may include an ejector blade trailing edge surface that includes a plurality of ejector blade mixing lobes. The ejector blade mixing lobes may include a plurality of ejector blade high energy mixing lobes and ejector blade low energy mixing lobes. Advantageously, the mixing lobes allow for a reduced wakes behind the HAWT and thus decrease the requisite separation distance between HAWTs in a wind farm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Inventors: Walter M. Presz, JR., Michael J. Werle, Thomas J. Kennedy, III, William Scott Keeley
  • Patent number: 7857597
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade includes a plurality of boundary layer fins, aligned substantially parallel to a direction of flow over the blade, for reducing boundary layer separation from the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: EswaraRao V S J Anjuri, Stefan Herr, Tito K. Vemuri
  • Patent number: 7857587
    Abstract: A turbine blade with improved tip cooling includes an airfoil having a tip cap and a tip wall extending outwardly from the tip cap. A recessed portion of the tip wall forms a tip shelf. At least one tip shelf hole extends through the tip shelf in flow communication with an internal airfoil cooling circuit. At least one tip wall opening extends through the recessed portion of the tip wall radially outward of the tip shelf in flow communication with the internal cooling circuit. The recessed tip wall portion may be tapered from a wider base to a minimum thickness. In a cooling method, cooling air channeled through the tip wall openings joins and mixes with a stream of hot combustion gases downstream of where cooling air channeled through the tip shelf openings joins and mixes with the stream of hot gasses to enhance convection cooling of the blade tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Victor Hugo Silva Correia, Robert Francis Manning, Bhanu Mahasamudram Reddy
  • Patent number: 7854595
    Abstract: A blade for a wind turbine includes a chord of length “c” positioned with a leading edge tip chord angle and trailing edge tip chord angle of between approximately 45 and 75 degrees; a tip having a shear web plane radii distribution in the ranges of L/c (%) R/c (%) ?0-10% 1.03-3.68% 30-40% 2.91-5.79% 60-70% 1.77-2.5%? ?90-100% 0.229-.350%? where “L/c” is a range of an approximate normalized location along the chord line expressed as a percentage of the chord length from a leading edge of the blade; and where “R/c” is a range of an approximate normalized shear web plane tip radius expressed as a percentage of the chord length, for each normalized location L/c.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kevin W. Kinzie, Kevin J. Standish
  • Patent number: 7841836
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a rotor blade for a wind power plant having an aerodynamic profile. A rotor blade for the wind power plant has an aerodynamic profile having a pressure side and a suction side. A wind power plant rotor blade tip is curved in a direction of the pressure side of the rotor blade so as to form an edge arc. The wind power plant rotor blade tip narrows towards an edge arc upper edge and has an edge arc leading edge and an edge arc trailing edge. The edge arc leading edge and the edge arc trailing edge extend equally in a predetermined, curved gradient to the edge arc upper edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Inventor: Aloys Wobben
  • Patent number: 7815419
    Abstract: An impeller is provided for a blower having a blade (15), a plurality of notches (17) provided at predetermined intervals on a side edge of the blade (15), and a plurality of smooth portions (18) each provided between a pair of the notches (17). Since a transverse vortex discharged from the side edge of the blade (15), and on a large scale, is organized by vertical vortexes formed in the notches (17) on a small scale so as to be segmented into stable transverse vortexes, it becomes possible to reduce aerodynamic noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hironobu Teraoka, Hirohiko Matsushita, Tadashi Ohnishi, Hideshi Tanaka, Kouzou Yoshinaga
  • Patent number: 7815418
    Abstract: A shroud includes a body portion 5B, a mount 7 positioned at a center of the body portion 5B and supporting rotary vane wheel driver 6, and multiple support beams 10 radially extending from the mount 7 and joining the mount 7 and the body portion 5B, where each of the support beams 10 becomes thicker from an upstream side of a flow direction of air toward a downstream side thereof, and an edge portion 10ti of each of the support beams 10 on the downstream side of the flow direction of the air discharged by the rotary vane wheel 8 is oriented in a direction parallel to a rotation axis of the rotary vane wheel 8, and the edge portion on the upstream side is oriented in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the rotary vane wheel 8.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Suzuki, Tetsuo Tominaga, Tsuyoshi Eguchi, Kazuyuki Kamiya, Asuka Soya
