Ice Preventer Or De-icer Patents (Class 60/39.093)
  • Patent number: 11802513
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes: a casing that accommodates a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine; an electric power generator arranged inside the casing and driven by a rotating shaft; an electric power line through which electric power generated by the electric power generator is supplied to an outside of the outer shell; and an electrically-operated accessory that is arranged at an outside of the casing, is driven by the electric power supplied from the electric power line, and includes an electrically-operated fuel pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tatsuya Okuwa, Yoshiyasu Shibayama, Hikaru Maesato, Kazuki Ueta, Masahiro Suzuki, Tateki Sakimoto, Yoshiaki Yuda
  • Patent number: 11746699
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes: a fan that is in front of a compressor and rotates in association with a rotating shaft; a casing including an inner shell and an outer shell and a bypass passage; bearings inside the inner shell; an oil mist generator that is outside the outer shell and generates oil mist by mixing oil with compressed air extracted through an extraction port of the compressor; an air pipe through which the compressed air extracted from the compressor is guided to the oil mist generator; and an oil mist pipe through which the oil mist generated by the oil mist generator is guided to the bearings. At least one of the air pipe and the oil mist pipe includes a heat exchanger that is in the bypass passage and is cooled by the air flowing through the bypass passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tatsuya Okuwa, Takafumi Fujii, Hayato Hirota, Hikaru Maesato, Atsunori Arai
  • Patent number: 11673681
    Abstract: An anterior part of a nacelle of a propulsion assembly of an aircraft, having an air intake lip and a front frame disposed at the rear of the air intake lip that connects an outer part to an inner part of the air intake lip. A de-icing duct is formed in front of the front frame. The front frame is shaped so that the de-icing duct has a main cavity and a thermal transition region formed behind the main cavity between an internal face of the outer part of the air intake lip and the front frame. The thermal transition region extends over a longitudinal dimension greater than its average radial dimension, the front frame forming, with respect to the internal face of the outer part of the air intake lip, an angle, measured longitudinally, of between ?20° and +10° over the majority of the thermal transition region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS
    Inventors: Alain Porte, Frédéric Vinches
  • Patent number: 11655055
    Abstract: The embodiments herein disclose a retrofitted or in built or add-on kit/device for airborne vehicles to reduce the aerodynamic drag thereby increasing performance parameters/metrics of the vehicles. Drag reduction is achieved through shape/contour optimization, and/or heat/energy/fluid addition to the flow in neighbourhood of the vehicle. The device is designed with an external surface to offers the minimum drag. The device is configured to deposit heat/energy/fluid in neighbourhood of flying vehicle in several ways by generating/injecting hot gases in neighbourhood of vehicle for energy/heat addition, thereby causing maximum drag reduction. Heat/energy/fluid is added through the nozzles in the add-on kit/device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Inventor: Vikrant Sharma
  • Patent number: 11649730
    Abstract: A turbofan gas turbine engine includes, in axial flow sequence, a heat exchanger module, a fan assembly, a compressor module, a turbine module, and an exhaust module. The fan assembly includes fan blades defining a fan diameter. The heat exchanger module is in communication with the fan assembly by an inlet duct, and the heat exchanger module further includes radially-extending hollow vanes arranged in a circumferential array, with a channel extending axially between hollow vanes. Each hollow vane accommodates at least one heat transfer element to transfer heat from a first fluid contained within the or each heat transfer element to a corresponding vane airflow passing through the hollow vane and over a surface of the or each heat transfer element. Each hollow vane further includes a flow modulator configured to regulate airflow in proportion to total airflow entering the heat exchanger module in response to a user requirement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Stephen J Bradbrook, Martin N Goodhand, Paul M Hield, Andrew Parsley, Natalie C Wong, Robert J Corin, Thomas S Binnington
  • Patent number: 11643966
    Abstract: Control of low pressure recoup air in a gas turbine engine disposed in a gas turbine enclosure with low pressure recoup air piping coupled to a gas turbine combustion exhaust and gas turbine engine enclosure is disclosed. A first valve of the piping controls a flow of the recoup air to the gas turbine combustion exhaust. A second valve of the piping diverts the recoup air to the enclosure for eventual flow to the air intake. A controller controls the flow of the recoup air from the piping to the exhaust and/or the enclosure as a function of ambient and air intake temperature measurements, and a predetermined temperature requirement having an ambient temperature constraint and an air intake temperature differential constraint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Ravinder Yerram, Venkata Satyanarayana Bandaru, Balakrishnan Ponnuraj, Keith Fisher
