General Electric Company

Other

Charles Michael Jones

Jatila Ranasinghe

Raub Warfield Smith

Robert Russell Priestley

Sebastian Walter Freund

Leroy Omar Tomlinson

Matthew Alexander Lehar

Kenneth J Zdunek

Gordon Raymond Smith

Diego Fernando Rancruel

William George Carberg

Eric YuHang Fung

Francois Droux

Erhan Karaca

Leslie Yung Min Tong

Robert John Gdaniec

William Joseph Antel, Jr

Pierre Sébastien Huck

Mark Joseph Steffen

Kenneth William Kohl

Trevor James Kirsten

Peter Paul Polukort

William G Gorman

Bruce Charles Martindale

Hannes Christopher Buck

Matthew Michael Lampo

Amit Gaikwad

Lars Olof Nord

Bryan Michael Jones

Marc Trent Kazanas

Paul Ronan Murphy

Gurbaksh Singh Ohson

Steven David Shemo

William Joseph Antel Jr

Pierre Sebastien Huck

The Active Beam Joint Brace (ABJB) is an improvement or a compliment to the current technology of protecting steel beam structured buildings such as tuned mass dampers near the top floors of sky scrapers and large shock absorbers to reduce sway due to high winds and earthquakes. The ABJB can be also used in any type of structure i.e. bridges. It is positioned near the joint of two of the beams and therefore does not interfere with the placement of doors and windows. There are two embodiments of the ABJB: The basic ABJB reacts to any distortion of the protected beam joint and applies a counter force to the two beams in than joint. The smart ABJB is also able to forecast some of the remaining wave forces in an earthquakes duration (from the first wave forms) and proactively apply counter forces (i.e. a Rayleigh Wave). It may also adjust the frequency, magnitude and direction in combination with the other ABJB's in the structure based on the properties of the external force on the structure. Additional sensors, such as strain gauges, wind speed sensors, wind direction sensors and accelerometers can be used to gather more data about any distortion of the beam structure which can then be utilized with an intelligent algorithm to forecast and proactively resist the beam structure from distorting due to external forces.

Active beam joint brace

A snow diverter mechanism for deflecting snow being thrown by a snow plow, away from such objects as driveways, fire hydrants and mail boxes. The snow diverter is positioned inside the concave curve of and a predefined distance from the curved side edge of the snow plow blade to avoid snagging the snow diverter mechanism on a curb or other obstacles.

Snow diverter mechanism

The present application provides an energy control computing device for adjusting one or more steam flow parameters delivered to a steam turbine from a heat recovery steam generator via a number of control devices. The energy control computing device includes a processor in communication with a memory. The processor is programmed to receive a number of measured operating values, identify steam turbine operating limits, identify a number of candidate operating modes meeting steam turbine operating limits, selecting the candidate operating mode maximizing the steam flow parameters while not exceeding the steam turbine operating limits, and directing the control devices to meet the selected candidate operating mode.

System and method to improve combined cycle plant power generation capacity via heat recovery energy control

The present invention is a system and method for detecting and locating the transmission of radio frequency signals from within a defined geographical area. The system uses statistical confidence limits to detect outliers caused by transmissions in the defined geographical area. The source of the transmission can then be located with triangulation.

Radio frequency signal transmission detector and locator

The plowing of streets and roadways in areas with snowy climates is typically done with a labor intensive manually operated snow removal apparatus mounted on a vehicle designed to push the snow off the roadway. A long standing problem is that there may be areas near the roadway, such as, driveways, mailboxes, crosswalks, cross streets, and fire hydrants that should not be blocked or covered with discharged snow. The present invention is an apparatus and a method by which the snow removal apparatus can be operated automatically without the need for manual intervention, to avoid throwing discharged snow on areas that would be undesirable to block or cover with snow.

Snow discharge diverter

An apparatus and method for aiding a handicapped person or a child to tighten the laces on shoes and other forms of wearing apparel with only one finger. If a long handled hook is used the person does not even have to bend over to fasten the laces. Even an able bodied person will be able to fasten shoes, or other apparel faster than the current process.

Lace tightening apparatus and method

A gravity powered garage door control opening and closing system that eliminates the conventional electric garage door opener and eliminates its two most common risks of failure, the first being a gear and/or bearing failure and the second being an electrical power failure. Other advantages include a reduction in electrical power needed and a reduction in cost over every other type of garage door opener. The present invention operates by transferring fluid between a counter weight and a storage tank under programmed control to control the movement and speed of the garage door as a function of its position in the door guides in which the door moves in.

Gravity powered garage door control system and method

The present invention is a device for cutting and mulching vegetation into consistently small uniform pieces by using a number of cutter cords that rotate in a circular plane of rotation with decreasing diameters as the position of the cutting wire is further from the power means. This design causes the grass to be sequentially cut into small confetti like pieces as the mowing machine moves forward.

