Reversible Turbine Or Turbine System Patents (Class 60/331)
  • Publication number: 20140102087
    Abstract: It is intended to provide a power transmission device that can efficiently transmit power. In the present power transmission device, a first stator is configured to direct a fluid to a turbine such that the turbine is rotated in a first rotational direction if a rotation restriction part allows the first stator and a second stator to be rotated in the first rotational direction. The first stator is configured to direct the fluid to the turbine such that the turbine is rotated in a second rotational direction if the rotation restriction part restricts the first stator and the second stator from being rotated in the first rotational direction and the second rotational direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2012
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Inventor: Takao Fukunaga
  • Patent number: 8453439
    Abstract: A torque converter, including: a washer for a thrust bearing, the washer including a first circumferential surface facing radially outward; a stator hub with a second circumferential surface facing radially inward and free of an interlocking engagement with the first circumferential surface; and a shell for a turbine, the shell including a third circumferential surface facing radially inward. The washer is radially inwardly retained by contact between the first circumferential surface and the second or third circumferential surface. In a preferred embodiment, the washer is radially centered by contact between the first circumferential surface and the second or third circumferential surface. In another preferred embodiment, the hub includes at least one radially inwardly extending protrusion and the washer is retainable in an axial direction by the at least one protrusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
    Inventor: Patanjali Peri
  • Publication number: 20110094212
    Abstract: A system and method for compressing and expanding air in a compressed air energy storage (CAES) system is disclosed. A CAES system is provided that is alternately operable in a compression mode and an expansion mode and includes therein a motor-generator unit and a drive shaft connected to the motor-generator unit that is configured to transmit rotational power to and from the motor-generator unit. The CAES system also includes at least one reversible compressor-expander unit coupled to the drive shaft and configured to selectively compress and expand air, and an air storage unit connected to the reversible compressor-expander unit and configured to store compressed air received therefrom, with the at least one reversible compressor-expander unit compressing air during the compression mode and expanding air during the expansion mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2009
    Publication date: April 28, 2011
    Inventors: Gabor Ast, Stephanie Marie-Noelle Hoffmann, Matthew Lehar, Alexander Simpson, Christian Aalburg, Thomas Frey, Matthias Finkenrath, Richard Aumann
  • Publication number: 20110005209
    Abstract: A system includes an injector control module and an SCR optimization module. The injector control module controls an amount of ammonia (NH3) stored in a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst to maintain a first storage level. The SCR optimization module determines whether the first storage level maximizes a conversion efficiency of the SCR catalyst at a first temperature and minimizes a probability of NH3 slip when the temperature of the SCR catalyst transitions from the first temperature to a second temperature. The injector control module controls the amount of NH3 stored in the SCR catalyst to maintain a second storage level when the second storage level maximizes the efficiency of the SCR catalyst relative to the first storage level and minimizes the probability of NH3 slip relative to the first storage level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2009
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Kevin Andrew Gady, Anupam Gangopadhyay
  • Patent number: 6062021
    Abstract: A fluid coupling includes an input shaft having a speed-increasing gear train, an impeller operatively connected to the input shaft, an impeller casing fixed to the impeller, and an output shaft having a runner operatively combined with the impeller. The impeller, the runner and the impeller casing jointly define a working fluid chamber. The impeller casing and the impeller are made of a material having a small specific gravity and a high allowable stress range for reducing centrifugal stresses developed therein when the impeller casing rotates at high speeds. The material may be a titanium alloy or an aluminum alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Katsumi Kimura, Kazuhiko Sugiyama, Kazuo Hattori, Michio Otsuka, Hiroshi Ogata
  • Patent number: 4187679
    Abstract: In an oil-coupling arrangement for transferring the drive from a driving shaft to a driven shaft, particularly for the propulsion of ships, the improvement is disclosed wherein the oil cup system has switchable vanes which can be switched from one position to another, and vice versa, so as to deflect the oil stream in the driving and the driven cup in such a way that the driven cup is compelled to rotate in a direction contrary to that of the driving cup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1978
    Date of Patent: February 12, 1980
    Assignee: Franco Tosi S.p.A.
    Inventor: Enrico Fortunato
  • Patent number: 4167854
    Abstract: Gearing is normally used to obtain reverse operation from an output turbine. An improvement is provided herein in a torque converter (10) which comprises a stator (12), an impeller (14) and an output turbine (16). The improvement comprises a plurality of self-cambering blades (42) carried by the output turbine (16) with the angle at which fluid impelled by the impeller (14) attacks the self-cambering blades (42) being adjusted to select the direction of rotation of the output turbine (16). In this manner, the output shaft (36), which is driven by the output turbine (16), can be rotated in either a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction thereby driving a vehicle or other machinery in either a forward or reverse direction without the necessity for gearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1978
    Date of Patent: September 18, 1979
    Assignee: Caterpillar Tractor Co.
    Inventors: Donald P. Diemer, Martin C. Gunton, Charles R. Miller