  • Patent number: 11473497
    Abstract: An engine bleed control system for a gas turbine engine of an aircraft is provided. The engine bleed control system includes an engine bleed tap coupled to a fan-air source or a compressor source of a lower pressure compressor section before a highest pressure compressor section of the gas turbine engine and a motorized compressor in fluid communication with the engine bleed tap. The engine bleed control system also includes a controller operable to selectively drive the motorized compressor to boost a bleed air pressure as pressure augmented bleed air and control delivery of the pressure augmented bleed air to an aircraft use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventor: Frederick M. Schwarz
  • Patent number: 11384687
    Abstract: An anti-icing system for a gas turbine engine comprises a closed circuit containing a phase-change fluid, at least one heating component for boiling the phase-change fluid, the anti-icing system configured so that the phase-change fluid partially vaporizes to a vapour state when boiled by the at least one heating component. The closed circuit has an anti-icing cavity adapted to be in heat exchange with an anti-icing surface of the gas turbine engine for the phase-change fluid to release heat to the anti-icing surface and condense. A feed conduit(s) has an outlet end in fluid communication with the anti-icing cavity to feed the phase-change fluid in vapour state from heating by the at least one heating component to the anti-icing cavity, and at least one return conduit having an outlet end in fluid communication with the anti-icing cavity to direct condensed phase-change fluid from the anti-icing cavity to the at least one heating component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: David Menheere, Richard Kostka, Steven Strecker
  • Patent number: 11377216
    Abstract: A method and aircraft for providing bleed air to environmental control systems of an aircraft using a gas turbine engine, including determining a bleed air demand for the environmental control systems, selectively supplying low pressure and high pressure bleed air to the environmental control systems, wherein the selectively supplying is controlled such that the conditioned air stream satisfies the determined bleed air demand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC
    Inventor: Dominique Patrick Sautron
  • Patent number: 11325716
    Abstract: A nacelle inlet may comprise a lip skin and a bulkhead mounted to the lip skin. The lip skin may define an orifice. The bulkhead may comprise a forward face, a first flange extending axially from an outer circumference of the forward face, and a ventilation groove formed in the forward face. The ventilation groove may be circumferentially aligned with the orifice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: ROHR, INC.
    Inventors: Daniel Kroeger, Delbert N Hermosura
  • Patent number: 11220958
    Abstract: A turbomachine comprising an engine body and an annular nacelle. The nacelle has an air intake comprising an outer skin, an inner skin, an air intake lip connecting the outer and inner skins together, and an annular frame connecting the outer and inner skins together. The turbomachine comprises a system for de-icing the air intake having an air bleeding port for bleeding a flow of hot air from the engine body, and two interconnected heating systems. An inner skin heating system receives the hot air flow to heat, by means of a gas-liquid heat exchanger, a heat transfer liquid contained in a hydraulic circuit arranged in part in the heat exchanger and in the inner skin. An air intake lip heating system diffuses the flow of hot air, once it has passed through the inner skin heating system, through the annular frame to heat the air intake lip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS
    Inventor: Maxime Zebian
  • Patent number: 11199108
    Abstract: The outlet of a heat exchange circuit extending under a wall, such as a nacelle cowling of an aircraft engine, is divided into openings in the form of parallel slots which are elongated in the longitudinal direction and successively arranged in the transverse direction to divide the hot gas into streams while facilitating the circulation of fresh gas streams, originating from an external flow, on the intermediate laminates. The hot gas cannot fall back easily onto the outer face of the wall and risk damaging the wall, and the gas mixes more effectively with the fresh outdoor air. The openings are provided with nozzles flaring in the transverse direction and the downstream longitudinal direction to facilitate the mixing of the hot and cold gas streams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Romain Jean-Claude Ferrier, Sébastien Christophe Chalaud, Philippe Gérard Chanez, Lauren Davis, Bastien Pierre Verdier, Christian Sylvain Vessot