  • Patent number: 7802968
    Abstract: A blade includes a plurality of first fibers, wherein each of the plurality of first fibers is angled between about 5° and about 35° with respect to a pitch axis of the blade, and a plurality of second fibers, wherein each of the plurality of second fibers is angled between about 95° and about 125° with respect to the pitch axis of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Eric Morgan Jacobsen
  • Patent number: 7798778
    Abstract: A wheel for a rotating flow machine, comprising a rotor (1) on which a plurality of blades (2) are arranged projecting radially from the rotor (1), with each blade (2) having a root (3) attached to the rotor (1) and a blade top (4). In addition, the wheel comprises a ring (5) arranged concentrically in relation to the rotor (1) outside the blade tops (4) in such a way that the ring (5) and the blades (2) overlap each other when the ring and the blades are viewed in a radial direction, which ring (5) is arranged to be caused to rotate by the blades (2) when the rotor (1) rotates. The extent (9) of the blades (2) in a radial direction and the internal dimension (10) of the ring (5) are matched to each other in such a way that there is a clearance (?) between each blade top (4) and the ring (5) in radial direction when the rotor (1) is not rotating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Volvo Aero Corporation
    Inventor: Hans Mårtensson
  • Patent number: 7789631
    Abstract: A compressor, particularly a high-pressure compressor, of a gas turbine, particularly of an aircraft engine, includes at least one rotor and a number of blades (11, 12), which are assigned to the or to each rotor and which rotate together with the respective rotor. Each blade (11, 12) is delimited, in essence, by a flow entry edge or leading edge (16), a flow exit edge or trailing edge (17), and by a blade surface (20), which extends between the leading edge (16) and the trailing edge (17) while forming a suction side (18) and a pressure side. The leading edges (16) of the blades (11, 12) are slanted at a sweep angle that changes with the height of the respective blade (11, 12) in such a manner that the leading edges (16) comprise, in a radially external area (23) of the same, at least one forward sweep angle, a backward sweep angle or zero-sweep angle following in a radially external manner, and a forward sweep angle following, in a radially external manner, the backward sweep angle or the zero-sweep angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines GmbH
    Inventor: Martin Hoeger
  • Patent number: 7785074
    Abstract: A blade of a rotor of a second stage of a compressor can be defined by coordinates of a discreet combination of points, in a Cartesian reference system (X, Y, Z), where the axis (Z) is a radial axis intersecting the central axis of the compressor. The blade has a profile which can be identified by a series of closed intersection curves between the profile itself and planes (X, Y) lying at distances (Z) from the central axis. The blade also has a non-linearly variable trend of decreasing maximum thickness defined by the closed curves, substantially parallel to a base portion of the blade itself, fixable to the rotor. The variable trend of maximum thickness is substantially situated midway up the blade and is suitable for shifting the natural resonance frequencies of the blade itself outside a functioning velocity range of the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Alessio Novori, Paolo Arinci, Salvatore Lorusso
  • Patent number: 7766624
    Abstract: The invention relates to a blade of a rotor of a ninth phase of a compressor, which can be defined by coordinates of a discreet combination of points, in a Cartesian reference system (X, Y, Z), wherein the axis (Z) is a radial axis intersecting the central axis of the compressor, the blade having a profile which can be identified by having a series of closed intersection curves between the profile itself and planes (X, Y) lying at distances (Z) from the central axis, the blade also comprising a thickening, substantially parallel to a base portion of the blade itself, fixable to said rotor, said thickening being substantially situated half-way up the blade and being suitable for shifting the natural resonance frequencies of the blade itself outside a functioning frequency range of said rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Nuovo Pignone S.p.A.
