General Electric Patent Grants

Hydrogen aircraft with cryo-compressed storage

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12078108
Methods and apparatus are disclosed for a hydrogen aircraft with cryo-compressed storage. An example fuel distribution system includes a vacuum vessel, a cryogenic vessel positioned within the vacuum vessel, the cryogenic vessel part of a cryo-compressed hydrogen delivery assembly, and at least one of a heater or a thermosiphoning loop to maintain a pressure of the cryogenic vessel.

System and method for operating a renewable energy source in grid-forming mode (GFM) as a virtual synchronous machine (VSM) with damper winding emulation

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12081162
A method and associated system provide grid-forming mode (GFM) control of an inverter-based renewable energy source having an asynchronous machine connected to a power grid. The method includes deriving a power error signal (PER) between a real power output (PB) from the renewable energy source and a power reference (PREF) representing a desired power output of the renewable energy source. With an inertial power regulator, a phase shift angle (?IT) is generated from the power error…

Control logic for thrust link whiffle-tree hinge positioning for improved clearances

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12079735
Systems and methods for optimizing clearances within an engine include an adjustable coupling configured to couple a thrust link to the aircraft engine, an actuator coupled to the adjustable coupling, where motion produced by the actuator adjusts a hinge point of the adjustable coupling, sensors configured to capture real time flight data, and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit receives flight data from the sensors, implements a machine learning model trained to…

Apparatus and method for visualizing defects using a magneto-optical effect

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12078692
A magneto-optic imaging apparatus adapted for use with an imaging device, such as a smartphone, tablet computer, or borescope, for visually detecting defects in the surface or subsurface of a component using a magneto-optic effect. The magneto-optic imaging apparatus includes a housing with an interface for connection with the imaging device such that a camera and light source of the imaging device may be implemented for magneto-optic visualization. The housing includes optical elements…

Contoured wall heat exchanger

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12078426
A heat exchanger and heat exchanger core are provided. The heat exchanger core includes a plurality of columnar passages extending between an inlet plenum of the heat exchanger core and an outlet plenum of the heat exchanger core, the columnar passages formed monolithically in a single fabrication process.

Rotating detonation-enabled augmentor systems

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12078357
Systems and methods are provided herein useful to thrust augmentation in a gas turbine engine. In some embodiments, the systems include augmentors that incorporate a rotating detonation architecture. An exhaust system of a gas turbine engine includes an augmentor and a peripheral wall surrounding an exhaust system core. The augmentor comprises a detonation chamber disposed within the exhaust system core. The detonation chamber includes a channel formed in the peripheral wall. A core…

Gas turbine combustion section having an integrated fuel cell assembly

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12078350
A combustion section defines an axial direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction. The combustion section includes a casing that defines a diffusion chamber. A combustion liner is disposed within the diffusion chamber and defines a combustion chamber. The combustion liner is spaced apart from the casing such that a passageway is defined between the combustion liner and the casing. A fuel cell assembly is disposed in the passageway. The fuel cell assembly includes a…

Wind turbine and method of operating a wind turbine

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12078151
A wind turbine and operating method include a double-fed induction generator with a generator rotor and a generator stator, a power conversion assembly having respective rotor-side and line-side power converters, and a load. The generator rotor is coupled to the rotor-side power converter. The line-side power converter and the load are coupled to a grid via a low voltage winding of a transformer. A first sum of a rated current of the generator rotor and a rated current of the load is…

Blade lifting assembly for mounting a blade to or unmounting a blade from a rotor hub of a wind turbine

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12078147
A blade lifting assembly (50) for mounting a blade (22) to or unmounting a blade (22) from a rotor hub (20) of a wind turbine (10), including a gripper (52) configured for gripping a central region (54) of the blade (22), the gripper (52) including a blade rotation device (56) configured for rotating the blade (22) about a rotational axis perpendicular to a longitudinal blade axis (76) of the blade (22); a root support device (70) configured to be mounted to a root section (71) of the…

Rotor blade for a wind turbine

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12078144
A rotor blade for a wind turbine includes a blade skin forming a suction surface and a pressure surface. An electric heating arrangement has a heating strip with a width-thickness relation configured to reduce bonding between ice and the blade skin by electrically heating a respective surface of the blade skin and to conduct lightning-strike currents of at least 10 kA. An energy transfer arrangement supplies electrical energy to the heating arrangement. An integrated lightning…