  • Patent number: 11125168
    Abstract: An aspect includes a dirt mitigation system for a gas turbine engine. The dirt mitigation system includes a plurality of bleeds of the gas turbine engine and a control system configured to determine a particulate ingestion estimate indicative of dirt ingested in the gas turbine engine. The control system is further configured to determine one or more operating parameters of the gas turbine engine and alter a bleed control schedule of the gas turbine engine to purge at least a portion of the dirt ingested in the gas turbine engine through one or more of the bleeds of the gas turbine engine based on the particulate ingestion estimate and the one or more operating parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Christopher J. Hanlon, James F. Krenzer, Becky E. Rose, Mark F. Zelesky
  • Patent number: 11078841
    Abstract: Bleed air systems for use with aircraft and related methods are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a compressor having a compressor inlet and a compressor outlet. The compressor inlet to receive airflow from a first air supply source. An air mixing device having a first mixer inlet to receive compressed air from the compressor outlet and a second mixer inlet to receive bleed air from a bleed air system. The bleed air to provide a motive fluid to enable the air mixing device to mix the bleed air and the compressed air to produce mixed air for the anti-icing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: Steve G. Mackin, Hosam E. El-Gabalawy
  • Patent number: 11073081
    Abstract: An aircraft engine air inlet lip takes an annular form about a longitudinal axis and delimits an air inlet stream, and includes: a wall having a U-shaped profile having an outer face oriented towards outside of the air inlet lip and an inner face oriented towards interior of the air inlet lip, an inner wall extending inside the wall between two zones of the inner face, so as to close an inner chamber delimited between the wall and the inner wall and filled with a gas, the inner wall having an upstream face oriented towards and a downstream face oriented away from the inner chamber, a fan configured to move the gas contained in the inner chamber, and at least one pipeline fixed to the upstream face and extending all around the air inlet lip and configured to be fed with a heat transfer fluid heated by a heat source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Inventors: Alain Porte, Vincent Rebeyrotte, Gregory Albet, Jonathan Carcone
  • Patent number: 11053848
    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 outer wall defining an internal fluid passageway in fluid communication with a fluid supply and terminating in discharge ports that eject a flow of fluid into the compressor section of the gas turbine engine. The internal fluid passageway may also be in fluid communication with heating plenums of a first plurality of airfoils for heating those airfoils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Sreekanth Kumar Dorbala, Nitesh Jain, Prashant Sharma
  • Patent number: 10961900
    Abstract: Methods and devices are disclosed for introducing a compressor bypass flow that is returned from location that is downstream of a pressure source of an internal combustion engine to an air filter housing that is located upstream of the pressure source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Cummins Inc.
    Inventors: David Guillermo Gonzalez Medina, Alan C. Anderson, Matthew Keith Sease, David P. Richter, Rahul Bhardwaj
  • Patent number: 10718268
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine comprises a main compressor section having a downstream most end, and more upstream locations. A turbine section has a high pressure turbine. A tap taps air from at least one of the more upstream locations in the compressor section, passes the tapped air through a heat exchanger and then to a cooling compressor. The cooling compressor compresses cooling air downstream of the heat exchanger, and delivers air into the high pressure turbine. The heat exchanger has at least two passes, with one of the passes passing air radially outwardly, and a second of the passes returning the air radially inwardly to the compressor. An intercooling system for a gas turbine engine is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Gabriel L. Suciu, Jesse M. Chandler, Joseph Brent Staubach, Brian D. Merry, Wesley K. Lord
  • Patent number: 10704472
    Abstract: Mobile power generation system and methods for air filtration include providing a trailer including a rear end, a front end, a bottom end, and a top end, a gas turbine housed inside the trailer, an electrical generator coupled to the gas turbine to generate electricity and housed inside the trailer, and a plurality of air inlets disposed on a side panel disposed below the top end and between the rear end and the front end of the trailer, the plurality of air inlets in fluid communication with the gas turbine and the electrical generator, and the plurality of air inlets configured to receive and filter air comprising at least one of combustion air and ventilation air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: On-Power, Inc.
