Search Patents
  • Patent number: 8434906
    Abstract: Lighting systems having unique configurations are provided. For instance, the lighting system may include a light source, a thermal management system and driver electronics, each contained within a housing structure. The light source is configured to provide illumination visible through an opening in the housing structure. The thermal management system is configured to provide an air flow, such as a unidirectional air flow, through the housing structure in order to cool the light source. The driver electronics are configured to provide power to each of the light source and the thermal management system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mehmet Arik, Stanton Weaver, Thomas Stecher, Charles Seeley, Glenn Kuenzler, Charles Wolfe, Jr., Yogen Utturkar, Rajdeep Sharma, Satish Prabhakaran, Tunc Icoz
  • Patent number: 8434964
    Abstract: A coupling includes a first portion configured for connection to a first shaft and having a first portion flange and a second portion configured for connection to a second shaft and having a second portion flange. The coupling also includes an isolating member disposed between the first portion flange and the second portion flange and that is formed of ceramic and electrically isolates the first portion from the second portion. The coupling also includes one or more connecting members passing through the first portion flange, the second portion flange, and the isolating member and holding the first portion flange and the second portion flange in a fixed relationship to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nicholas Simon Graham, Ronald Ralph Cairo, Thomas Joseph Farineau, William Patrick Rusch
  • Patent number: 8434999
    Abstract: A spline seal for a hot gas path component is provided. The spline seal may include a first metal layer and a second metal layer. The first metal layer may have a first volumetric thermal expansion coefficient. The second metal layer may be disposed adjacent the first metal layer and have a second volumetric thermal expansion coefficient. The second volumetric thermal expansion coefficient may be higher than the first volumetric thermal expansion coefficient. When the spline seal is exposed to a heat source, the first and second metal layers may deform to provide a seal between the hot gas path component and an adjacent hot gas path component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sergio Daniel Marques Amaral, Gary Michael Itzel, Xiuzhang James Zhang
  • Patent number: 8436499
    Abstract: The present application and the resultant patent provide a superconducting electrical machine. The superconducting electrical machine may include an armature coil made of a high temperature superconducting material, a cooling system, and a field coil. The cooling system may include a cryostat surrounding the armature coil and a foam insulation surrounding the cryostat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Tao Zhang, Evangelos Laskaris, Manoj Shah, James Bray, Kiruba Sivasubramaniam Haran
  • Patent number: 8435821
    Abstract: A sensor and method for fabricating a sensor is disclosed that in one embodiment bonds an etched semiconductor substrate wafer to an etched device wafer comprising a silicon on insulator wafer to create a suspended structure, the flexure of which is determined by an embedded sensing element to measure absolute pressure. Interconnect channels embedded in the sensor facilitate streamlined packaging of the device while accommodating interconnectivity with other devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sisira Kankanam Gamage, Naresh Venkata Mantravadi, Michael Klitzke, Terry Lee Cookson
  • Publication number: 20130108450
    Abstract: A turbine bucket includes a platform and an airfoil. A leading edge of the platform leading is circumferentially defined by a continuous curve forming at least one axially extending projection and an adjacent recess, the axially-extending projection located adjacent a leading edge of the airfoil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Clint Luigie INGRAM
  • Publication number: 20130105023
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention provides a central core element for a reverse osmosis separator assembly, the central core element comprising a pair of central core element components, each of said core element components comprising at least one porous exhaust conduit and at least one friction coupling, the friction couplings being configured to join said core element components to form a central core element defining a cavity configured to accommodate a first portion of a membrane stack assembly; wherein each core element component comprises a first section defining an exhaust cavity and a second section comprising a porous exhaust conduit, wherein said porous exhaust conduit comprises a removable wall member configured to form a substantial portion of a porous exhaust conduit wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Jonathan Sebastian Janssen, Philip Paul Beauchamp, Todd Alan Anderson, Mohammed Mounir Mahmoud Shalaby, Wenpeng Liu, Anubhav Kumar
  • Publication number: 20130108448
    Abstract: A turbine bucket includes a radially inner mounting portion; a shank radially outward of the mounting portion; at least one radially outer airfoil having a leading edge and a trailing edge; a substantially planar platform radially between the shank and the at least one radially outer airfoil; at least one axially-extending angel wing seal flange on a leading end of the shank thus forming a circumferentially extending trench cavity along the leading end of the shank, radially between an underside of the platform leading edge and a radially outer side of the angel wing seal flange; and slash faces along opposite, circumferentially-spaced side edges of the platform. At least one of the slash faces is formed with a dog-leg shape, a leading end of the at least one of slash face terminating at a location circumferentially offset from the leading edge of the at least one radially outer airfoil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Clint Luigie INGRAM
  • Publication number: 20130108420
    Abstract: The present application thus provides a seal assembly for a turbine. The seal assembly may include a number of metal shim layers and a number of non-metallic layers. A pair of the non-metallic layers surrounds each metal shim layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Victor J. Morgan, Timothy J. Rehg, Neelesh N. Sarawate, David W. Weber
  • Publication number: 20130108789
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention include a method. The method includes producing a first vapor from a solid source material, reacting hydrogen telluride to form a second vapor comprising tellurium, and depositing on a support a coating material comprising tellurium within a deposition environment, the deposition environment comprising the first vapor and the second vapor. Another embodiment is a system. The system includes a deposition chamber disposed to contain a deposition environment in fluid communication with a support; a solid source material disposed in fluid communication with the deposition chamber; and a hydrogen telluride source in fluid communication in fluid communication with the deposition chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Bastiaan Arie Korevaar, Roman Shuba