Vegetation cutter and mulcher

The plowing of streets and roadways in areas with snowy climates is typically done with a labor intensive, manually operated snow removal apparatus mounted on a vehicle designed to push the snow off the roadway. A problem is that there may be areas near the roadway, such as, driveways, mailboxes, crosswalks, cross streets, and fire hydrants that should not be blocked or covered with discharged snow. The present inventions are an apparatus and a method by which the snow removal apparatus can be operated automatically without the need for manual intervention, to avoid throwing discharged snow on areas that would be undesirable to block or cover with snow.

Snow discharge diverter apparatus and method

A method for adjusting startup floor pressure levels of HRSG steam circuits is implemented by a pressure controlling computing device including a processor and a memory. The method includes receiving a plurality of measured plant operating values associated with a HRSG steam circuit, identifying a plurality of candidate pressure levels for use in pressurizing the HRSG steam circuit, determining a calculated steam velocity level for each of the plurality of candidate pressure levels, identifying a steam velocity limit for a steam piping section of the HRSG steam circuit, selecting a lowest pressure level of the plurality of candidate pressure levels, wherein the lowest pressure level is associated with a determined calculated steam velocity level that does not exceed the identified velocity limit, and pressurizing the HRSG steam circuit to the selected lowest pressure level.

Systems and methods for adjusting floor pressure levels to improve combined cycle plant startup

A system and method for generating electric power using a generator coupled to a turboexpander is disclosed. The system includes one or more thermal pumps configured for heating a fluid to generate a pressurized gas. A portion of the pressurized gas is discharged to a buffer chamber for further utilization in a Rankine system. A further portion of the pressurized gas is expanded in a turboexpander for driving a generator for generating electric power. Optionally, the system includes a pump to pressurize a portion of the fluid depending on the systems operating condition. The system further includes one or more sensors for sensing temperature and pressure and outputs one or more signals representative of the sensed state. The system includes a control unit for receiving the signals and outputs one or more control signals for controlling the flow of gases and liquid in the valves and the check valve.

System and method for generating electric power

Methods and apparatus for fast starting and loading a combined cycle power system are described. In one example embodiment, the method includes loading the gas turbine at up to it's maximum rate, and loading the steam turbine at its maximum rate with excess steam bypassed to the condenser while maintaining the temperature of steam supplied to the steam turbine at a substantially constant temperature from initial steam admission into the steam turbine until all steam generated by the heat recovery steam generator is being admitted to the steam turbine while the gas turbine operates at up to maximum load.

Methods and apparatus for starting up combined cycle power systems

A method and apparatus for power augmentation in gas turbine cycles is provided that efficiently provides at least air and preferably both steam and air injection. In an embodiment of the invention, an air injection compressor is driven with steam used for gas turbine injection prior to its injection into the gas turbine. In addition to power output, the thermodynamic efficiency is improved in simple cycle turbine power plants with the disclosed method and apparatus.

Method and system for gas turbine power augmentation

A steam injection and inlet fogging system is provided for a gas turbine power plant that includes a gas turbine having a compressor, a combustor and a turbine for driving a generator. A waste heat recovery unit is arranged to receive exhaust gas from the turbine, the former having a plurality of heat exchange sections for heating water with the exhaust gas. A flash tank is arranged to receive heated water from the waste heat recovery unit for producing steam. A first stream of makeup water from a first of the plurality of heat exchange sections is flashed to the flash tank to also produce saturated steam and water at a first location in the flash tank. A second stream of water from a second of the plurality of heat exchange sections is also flashed to the flash tank to produce saturated steam and water at a second location in the flash tank. A portion of the saturated steam produced in the flash tank is supplied to the gas turbine combustor, and a remaining portion of the saturated steam is supplied to the compressor via an inlet fogger. The system also controls contaminants in the water produced in the flash tank.

Steam injection and inlet fogging in a gas turbine power cycle and related method

To provide auxiliary steam, a low pressure valve is opened in a combined cycle system to divert low pressure steam from the heat recovery steam generator to a header for supplying steam to a second combined cycle's steam turbine seals, sparging devices and cooling steam for the steam turbine if the steam turbine and gas turbine lie on a common shaft with the generator. Cooling steam is supplied the gas turbine in the combined cycle system from the high pressure steam turbine. Spent gas turbine cooling steam may augment the low pressure steam supplied to the header by opening a high pressure valve whereby high and low pressure steam flows are combined. An attemperator is used to reduce the temperature of the combined steam in response to auxiliary steam flows above a predetermined flow and a steam header temperature above a predetermined temperature. The auxiliary steam may be used to start additional combined cycle units or to provide a host unit with steam turbine cooling and sealing steam during full-speed no-load operation after a load rejection.

Growing community of inventors

Ballston Lake, NY, United States of America

Charles Michael Jones