General Electric Patent Grants

Method for manufacturing a structural component of a blade segment for a rotor blade of a wind turbine

Granted: October 10, 2023
Patent Number: 11780183
A method for manufacturing a structural component of a blade segment for a segmented rotor blade of a wind turbine includes providing a mold of the structural component. The mold has an outer wall that defines an outer surface of the structural component. The method also includes securing at least one tooling pin to the outer wall for defining a pin joint slot in the structural component. Further, the method includes laying up one or more outer fiber layers in the mold so as to at least…

Fuel oxygen reduction unit for prescribed operating conditions

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11773776
A fuel oxygen reduction unit for an engine is provided. The fuel oxygen reduction unit includes an inlet fuel line; a stripping gas source; a contactor selectively in fluid communication with the stripping gas source, the inlet fuel line, or both to form a fuel/gas mixture; and a separator that receives the fuel/gas mixture, the separator configured to separate the fuel/gas mixture into an outlet stripping gas flow and an outlet fuel flow; wherein a flow of stripping gas passes through…

Electronic valve apparatus

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11777307
An electronic valve apparatus for a high voltage direct current, HVDC, power transmission system. The electronic valve apparatus includes a first device chain including a number of first devices connected in series between an input node and an output node. Each of the first devices has an asymmetric transfer function configured substantially to block current flow through the device in a first direction, and the first devices are connected such that they all block current flow in the same…

Methods and apparatus for monitoring health of fuel oxygen conversion unit

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11774427
Methods of and apparatus for monitoring the health of a fuel oxygen conversion unit for a vehicle or a vehicle engine are provided. For example, a method comprises providing a distribution of sensed values obtained from a plurality of sensors distributed along an axial length of a gas oxygen reduction unit of the fuel oxygen conversion unit and determining the health of the fuel oxygen conversion unit from the distribution. As another example, a fuel oxygen conversion unit defines a…

System and method for detecting actual slip in a coupling of a rotary shaft

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11774324
A method for detecting actual slip in a coupling of a rotary shaft, for example, in a wind turbine power system, includes monitoring, via a controller, a plurality of sensor signals relating to the coupling for faults. In response to detecting a fault in the plurality of sensor signals relating to the coupling, the method includes determining, via the controller, whether the fault is indicative of an actual slip or a no-slip event of the coupling using one or more classification…

Engine with rotating detonation combustion system

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11774103
A Brayton cycle engine including an inner wall assembly defining a detonation combustion region upstream thereof extended from a longitudinal wall into a gas flowpath. An actuator adjusts a depth of the detonation combustion region into the gas flowpath. A method for operating the engine includes flowing an oxidizer through the gas flowpath; capturing a portion of the flow of oxidizer via the inner wall; flowing a first flow of fuel to the captured flow of oxidizer; producing a rotating…

Combustor fuel nozzle assembly

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11774100
A turbine engine can include a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement. A combustor in the combustion section can include a combustion chamber, a fuel supply fluidly coupled to the combustion chamber, and a fuel nozzle assembly. The fuel nozzle assembly can include an air flow passage and a fuel flow passage.

Gas turbine fuel nozzle tip comprising an impingement wall

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11774099
A fuel nozzle includes a center body that extends from an upstream end to a downstream end. A nozzle tip, which is fixedly coupled to the downstream end of the center body, includes an outer annular wall that has a forward end and an aft end. A solid aft wall is disposed at the aft end of the outer annular wall. The solid aft wall and the outer annular wall at least partially define a plenum. A nozzle portion, which is disposed within the plenum, includes an inner annular wall and an…

Combustor for a gas turbine engine

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11774098
A combustor for a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine defining a longitudinal centerline extending in a longitudinal direction, a radial direction extending orthogonally outward from the longitudinal centerline, and a circumferential direction extending concentrically around the longitudinal centerline, the combustor including: a forward liner segment; an aft liner segment disposed downstream from the forward liner segment relative to a direction of flow through the combustor, the…