    Inventors: Paolo Arinci, Salvatore Lorusso, Alessio Novori
  • Publication number: 20100143144
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade includes a plurality of boundary layer fins, aligned substantially parallel to a direction of flow over the blade, for reducing boundary layer separation from the blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Inventors: EswaraRao VSJ Anjuri, Stefan Herr, Tito K. Vemuri
  • Patent number: 7704045
    Abstract: A turbine rotor blade for use in a gas turbine engine, the rotor blade including a squealer pocket on the blade tip to provide a seal between the blade tip and the outer shroud of the engine. A row of film cooling holes extend along the pressure side wall and the suction side wall of the blade near the tip and discharge film cooling air up and over the blade tip. Associated with each of the film cooling holes is a notch formed on the edge of the tip rail in which each notch is located above a film cooling hole and functions to collect and accelerate the cooling air discharged from the film cooling hole up and into the blade tip. The notches reduce the effective thickness of the blade tip in order to reduce the heat load, and increase the effective convection surface area for the cooling air flow. The notches also function to maintain the film layer of cooling air over the blade tip longer than in the prior art without the notches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: George Liang
  • Publication number: 20100098554
    Abstract: A blade for a rotor, such as a turbine rotor of a gas turbine engine, has a squealer tip comprising a peripheral wall which defines a cavity. A first region of the peripheral wall extends radially, with its outer surface forming a continuation of the adjacent aerofoil surface of the blade. A second region extends obliquely with respect to the radial direction and the adjacent part of the aerofoil surface. The second region defines a winglet, and serves to increase the width of the chamber towards the trailing edge of the blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2009
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventors: Brian C.Y. Cheong, Stephen C. Diamond
  • Patent number: 7698894
    Abstract: A compressor assembly (304) includes a compressor housing (312) having a main air inlet (324) and an annular wall (328) defining an inducer bore (325). A secondary inlet passage (322) is disposed around the inducer bore (325). The secondary inlet passage (322) has an inlet slot (320) operatively intersecting the inducer bore (325) to permit the entry of a fluid thereinto through an inlet port (327). The inlet slot (320) advantageously defines an augmented inducer diameter region (331). Preferably the secondary inlet passage (322) may be selectively partially or completely isolated from the main air inlet (324). A compressor wheel (318) is located in the compressor housing (312) and has a stepped portion (330) formed by at least one plurality of vanes (238) operatively associated with the augmented inducer diameter region (331) adjacent to the inlet slot (320) of the housing (312) to receive fluid therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: International Engine Intellectual Property Company, LLC
    Inventors: Terry G. Wood, Elias P. Soupos
  • Patent number: 7690895
    Abstract: A wind turbine includes a tower and a generator on the tower. The generator includes a rotor with at least one assembled blade. The assembled blade includes at least an inner piece, an outer piece, and a joint configured for assembly and disassembly of the inner piece and said outer piece. The outer piece is configured to provide passive load alleviation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Emilian Mieczyslaw Moroz
  • Patent number: 7686578
    Abstract: A turbine blade includes an airfoil tip with first and second tip ribs extending from a tip floor. The ribs extend along the opposite pressure and suction sides of the blade and are joined together at opposite leading and trailing edges. A tip baffle is nested transversely between the ribs, and conforms with the second rib to bifurcate the airfoil tip into first and second tip pockets extending along the corresponding pressure and suction sides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kevin Samuel Klasing, Ching-Pang Lee, Paul Hadley Vitt, Brian David Keith
  • Patent number: 7670105
    Abstract: A drain pump is provided that reduces the operating noise when the head is low. The drain pump has a pump casing, and an impeller. The pump casing has a drain inlet for sucking in drain water at a lower end part and a drain outlet for discharging drain water at a side part. The impeller has a shaft part disposed extending in a vertical direction inside the pump casing, a main blade disposed on the outer circumferential side of the shaft part, an auxiliary blade disposed on the lower side of the main blade, and a disc shaped dish part disposed between the main blade and the auxiliary blade. The dish part has an annular partition part extending upward from the outer circumferential edge part of the main blade, which is disposed at a position lower than the upper end part of the partition part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Haruo Nakata, Masakazu Hirai, Kazushige Maeda, Hironori Iwanaga, Tsunehisa Sanagi