    Inventor: Larry D. Davis
  • Patent number: 10563577
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine has a compressor section with a low pressure compressor and a high pressure compressor. The high pressure compressor has a downstream most location. A cooling air system includes a tap from a location upstream of the downstream most location. The tap passes air to a boost compressor and a heat exchanger, which passes the air back to a location to be cooled. The boost compressor is driven by a shaft which drives the lower pressure compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Gary D. Roberge
  • Patent number: 10450891
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure are directed to a cover configured to substantially conform to a profile of a first assembly of an engine in terms of the dimensions of the first assembly and hermetically seal the first assembly such that a second assembly of the engine that is external to the cover is accessible, a container containing a desiccant, and a screen coupled to the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Nathan D. Korn, Marc J. Muldoon
  • Patent number: 10443503
    Abstract: A gas turbine fuel system including a main fuel line providing fuel flow from a fuel tank to a combustor, and at least one pump, including an ejector pump, pumping fuel from the fuel tank to the combustor via a fuel metering unit. The fuel metering unit directs a portion of the fuel into a motive flow line which returns a portion of the fuel to the ejector pump. First and second heat exchangers are disposed in serial flow communication within the main fuel line between the pump and the fuel metering unit. The first heat exchanger is a fuel-to-fuel heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Daniel Alecu, Steven Strecker, Andrew Walz
  • Patent number: 10030536
    Abstract: A combination of a gas turbine pressure sensing assembly and an engine electronics unit. The pressure sensing assembly includes a pressure manifold having an air inlet and one or more air outlets. The pressure sensing assembly further includes one or more pressure sensors connected to the air outlets to sense the pressure of air entering through the air inlet. The engine electronics unit in operation produces waste heat. The pressure sensing assembly further includes a heat conduction path which thermally connects the engine electronics unit to the manifold such that the manifold acts as a sink for the waste heat. The temperature rise of the manifold produced by the waste heat preventing icing of the manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventor: David Brookes
  • Patent number: 9915164
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine comprises a fan rotor, a lower speed compressor rotor and a higher speed compressor rotor, and a lower speed turbine rotor and a higher speed turbine rotor. The lower speed turbine rotor rotates the lower speed compressor rotor, and rotates a gear reduction to, in turn, rotate the fan rotor. The higher speed turbine rotor rotates the higher speed compressor rotor. An electrical generator is driven to rotate with one of the lower speed turbine rotor and the fan rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Gary D. Roberge
  • Patent number: 9879599
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine has a compressor section received within an inner housing. An is an outer housing is spaced radially outwardly of the inner core housing. A nacelle has an anti-icing system which taps compressed air from the compressor section through an anti-ice valve and to the nacelle. The anti-ice valve is opened at startup of the gas turbine engine to assist compressor stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Claude Mercier, Gary Collopy
  • Patent number: 9512580
    Abstract: A deicing method includes the steps of determining a necessary quantity of heat to substantially vaporize an interfacial layer between a solid surface and a layer of ice and applying pulsed heating at the interfacial layer. The pulsed heating is applied with the determined necessary quantity of heat to substantially vaporize the interfacial layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Elwha LLC
    Inventors: William D. Duncan, Peter L. Hagelstein, Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, David B. Tuckerman, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., Thomas A. Weaver
  • Patent number: 9102411
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for commanding and controlling at least one resistive heating element (1) belonging to an aircraft turbojet engine nacelle deicing set, characterized in that it involves the steps aimed at: obtaining, from a central control unit (6) of the aircraft, parameters representative of the exterior flight conditions; determining a thermal model corresponding to the flight conditions obtained; as a function of the thermal model, delivering the appropriate corresponding electrical power (4) to the resistive heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: AIRCELLE
    Inventors: David Pereira, Laurence Lemains
  • Patent number: 9038363
    Abstract: The invention relates to a de-icing device for an element of a nacelle of a turbojet engine, including at least one heating resistant mat connected to at least one electrical power source (3) and thus defining an assembly (1) of resistant mats, characterized in that the assembly of resistant mats includes one or more subassemblies of resistant mats, each subassembly in turn including one or more resistant mats of the assembly, and each subassembly of resistive mats having a different ohmic value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: AIRCELLE
