General Electric Patent Grants

Compressor bleed port structure

Granted: March 14, 2023
Patent Number: 11603852
A compressor bleed port apparatus includes: a compressor shroud which defines a boundary between a primary flowpath and a plenum; a bleed port including one or more apertures passing through the compressor shroud, each of the one or more apertures having an inlet communicating with the primary flowpath and an outlet communicating with the plenum, and extending along a respective centerline. Each of the one or more apertures is bounded by sidewalls, and includes a diffuser section in…

Midshaft rating for turbomachine engines

Granted: March 14, 2023
Patent Number: 11603801
A turbomachine engine includes a core engine having one or more compressor sections, one or more turbine sections that includes a power turbine, and a combustion chamber in flow communication with the compressor sections and turbine sections. The turbomachine engine also includes a shaft coupled to the power turbine and characterized by a midshaft rating (MSR) between two hundred (ft/sec)1/2 and three hundred (ft/sec)1/2. In one aspect, the shaft has a redline speed between fifty and two…

Combustor for a gas turbine engine

Granted: March 14, 2023
Patent Number: 11603799
A combustor for a gas turbine engine includes an inner liner and an outer liner positioned outward of the inner liner along the radial direction such that a combustion chamber is defined between the inner and outer liners. Furthermore, the combustor includes a fuel nozzle configured to supply fuel to the combustion chamber. Moreover, the combustor includes a bristle pack having a base plate and a plurality of bristles extending outward from the base plate such that the bristle pack forms…

Turbomachinery heat transfer system

Granted: March 14, 2023
Patent Number: 11603773
A heat management system for turbomachinery is provided. The heat management system includes a thermal delivery system configured to providing heating, cooling, or a combination thereof, to a turbomachinery. The thermal delivery system includes a first heat transfer conduit and a second heat transfer conduit. The second heat transfer conduit is disposed on the turbomachinery adjacent to the first heat transfer conduit. The heat management system additionally includes a controller…

Additive supports with integral film cooling

Granted: March 14, 2023
Patent Number: 11603764
An article of manufacture includes an article body portion (36); at least one pedestal (58A, 60A, 84, 86) integrally formed with the article body portion (36), and disposed at an outer periphery of (52), and structurally coupled to the article body portion (36); and at least one internal feature (72) disposed at least partially within the article body portion (36) and at least partially within the pedestal (58A, 60A, 84, 86). At least a portion of the internal feature (72) is hollow.

Systems and methods for automatic detection of coating defects

Granted: March 14, 2023
Patent Number: 11603593
Systems and methods for automatic detection of defects in a coating of a component are provided. In one aspect, a coating inspection system is provided. The coating inspection system includes a heating element operable to impart heat to the component as it traverses relative thereto. An imaging device of the system captures images of the component as the heating element traverses relative to the component and applies heat thereto. The images indicate the transient thermal response of the…

Oxidation and wear resistant coating

Granted: March 14, 2023
Patent Number: 11603588
A method includes applying a material coating on a surface of a machine component using a thermal spray, wherein the material coating is formed from a combination of a hardfacing material and aluminum-containing particles. The method also includes thermally treating the material coating to generate an oxide layer comprising aluminum from the aluminum-containing particles, wherein the oxide layer is configured to reduce oxidation of the hardfacing material.

System and method for electric vehicle charging and billing using a wireless vehicle communication service

Granted: March 14, 2023
Patent Number: 11603008
A vehicle charging station for use in transmitting charging power to an electric vehicle for use in charging the vehicle is configured to communicatively couple to the electric vehicle via a network connection to a wireless network provider and electrically couple to the electric vehicle via a connector. Vehicle charging station is further configured to receive a unique identifier from the electric vehicle via the network connection, deliver a quantity of electrical charging power to the…

Systems and methods for conversational flexible data presentation

Granted: March 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11600397
Systems and methods are provided for presenting aggregate data in response to a natural language user input. In one example, a system includes a display and a computing device coupled to the display and storing instructions executable to receive a natural language user input, process the natural language user input, in response to determining that the user input includes a request to display two different plots of record data specific to the subject, generate, with the virtual assistant,…

Systems and methods for controlling electrical power systems connected to a power grid

Granted: March 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11601079
The present application relates to a method for controlling a power system connected to a power grid, including: receiving a reactive power instruction and a measured reactive power from a generator; generating a reactive power error signal based on the difference between the reactive power instruction and the measured reactive power; receiving the reactive power error signal; generating a voltage instruction based on reactive power error signal; generating a voltage droop signal based…

Exhaust collector conversion system and method

Granted: March 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11598224
A system includes an exhaust collector tunnel (32) configured to mount inside an exhaust collector (30) of a gas turbine (12). The exhaust collector tunnel (32) has a tunnel wall (33) configured to extend around a turbine shaft (17, 19) of the gas turbine (12). The tunnel wall (33) has a variable diameter (98) along at least a portion of a length of the exhaust collector tunnel (32).