Burner cooling structures

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11774093
A burner includes a main body having an outer surface and at least partially defining an interior. The main body further includes an upstream end axially spaced from a downstream end. The outer surface includes a burner front face at the downstream end of the main body. An annular cooling air plenum is defined in the main body radially inwardly from the outer surface. A cooling air passage extends from the outer surface to the annular cooling air plenum. A plurality of cooling channels…

Wind turbine gearbox carrier with integrated pin shafts and method of manufacturing same

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11773963
A gear system includes a carrier having a first portion and a separate, second portion and a plurality of pin shafts extending from the first portion of the carrier. Each of the plurality of pin shafts includes a first end and a second end. As such, the first ends are integrally formed with the first portion of the carrier. The first and second portions are arranged on opposing sides of the plurality of pin shafts and are spaced apart such that the first and second portions do not…

System and method for installation or removal of one or more combustion cans

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11773772
A system includes an annular track that surrounds the turbomachine. The annular track includes an upper rail portion and a lower rail portion removably coupled to one another. The system further includes a drive assembly operably coupled to the annular track. The drive assembly includes a drive chain that extends along the annular track. The system further includes a plurality of carts rotatably coupled to the annular track and connected to the drive chain such that operation of the…

T-fairing installation tooling assembly

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11773752
a tooling assembly for installation relative to a first and second turbomachine component is provided. The tooling assembly includes an axial mounting portion removably couplable to the first turbomachine component. The axial mounting portion includes a first plate, a second plate spaced apart from the first plate, and at least one turnbuckle assembly that extends between, and is coupled to, the first plate and the second plate. At least one of the first plate and the second plate…

Turbomachine component retention

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11773750
Turbomachine components and compressors are provided. The turbomachine component includes a platform and a mounting portion that extends from the platform. The mounting portion includes a dovetail received by a slot defined in the turbomachine. The slot includes a floor and a ceiling. The dovetail includes an inner surface and an outer surface. A hole is defined in the dovetail from an inlet at the inner surface to an end wall. The hole has a cylindrical portion and a tapered portion. A…

Compliant shroud designs with variable stiffness

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11773741
Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed. A shroud assembly of a gas turbine engine includes: a first shroud arm having a first end and a second end, the first end to couple to an outer wall and the second end to couple to a first shroud pad, and a second shroud arm having a first end and a second end, the first end to couple to the outer wall and the second end to couple to a second shroud pad, at least one of the first shroud pad or the second shroud pad to…

Curved seal for adjacent gas turbine components

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11773739
A flexible seal for sealing between two adjacent gas turbine components includes a forward end, an aft end axially separated from the forward end, and an intermediate portion between the forward end and the aft end. The intermediate portion defines a continuous curve in the circumferential direction, such that the aft end is circumferentially offset from the forward end. In other cases, the forward and aft ends are axially, radially, and circumferentially offset from one another. A…

Liquid bond coatings for barrier coatings

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11773734
A coated component, along with methods of its formation and use, is provided. The coated component may include a substrate having a surface with a plurality of cavities defined therein, a bond coating (e.g., including a silicon material) on the surface of the substrate within the cavities, and an environmental barrier coating over the surface of the substrate and encasing the bond coating within the cavities such that the bond coating, when melted, is contained within the cavities. Such…

Rotor blade with protective layer

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11773732
A component for a turbine engine is provided. The component includes a main body portion having a flow path surface; and a protective layer formed of a chopped fiber material, the protective layer cohered to at least a portion of the flow path surface of the main body portion.

Component for a gas turbine engine with a film hole

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11773729
A component is provided and comprises at least one wall comprising a first and a second surface. At least one film cooling; hole extends through the wall between the first and second surfaces and has an outlet region at the second surface. The film cooling hole includes a first expansion section being a side diffusion portion and a second expansion section being a layback diffusion portion, wherein the side diffusion portion is upstream and spaced from the layback diffusion portion.

Turbine damper

Granted: October 3, 2023
Patent Number: 11773725
A turbine damper may be provided that may include an elongated body sized to fit inside a turbine blade, the elongated body elongated along a radial direction of the turbine blade relative to a rotation axis of the turbine blade, and plural dampening masses coupled with the elongated body and disposed at different locations along the radial direction. The plural dampening masses may be one or more of sized to dampen different vibration modes of the turbine blade, or moveable relative to…