  • Publication number: 20130107598
    Abstract: A method to add locally generated real and reactive power to a power distribution grid including: generating or storing direct current (DC) power by distributed power source; converting the DC power to an alternating current (AC) power; calculating or measuring a power factor of the AC power provided from the distribution grid; determining a power factor for the conversion of DC power to AC power based on the power factor for the AC from the distribution grid, and the conversion of the DC power to the AC power sets the power factor for the AC power to conform to the determined power factor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Hernan Alex ROJAS
  • Publication number: 20130109564
    Abstract: Present embodiments include systems and methods for reducing variations in a solid feed provided to a gasifier. For example, in an embodiment, a gasification feed vessel includes a solid fuel inlet configured to receive a solid fuel into the gasification feed vessel, a dry mixer configured to dry mix the solid fuel within the feed vessel, a solid fuel outlet configured to deliver a feed of the solid fuel to a gasification system, and a metering device coupled to the solid fuel outlet. The metering device is configured to control an amount of the feed of the solid fuel delivered to the gasification system. The gasification feed vessel is configured to provide the feed of the solid fuel to the gasification system within a desired energy concentration range over time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Gary Daniel Miller
  • Publication number: 20130107036
    Abstract: Inspection systems and methods are described that can correlate different types of data and, more particularly, can associate data displayed visually on gauges with data collected by sensors disposed on an asset. In one embodiment, the inspection system comprises a camera that is positioned to capture an image of the gauge. The inspection system is further configured to identify a gauge value that is displayed by the gauges and captured in images. The inspection system is still further configured to generate an output signal to a data acquisition device, which uses the output signal to correlate the gauge value with data collected by the sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Raymond Verle Jensen
  • Publication number: 20130105027
    Abstract: This disclosure details methods and techniques for inhibiting natural gas hydrate formation in gas conduits. In one embodiment, an article is provided which comprises (a) a gas conduit defining a gas flow channel; (b) an interior surface of the gas conduit; (c) a hydrate inhibiting coating on the interior surface, wherein the coating comprises: (i) component A, a one- or two-part room temperature vulcanizable polyorganosiloxane composition comprising a surface-treated filler, a condensation catalyst, and a crosslinking agent; and any reaction products thereof; and optionally (ii) component B, a hydrate release-enhancing proportion of at least one polyorganosiloxane comprising one or more silanol or alkoxy-silyl groups and comprising from about 10 weight percent to about 85 weight percent of at least one hydroxy-terminated or alkoxy-terminated polyoxyalkylenealkyl radical; and optionally (iii) any reaction products thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Biao Fang, Omprakash Samudrala, Ambarish Jayant Kulkarni, David Bruce Hall, Roderick Mark Lusted, Matthew David Butts, Shyam Sivaramakrishnan, Paul Russell Wilson, Mark Howard Giammattei, Christopher Edward Wolfe
  • Publication number: 20130108452
    Abstract: Certain embodiments of the present disclosure include a system having a turbomachine including a plurality of turbomachine blades coupled to a rotor, wherein each turbomachine blade has a blade base portion and a flared blade tip portion flared relative to the blade base portion. Additionally, a trailing edge of each turbomachine blade extends along a common plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christopher Michael Penny, Ross James Gustafson
  • Publication number: 20130104944
    Abstract: A conduit for a dishwashing appliance that is height adjustable to is provided that can accommodate different vertical positions of a rack assembly. One end of the conduit moves up and down with the rack assembly while maintaining a connection with e.g., a spray arm assembly suspended from the bottom of the rack assembly. The other end of the conduit remains in a relatively fixed vertical position during height adjustments so as to enable connection and reconnection at the fixed position of a main fluid supply conduit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Payam Motabar, Errin Gnadinger
  • Publication number: 20130106066
    Abstract: The present application provides seal assemblies for reducing leakages between adjacent components of turbomachinery. The seal assemblies may include outer shims, and at least a portion of the outer shims may be substantially impervious. At least one of the outer shims may be configured for sealing engagement with seal slots of the adjacent components. The seal assemblies may also include at least one of an inner shim and a filler layer positioned between the outer shims. The at least one inner shim may be substantially solid and the at least one filler layer may be relatively porous. The seal assemblies may be sufficiently flexible to account for misalignment between the adjacent components, sufficiently stiff to meet assembly requirements, and sufficiently robust to operating meet requirements associated with turbomachinery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Neelesh Nandkumar SARAWATE, Victor John MORGAN, David Wayne WEBER
  • Publication number: 20130105513
    Abstract: A refrigeration appliance with a water dispenser includes a refrigerated cabinet having a dispenser area, a cabinet water inlet in the refrigerated cabinet connectable to a premises water line, and a cold water storage tank in the refrigerated cabinet. The tank has a tank body, an inlet for admitting water into the tank body supplied via the cabinet water inlet, and an outlet for providing water via a dispensing conduit to a dispenser in the dispenser area. The inlet includes a venturi portion for creating a reduced pressure within the tank body via flow of water into the cold water storage tank. The reduced pressure is in communication with the dispensing conduit via the outlet so that, after dispensing operation is completed, water remaining in the dispensing conduit is drawn toward the tank body. The tank body may include an evacuation chamber open to atmosphere, and a float valve may be provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Andrew Reinhard Krause, Robert Lee Lewis, JR.
  • Publication number: 20130108418
    Abstract: The present application provides a seal assembly for a turbine. The seal assembly may include a first metal shim, a second metal shim, and one or more flexible layers positioned between the first metal shim and the second metal shim.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Victor J. Morgan, Neelesh N. Sarawate, David W. Weber
  • Patent number: D681772
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Gregory T. Obrecht