Systems and methods for validating product and manufacturing information (PMI) for models

Granted: March 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11599695
A system includes a processor for implementing a computer-aided technology (CAx) system. The CAx system includes a graphical-user-interface (GUI) configured to present a computer-aided design (CAD) model that includes at least one part. The system also includes memory storing instructions configured to cause the processor to receive the CAD model and product and manufacturing information (PMI) associated with the CAD model, validate the PMI, and present the CAD model with validated PMI…

Combustor swirl vane apparatus

Granted: March 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11598526
A swirler apparatus for a combustor, including: primary and secondary swirlers disposed axially adjacent to each other along a swirler centerline; the primary swirler including a plurality of primary swirl vanes arrayed around the swirler centerline; and the secondary swirler including a plurality of secondary swirl vanes arrayed around the swirler centerline, each secondary swirl vane including opposed sides bounded between opposed forward and aft edges and opposed leading and trailing…

Systems and methods for maintaining pipes

Granted: March 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11598474
A motorized apparatus for use in maintaining a pipe includes at least one drive portion including a body assembly, a plurality of leg assemblies coupled circumferentially around the body assembly, a plurality of drive mechanisms coupled to the plurality of leg assemblies, and a drive portion coupling mechanism. The motorized apparatus also includes at least one maintenance portion including a body, at least one maintenance device coupled to the body, and a maintenance portion coupling…

Compressor system with heat recovery

Granted: March 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11598327
A system includes a first working fluid compressor configured to pressurize a working fluid, and a prime mover coupled to the first working fluid compressor and configured to provide a mechanical input into the first working fluid compressor. An exhaust assembly is coupled to the prime mover and is configured to receive exhaust heat from the prime mover, the exhaust assembly including a generator configured to generate electric current based on the exhaust heat received by the exhaust…

Assembly and method for preventing exposure of personnel to an opening defined by a surface of a wind turbine

Granted: March 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11598318
An assembly and method are provided for preventing exposure of personnel to an opening defined by a surface of a wind turbine. Accordingly, a hatch assembly is arranged adjacent to the opening. The hatch assembly includes a frame structure and a support structure. The frame structure includes a plurality of frame members arranged together to at least partially surrounded opening the plurality of frame members further define a passageway for receiving the support surface. The support…

Yaw bearings for a wind turbine

Granted: March 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11598317
A gliding yaw bearing system for use in a wind turbine includes a first bearing assembly configured for being attached to a tower of the wind turbine, a second beating assembly configured for being attached to a nacelle of the wind turbine. An upwind section of the second bearing assembly is different from a downwind section of the second bearing assembly. A wind turbine utilizing the gliding yaw bearing system is also encompassed herein.

System and method for controlling a wind turbine in response to a blade liberation event

Granted: March 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11598311
A system and method are provided for controlling a wind turbine in response to a blade liberation event. Accordingly, estimated response signatures for the wind turbine are determined. Sensor data indicative of at least two actual response signatures of components of the wind turbine to a rotor loading are collected. The actual response signatures are compared to the estimated response signatures. The two or more actual response signatures meeting or exceeding the estimated response…

Liquid fuel steam purge system and method for gas turbine engine

Granted: March 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11598266
A system is provided with an ejector having an outer wall extending circumferentially about a flow path, wherein the outer wall has a throat section along the flow path, and a diverging section downstream from the throat section along the flow path. The ejector includes a gas inlet configured to supply a gas into the flow path, and a water inlet configured to supply water into the flow path. The ejector is configured to produce steam in response to mixing of the water and the gas along…

System and method for reducing the visibility of exhaust emissions in a gas turbine system

Granted: March 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11598225
An emissions control system for a gas turbine system includes a reducing agent supply, at least one sensor, at least one valve, and a controller. The reducing agent supply has one or more conduits configured to couple to one or more fluid pathways of the gas turbine system, which are fluidly coupled to a flow path of an exhaust gas from a combustor through a turbine of the gas turbine system. The at least one sensor is configured to obtain a feedback of one or more parameters of the gas…