    Inventors: David Pereira, Laurence Lemains
  • Patent number: 9027353
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a compressor section, a combustor in fluid communication with the compressor section, a turbine section in fluid communication with the combustor, a fan section configured to be driven by the turbine section via a geared architecture, and a buffer system that communicates buffer air to a portion of the gas turbine engine. The buffer system includes a first circuit configured to selectively mix a first bleed air supply having a first pressure and a second bleed air supply having a second pressure that is greater than the first pressure to provide a first buffer supply air having an intermediate pressure compared to the first pressure and the second pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Jorn A. Glahn, Clifton J. Crawley, Jr., Philip S. Stripinis, William K. Ackermann
  • Patent number: 9016065
    Abstract: An air intake system for a gas turbine includes one or more coils in airflow communication with an inlet arrangement. Each coil is constructed and arranged to have a respective upstream face velocity that is intended to be within 20% of the other coils. Each coil utilizes a working fluid of a predetermined temperature range conveyed there through and a plurality of spaced fins. The fins are spaced apart to permit air to flow between adjacent fins as air flows through the coil. At least one of the coils has a number of fins per inch that is different from the number of fins per inch of the other coils. Alternatively, each individual coil has at least one section with fewer or greater numbers of fins per inch that the other sections of that coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Donaldson Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Theodore Philip Bezat
  • Patent number: 9016633
    Abstract: A de-icing system and method. An electromechanical actuator heat sink is operable to receive heat from an electromechanical actuator, and a heat distribution element is operable to distribute heat to a surface. A heat transportation device is operable to transport heat from the electromechanical actuator heat sink to the heat distribution element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Julie Fatemeh Asfia, David Blanding, Jeffrey Coffman
  • Patent number: 9003760
    Abstract: An acoustic treatment panel that is connected to an air intake of an aircraft nacelle, includes at least one acoustically resistive structure (30) and a reflective layer (32), between which are located—in a direction that is essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the nacelle—bands (34) of alveolar cells spaced in such a way as to allow the passage of hot air provided for a frost treatment, characterized in that it includes pipes (36) for hot air that are each delimited by at least one partition that extends from the acoustically resistive layer (30) up to the reflective layer (32) in such a way as to insulate the bands (34) of cells in the longitudinal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS
    Inventors: Frédéric Chelin, Thierry Surply, Dominique Haro, Fabrice Gantie, David Lambert
  • Patent number: 8997451
    Abstract: An engine and pod assembly for an aircraft includes a pod receiving an engine having an air intake. A rotating nose cone extends on the nose cone, as well as a device for limiting the formation of ice. The device includes means for creating a circumferential heterogeneity of ice on the nose cone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Sagem Defense Securite
    Inventors: François Dufresne de Virel, Michel Pealat, Patrick Joyez, Bruce Pontoizeau, Jean-François Lacuisse, Sylvie Wintenberger
  • Patent number: 8984855
    Abstract: A rotating inlet cowl for a turbine engine, having a rotation axis and for which the forward end is arranged to be eccentric relative to this rotation axis. Furthermore, a forward cone of the cowl is truncated by a truncation surface defining the forward end of the inlet cowl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Mickael Delapierre, Herve Gignoux, Gael Loro, Sylvie Wintenberger
  • Patent number: 8973650
    Abstract: A system, including a superconductive heat transfer assembly, including, a first superconductive heat transfer pipe, a second superconductive heat transfer pipe, and a superconductive heat transfer contact switch configured to open and close a gap between the first superconductive heat transfer pipe and the second superconductive heat transfer pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Harish Chandra Dhingra, Donald Gordon Laing
  • Publication number: 20150040577
    Abstract: A system and method of operating an engine anti-ice system includes supplying heat from one or more heat sources to one or more components on or within a gas turbine engine, sensing data representative of one or more parameters related to ice crystal accretion, and based on the data, at least selectively inhibiting at least selected ones of the one or more heat sources from supplying heat to at least selected ones of the one or more components on or within the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2013