  • Patent number: 7670115
    Abstract: A turbo fan includes a plurality of blades positioned vertically in a radial direction between a main plate and a shroud. Each of the plurality of blades is formed with a slope at an outer periphery thereof to suppress generation of turbulence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Min Gi Cho, Weon Seok Choi, You Jae Kim
  • Publication number: 20090274560
    Abstract: A compressor impeller and a method of manufacturing the compressor impeller. The magnesium alloy compressor impeller as a die-cast part comprises a hub shaft part, a hub disk part having a hub surface extending from the hub shaft part in the radial direction, and a plurality of vane parts disposed on the hub surface. The impeller can be manufactured by a die-cast method in which a magnesium alloy heated to a liquidus temperature or higher is supplied into molds with cavities corresponding to the shape of the impeller for a filling time of 1 sec. or shorter, a pressure of 20 MPa or higher is applied to the magnesium alloy in the cavities, and the pressurized state is maintained for a time of 1 sec. or longer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2006
    Publication date: November 5, 2009
    Applicant: HITACHI METALS PRECISION LTD
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Kubota, Hirokazu Itoh, Mikio Sasaki
  • Patent number: 7607893
    Abstract: A turbine blade includes an airfoil having first and second tip ribs extending along the opposite pressure and suction sides thereof. The tip ribs are spaced apart between the leading and trailing edges of the airfoil to include a tip baffle. The baffle extends chordally in counter profile with the first rib to define a first pocket, and in counter profile with the second rib to define a second pocket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Kevin Samuel Klasing, Paul Hadley Vitt, Brian David Keith
  • Patent number: 7600975
    Abstract: A rotor that consists of a central hub or shaft and a plurality of boot shaped integral blade/vane units that combine a pronounced elongated vane tip extending substantially toward the incoming flow and also the direction of rotation forming a helix or pitch angle to the rotation axis centerline, preferably normal to and joined to the outer frontward extremity of a slightly rearward tilted blade/wing section that is connected by its inner end to the central hub or shaft. The rotor revolves about the rotation axis by incoming gas/fluid flow as most of the fluid flow is encouraged to move substantially outward and rearward as it travels into and past the forwardly projecting vane tips located a substantial distance radially from the axis of rotation. This maximizes the torque developed and transferred to the hub/shaft in a manner that does not greatly inhibit total through flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Inventor: Frank Daniel Lotrionte
  • Patent number: 7600974
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a radial blade wheel (1) with blades (3), a first wall (2) connected with the blades and having an opening (4) for enabling a flow through the wall (2) to the blades (3), and a second wall (5) connected with the blades (3), by which the radial blade wheel (1) may be connected with an apparatus rotating it. To achieve a higher efficiency, the protrusion of the blades (3) in the radial direction diminishes at intervals from the first wall (2) towards the second wall (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Assignee: Flaekt Woods AB
    Inventors: Rune Svensson, Jan-Erik Henningsson, Lennart Sjöqvist, Juha Laurila, Heikki Stenberg
  • Patent number: 7575411
    Abstract: A compressor assembly (404) includes a compressor housing (412) having a main inlet bore (424) and a secondary inlet passage (422) that has an increasing flow cross-sectional area. The secondary inlet passage (422) is positioned in the compressor housing (412) and around the main inlet bore (424). A secondary inlet slot (426) and an outlet slot (420) fluidly connect the secondary inlet passage (422) with the main inlet bore (424). A compressor wheel (418) is in the compressor housing (412) and has a stepped portion (518) formed by at least one plurality of vanes (506). The stepped portion (518) is located adjacent to the outlet slot (420) of the housing (412).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: International Engine Intellectual Property Company LLC
    Inventor: Terry G. Wood
  • Patent number: 7556477
    Abstract: A tip cap for use in a turbine bucket. The tip cap may include a shield of an oxidant resistant material and a cap positioned within the shield of a high strength material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Graham D. Sherlock, Daniel A. Nowak, Stephen J. Balsone, Patrick J. Mohr