Gas turbine engine

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12078107
A gas turbine engine is provided. The gas turbine engine includes: a turbomachine having a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section arranged in serial flow order, the compressor section having a high pressure compressor defining a high pressure compressor exit area (AHPCExit) in square inches; wherein the gas turbine engine defines a redline exhaust gas temperature (EGT) in degrees Celsius, a total sea level static thrust output (FnTotal) in pounds, and a corrected…

System and method for providing cooling in a compressor section of a gas turbine engine

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12078105
A method for cooling a compressor section of a gas turbine engine includes sensing, via at least one first temperature sensor, a first temperature at the first location on a stationary assembly of the compressor section. The method also includes sensing, via at least one second temperature sensor, a second temperature at a second location on the stationary assembly of the compressor section. The second location is spaced apart from the first location. The method also includes…

Combustor size rating for a gas turbine engine using hydrogen fuel

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12078100
A gas turbine engine includes a hydrogen fuel delivery assembly configured to deliver a hydrogen fuel flow, a compressor section configured to compress air flowing therethrough to provide a compressed air flow, and a combustor including a combustion chamber having a burner length and a burner dome height. The combustion chamber is configured to combust a mixture of the hydrogen fuel flow and the compressed air flow. The combustion chamber can be characterized by a combustor size rating…

Airfoil assembly with a trunnion and spar

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12078080
An airfoil assembly and a method of forming the airfoil assembly, the airfoil assembly having a trunnion, a spar, a skin, and an insert. The trunnion having a flared socket with an open top. The spar extending from the flared socket and through the open top. The spar having a first end located within the flared socket. The skin having a braided or woven fiber.

Additive manufacturing apparatuses and methods for using the same

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12076918
Additive manufacturing apparatuses are disclosed. In one embodiment, an additive manufacturing apparatus may comprise a support chassis including a print bay, a build bay, and a material supply bay. Each bay may comprise an upper compartment and a lower compartment. A working surface may separate each of the print bay, the build bay, and the material supply bay into the upper compartment and the lower compartment, wherein: the build bay may be disposed between the print bay and the…

Systems and methods for fabricating a component with a simulated laser array

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12076814
A powder melting device for an additive manufacturing system including a laser device configured to emit an energy beam and a beam modulator. The beam modulator is configured to selectively induce an angular deflection in the energy beam for a predetermined time period such that the energy beam generates a plurality of melt pools in a powder bed.

Additive manufacturing using a dynamically grown build envelope

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12076789
The present disclosure generally relates to additive manufacturing systems and methods on a large-scale format. One aspect involves a build unit that can be moved around in three dimensions by a positioning system, building separate portions of a large object. The build unit has an energy directing device that directs, e.g., laser or e-beam irradiation onto a powder layer. In the case of laser irradiation, the build volume may have a gasflow device that provides laminar gas flow to a…

Customizable interface system for invasive cardiology and electrophysiology

Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number: 12076151
A physiological data acquisition system includes at least one interface module and a base unit configured to communicatively connect to the at least one interface module to receive the physiological signals recorded by a catheter. Each interface module is formed by mating at least a first one of the two or more different personality modules to a dock. The dock has a multi-modal connection port configured to directly connect to a dock connector of any one of the two or more different…

Counter-rotating turbine

Granted: August 27, 2024
Patent Number: 12071889
A turbine section and an exhaust section for a gas turbine engine includes a low pressure (LP) turbine having first stage LP turbine blades that rotate in a first direction at a first speed, and final stage LP turbine blades downstream of the first stage LP turbine blades that rotate in a second direction opposite the first direction at a second speed. The second speed is lower than the first speed.

Air-to-air heat exchanger potential in gas turbine engines

Granted: August 27, 2024
Patent Number: 12071896
A gas turbine engine is provided. The gas turbine engine includes a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in a serial flow arrangement; and an air-to-air heat exchanger having an air-to-air heat exchanger potential defined by a product raised to a half power, the product being an effectiveness associated with the air-to-air heat exchanger multiplied by an airflow conductance factor associated with the gas turbine engine, and wherein the air-to-air heat exchanger…