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Inventors: Dave Dischinger, Ronald Goodwin, Harry Lester Kington
  • Publication number: 20150033698
    Abstract: A system includes a gas turbine system that has a turbine, a combustor, and a compressor having an air intake. The air intake is configured to supply an air flow to the compressor. The system also includes a fluid injection system that has a fluid wash system configured to inject a wash fluid into the gas turbine system via the air intake. The fluid wash system includes an injector configured to inject the wash fluid into the gas turbine system and an anti-icing system configured to inject an anti-icing fluid into the gas turbine system via the air intake. The anti-icing system is configured to inject the anti-icing fluid into the gas turbine system via the injector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jose Antonio Cuevas, Tho Nguyen, Horacio Solis
  • Patent number: 8931252
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine having a rotational axis, an intake and a compressed gas source; the intake includes a lining having a facing which defines an inlet surface and an array of holes; the array of holes includes at least a first set of holes and a second set of holes, the holes of the first set of holes are angled a relative to a radial line and the holes of the second set of holes are angled ? relative to the radial line; the angles ? and ? are different. An active flow control arrangement including a compressed gas supply pipe, a valve arrangement, a controller, a compressed gas distribution pipe may be provided. Compressed gas may be provided to prevent the formation of separation of a main gas flow through the intake and prevent or remove ice accretion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventors: Giles Anthony Richardson, David MacManus, Christopher Thomas John Sheaf
  • Patent number: 8915058
    Abstract: A heat transfer arrangement for a fluid-washed body having first and second ends and a fluid-washed surface extending there-between. The arrangement includes a heat transfer member extending from the first end at least part way along the body towards the second end. A heat source is arranged in use to heat the heat transfer member in the vicinity of the first end of the body. A plurality of thermal control layers are provided on the heat transfer member, each of the layers having a different thermal conductivity and being juxtaposed so as to create a thermal conductivity profile which varies along the length of the member. The arrangement may be used for prevention of icing of an aerofoil body such as a blade, vane or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventors: David S Knott, Alexis Lambourne, Andrew M Rolt, Cosimo Buffone
  • Publication number: 20140366552
    Abstract: The application relates to a method and a device for suppressing ice formation on intake structures of a compressor, particularly the compressor of a gas turbine. The technical aim of the present invention is to provide a method and a device for suppressing the formation of ice on said structures, which avoid the disadvantages of known solutions, such as a reduction of the performance of the gas turbine, and have a simple and broad applicability. According to the present invention the mechanical vibratory energy of said structures during operation is converted into electrical energy by a piezoelectric element, firmly applied to said structure, and in a connected electrical circuit the generated electrical energy is then converted into thermal energy by an ohmic resistor and this thermal energy is conducted to at least a portion of the structure for suppressing ice formation. Excess energy may be transmitted by a transmitter to other circuits in adjacent structures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Publication date: December 18, 2014
    Inventors: Jaroslaw Leszek SZWEDOWICZ, Andreas BAUER, Marcus NEUBAUER, Sebastian Marc SCHWARZENDAHL
  • Patent number: 8904747
    Abstract: A gas turbine inlet heating system is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system includes: a compressor having: an inlet bellmouth adjacent to a set of inlet guide vanes (IGVs); and an outlet fluidly connected to the inlet bellmouth; and a conduit coupled to an outlet of the compressor, the conduit including a control valve, the conduit for diverting a first portion of compressed air from the outlet of the compressor to the inlet bellmouth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Malath Ibrahim Arar, Anna Valeria Anllo
  • Patent number: 8899917
    Abstract: The invention relates to a gas flow separator dividing the flow into a primary and a secondary stream, especially for a dual rotor axial turbomachine. The separator comprises a splitter nose of the turbomachine and includes a generally wedge-shaped leading edge in the gas flow to be split. The flow separator also comprises a metal blade having a longitudinal section in the form of an “S” and located in the nose in contact with the back of the leading edge and extending from the leading edge to a rear end of the separator at some distance from the leading edge, so as to be in contact with a heat source, such as a heat exchanger, located at some distance from the leading edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Techspace Aero S.A.