  • Patent number: 7549837
    Abstract: A centrifugal pump includes a rotatable shaft; and at lest one impeller attached to the rotatable shaft, wherein the at least one impeller includes a top plate, and a bottom plate, and a plurality of vanes enclosed between the top plate and the bottom plate, wherein at least one of the plurality of vanes has a trailing end that comprises a first surface that adjoins the top plate substantially at an outer edge of the top plate and a second surface that is substantially flush with an axially outward surface of the bottom plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew Hackworth, David Eslinger, Norwood R. Harrell
  • Patent number: 7547193
    Abstract: A main rotor blade assembly with a high negative pitching moment airfoil section having a pitching moment coefficient beyond (more negative than) ?0.035 at Mach Numbers below 0.80 and a blade taper of 1:5 or greater.. The main rotor blade preferably limits blade torsional bending and an aft loaded tip airfoils to approximately ‘no more’ than that of conventional effective rotor blade designs based on conventional tip airfoil sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Moffitt, James E. Duh, Charles Berezin
  • Patent number: 7540716
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a rotor blade for a wind power plant having an aerodynamic profile comprising a rotor blade leading edge and a rotor blade trailing edge. The invention also concerns a rotor blade tip for a rotor blade having an aerodynamic profile with a pressure and a suction side, wherein the rotor blade tip is curved or angled in its end region in the direction of the pressure side of the rotor blade. In order further to reduce the levels of sound emission of wind power plants the rotor blade is curved or angled in its edge region in the direction of the trailing edge of the rotor blade in the plane of the rotor blade. In that respect the invention is based on the realization that, in the case of a rotor blade which does not go to a point at the tip, the effective rotor blade area is maintained unreduced precisely in the outer region in which the effect is greatest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Inventor: Aloys Wobben
  • Patent number: 7513750
    Abstract: A main rotor blade incorporating a rotor blade tip region having a tip chord and a tip taper such that the ratio of the main rotor blade chord to the tip chord is approximately 0.30. The tip taper ratio preferably providing an approximately 28% area of reduction in said outer 10% of said blade span. The tip region preferably further including a hover optimized high lift airfoil and a tip sweep that reaches a constant value of approximately 30 degrees along the quarter chord line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
    Inventors: Robert C. Moffitt, Thomas Alan Egolf, Robert D. Beatty, John K. Karpowich, Ashish Bagai
  • Patent number: 7513746
    Abstract: A method of mounting windmill blades their enhance performance is disclosed. The blades have a transverse cross-sectional shape having a predominately flat chord section and are mounted such that the chord section lies in a plane that is substantially at 90 degrees to the axis of the shaft upon which they are mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: OmniWind Energy Systems LLC
    Inventor: Francis J. McCabe
  • Publication number: 20090074585
    Abstract: A wind generator and turbine blade includes a trailing edge having several serrations, a length of the serrations in each of a plurality of sections of the trailing edge is between approximately 10% and 40% of a mean chord for the corresponding section; and a length to width ratio of each of the serrations is between approximately 1:1 to 4:1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2007
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Inventors: Klaus U. Koegler, Stefan Herr, Murray Fisher
  • Patent number: 7484937
    Abstract: The compressor blades of an aircraft engine are, in at least one natural-vibration critical area, designed such that at the blade leading edge (6), the leading edge shock wave (14) attaches to the leading edge (6), as a result of which a laminar boundary layer flow (7) on the suction side (13) quickly transitions into a turbulent boundary layer flow (9) which is kept constant and prevented from re-lamination by the further, continuous curvature of the suction side. Therefore, the transition, whose periodic movement is also suppressed, cannot communicate with a suction-side compression shock (10), preventing the compression shock from augmenting the natural vibrations of the blade occurring under certain flight conditions. The blade leading edge can, for example, be designed as an ellipse with a semi-axis ratio equal to or smaller than 1:4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Erik Johann
  • Patent number: 7476081
    Abstract: In a centrifugal compressing apparatus, a height of a blade of an impeller is made to decrease gradually from a front edge thereof to a rear edge thereof, and a rate of change of the height of the blade is relatively large near the rear edge. The height of the blade can be made large at the rear edge side under the design restriction that an exit width of the rear edge of the blade is set to a predetermined design value. The ratio of the width of the clearance and the height of the blade is thereby made relatively large. As a result, the ratio of a flow path area occupied by a clearance flow to a flow path area occupied by a main flow is reduced. Since the pressure loss is thus made small, a drop in the efficiency can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Higashimori, Hiroshi Kuma, Ryoma Nogami
  • Patent number: 7458777
    Abstract: A wind turbine includes a rotor assembly having at least one blade with a blade body defining a leading edge and a trailing edge and adapted for movement in response to a wind flow over the body to produce electricity. A rigid acoustic flap extends outward from the trailing edge, and a distal end of the acoustic flap is substantially smooth and continuous. The flap reduces acoustic noise generated by the blade in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Stefan Herr
  • Fan
    Patent number: 7438522
    Abstract: A fan has an air conveying conduit (16) and a fan wheel (22) arranged therein, which wheel is rotatable about a central axis (25) and is formed with a central hub (20; 120) having an outer periphery (27) on which fan blades (26) are mounted. These extend with their radially outer rims (40) as far as a surface (17) that is substantially coaxial with the central axis (25) and delimits the air conveying conduit (16) externally. The blades (26) have a profile similar to an airfoil profile. A flow element (42) is provided along the radial outer edge (40) of a fan blade and serves as an obstacle to a compensating flow proceeding around that radial outer edge (40) from the delivery side to the intake side, and likewise has, in cross section, an airfoil profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: EBM-Papst St. Georgen GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Georg Eimer
  • Patent number: 7435048
    Abstract: A drain pump is provided that reduces the operating noise when the head is low. The drain pump has a pump casing, and an impeller. The pump casing has a drain inlet for sucking in drain water at a lower end part and a drain outlet for discharging drain water at a side part. The impeller has a shaft part extending in a vertical direction inside the pump casing, a main blade disposed on the outer circumferential side of the shaft part, an auxiliary blade disposed on the lower side of the main blade, and a disc shaped dish part disposed between the main blade and the auxiliary blade. The dish part has an annular partition part extending upward from the outer circumferential edge part of the main blade, which is disposed at a position lower than the upper end part of the partition part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Haruo Nakata, Masakazu Hirai, Kazushige Maeda, Hironori Iwanaga, Tsunehisa Sanagi
  • Patent number: 7425113
    Abstract: A secondary air system providing a regeneration air pump wherein the vanes of the impeller are tapered from a point along the length of the vane to the root of the vane inside the air pump. The tapered vanes create desirable flow characteristics. The tapered vanes create a non-linear flow versus pressure characteristic. Thus, the tapered vanes in combination with a divider that extends circumferentially around the impeller and through the vanes causes the flow to increase. This non-linear characteristic created by the tapered vanes allows the secondary air system to maintain suitable operation at lower flow and pressure levels. Due to the tapered feature on the impeller, a dead head pressure is obtained at a lower pressure. The impeller arrangement also provides overall pump efficiency improvements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: BorgWarner Inc.
    Inventors: Todd Peterson, Ketan Adhvaryu, Ramon Jaramillo
  • Patent number: 7416386
    Abstract: A heat dissipation apparatus. A fan frame includes an air inlet, an air outlet, a passage, and a curved expansion portion. The air inlet is opposite the air outlet. The passage is between the air inlet and the air outlet, guiding airflow from the air inlet to the air outlet. The curved expansion portion is radially and outwardly extended from an inner peripheral wall of the passage at the air inlet or air outlet. An impeller is disposed in the fan frame and includes a plurality of blades. Each blade is disposed in the passage and includes an extension end extending to the curved expansion portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: Delta Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Shih-Hua Ho, Hao-Ming Chen, Tsung-Yu Lei, Wen-Shi Huang