    Inventors: Denis Bajusz, Nicholas Raimarckers, Antoine Stephany, Georges Broers, Yves Culot, Marc Strengnart, Albert Cornet, David Depaepe
  • Patent number: 8899008
    Abstract: A system includes an anti-icing heat recovery system, which includes a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, and a variable speed fan. The first heat exchanger is configured to receive a working fluid from an exhaust section of a gas turbine engine and to transfer heat from the working fluid to a cooled intermediate heat transfer medium to generate a heated intermediate heat transfer medium. The second heat exchanger is configured to receive the heated intermediate heat transfer medium from the first heat exchanger and to transfer heat from the heated intermediate heat transfer medium to air entering the gas turbine engine. The variable speed fan is configured to urge the working fluid from the exhaust section of the gas turbine engine through the first heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Douglas Alan Jones, Gerardo Plata Contreras, Robert Allen Baten, Victor Gerardo Cabal Velarde, Jingmei Zhang, Jesus Elios Almendarez Mendez, Richard Michael Watkins
  • Publication number: 20140345292
    Abstract: In an aircraft including a gas turbine engine, a system for cooling the gas turbine engine includes a tank provided in a wing of the aircraft, the tank being configured to store a cooling fluid supply; and a heat exchanger provided in the gas turbine engine configured to exchange heat from the compressor discharge air to the cooling fluid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2013
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Carlos Enrique Diaz, Jorge Alejandro Carretero Benignos
  • Patent number: 8869537
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine and an apparatus for operating the gas turbine engine includes at least one microphone to detect the sound of impacts of particles, a recorder to record the sound of the impacts, an analyzer to analyze the sound of the impacts of the particles, and a store of sounds of impacts, the stored sounds of impacts correspond to unfavorable weather conditions. A comparator compares the sound of the impacts of particles with one or more sounds of impacts stored in the store 68 sounds of impacts and if the comparator determines that the sound of the impacts of particles matches one or more stored sounds of impacts, a signal is sent to a control system for the gas turbine engine to adjust the operation of the gas turbine engine such that it operates in a safe mode of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventors: Torsten Geis, Edward Brook
  • Patent number: 8844293
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for heating fuel in an aircraft gas turbine engine, for example to provide fuel anti-icing to the fuel, comprises directing a fuel flow through a heat exchanger associated with a generator power conditioning unit as a sole means for providing anti-icing heating to fuel supplied for engine combustion. The method and apparatus permits the heat exchanger to heat the fuel sufficiently so that other dedicated heating means may be unnecessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventor: Ian A. MacFarlane
  • Patent number: 8844258
    Abstract: A system for de-icing a gas turbine engine is provided. A manifold is coupled to an inlet screen. A first conduit is coupled to a stage of the compressor and a first input of a mixing component. A second conduit is coupled to the exhaust and a second input of the mixing component. The second conduit being adapted to extract exhaust gases without increasing the pressure at the exhaust. A third conduit is coupled to the output of the mixing component and the manifold. A method for de-icing a gas turbine engine inlet screen includes determining a current temperature at the inlet screen, and determining a desired temperature at the inlet screen. If the current temperature at the inlet screen is less than the desired temperature at the inlet screen first flow rate of an air-exhaust mixture necessary to achieve the desired inlet screen temperature is calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sanji Ekanayake, Alston Ilford Scipio, Dale J. Davis, Ryan Margate Pastrana
  • Publication number: 20140245749
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine has a compressor section received within an inner housing. An is an outer housing is spaced radially outwardly of the inner core housing. A nacelle has an anti-icing system which taps compressed air from the compressor section through an anti-ice valve and to the nacelle. The anti-ice valve is opened at startup of the gas turbine engine to assist compressor stability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2012
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventor: United Technologies Corporation
  • Patent number: 8800258
    Abstract: An air intake structure is mounted upstream of a mid-structure of a nacelle for an aircraft engine. The air intake structure includes an external wall incorporating a lip, a partition defining a deicing compartment in the lip, a deicing manifold extending in the compartment, and a duct for supplying hot air to the deicing manifold. In particular, the external wall is mounted movably with respect to the mid-structure between a rear position and a front position, and the duct is connected in a fixed manner to the mid-structure. The partition is fixed in a sealed manner inside the lip, and the duct is connected to the manifold by a disconnectable seal which is situated in an immediate vicinity of the partition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Aircelle
    Inventors: Guy Bernard Vauchel, Stephane Beilliard, Jean-Philippe Dauguet
  • Patent number: 8793970
    Abstract: A lip assembly for an air inlet of a turbojet engine nacelle includes an inner surface, an external surface. A portion of the external surface is covered by an ice-repellent coating. In particular, the ice-repellent coating includes a piezoelectric actuator which vibrates the external surface and is combined into a matrix of the ice-repellent coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Aircelle
    Inventor: Thierry Le Docte