General Electric Company

Florian Stefan Hoefler

Rene Du Cauze De Nazelle

Christian Thomas Wakelam

William Dwight Gerstler

Christian Aalburg

Jonathan Ong

Mark Aaron Chan Chan

Jorge Alejandro Carretero Benignos

Thomas Fauner

Carlos Enrique Diaz

Andrew Maxwell Peter

Rachel Wyn Levine

Sean Craig Jenkins

Jorge Carretero Benignos

Thomas Helmut Ripplinger

Massimiliano Cirri, Ii

Cathal Clancy

Viktor Engel

Daniel Fischer

Hannes Haderlein

Christian Wakelam

The present disclosure pertains to electric machines such as electric propulsion systems for aircraft that integrated cooling systems, and methods of cooling such an electric machine. Exemplary electric machines include an electric motor that has a stator, a rotor, and a drive shaft operably coupled to the rotor. Exemplary electric machines further include a motor cooling conduit that defines a pathway for conveying a cooling fluid through or around at least a portion of the electric motor, a casing assembly that circumferentially surrounds at least a portion of the electric motor, a casing assembly conduit integrally formed within at least a portion of the casing assembly which defines a pathway for conveying the cooling fluid through the at least a portion of the casing assembly, and a pump or compressor operably coupled to the drive shaft and configured to circulate the cooling fluid through the motor cooling conduit and the casing assembly conduit.

Electric motor having an integrated cooling system and methods of cooling an electric motor

An additive manufacturing (AM) system includes a housing defining a chamber and a build platform disposed in a lower portion of the chamber. The AM system includes an upper gas inlet disposed in a side-wall and in an upper portion of the chamber and configured to supply an upper gas flow parallel to the build platform. The AM system includes a lower gas inlet in the lower portion of the chamber, wherein the lower gas inlet includes one or more pairs of dividing walls extending from the side-wall toward the build platform and configured to guide the lower gas flow at one or more flow angles with respect to the build platform. The AM system includes at least one gas delivery mechanisms to regulate flow characteristics of the upper and lower gas flows, and includes a gas outlet to discharge the upper and lower gas flows from the chamber.

Additive manufacturing system and method

A cooling assembly comprises a cooling cavity disposed inside of a turbine assembly. The cooling cavity is configured to direct cooling air inside a body of the turbine assembly. The cooling assembly comprises a cross-bank fluidly coupled with the cooling cavity and positioned to direct at least some of the cooling air out of the cooling cavity and outside of the body. The cross-bank comprises plural pins having first ends coupled with a first side interior surface of the body and opposite second ends coupled with a second side interior surface of the body. The cross-bank also includes a cross-bar connecting the pins. The cross-bar extends between the pins such that the cross-bar has a first end coupled with an exterior surface of a first pin of the pins and an opposite second end coupled with an exterior surface of a second pin of the pins.

Cooling assembly for a turbine assembly

A flow control device for an additive manufacturing system is provided. The flow control device includes a gas supply configured to discharge a gas, a first flow modifier configured to modify at least one flow characteristic of a first portion of the gas, and a second flow modifier configured to cooperate with the first flow modifier to modify the at least on flow characteristic of the first portion of the gas. The second flow modifier is further configured to modify at least one flow characteristic of a second portion of the gas, and the first flow modifier and the second flow modifier are configured to cooperate to direct at least a portion of the first portion and the second portion of the gas towards a melt pool in a plurality of particles.

Systems and methods for additive manufacturing flow control devices

An assembly comprises a first cooling cavity disposed within one or more of a turbine assembly or a combustion chamber of an engine. The first cooling cavity directs cooling air within the one or more of the turbine assembly or the combustion chamber. The assembly comprises a second cooling cavity also disposed within the one or more of the turbine assembly or the combustion chamber. The second cooling cavity receives at least some of the cooling air from the first cooling cavity. A forward facing step nozzle forms a channel that fluidly couples the first cooling cavity with the second cooling cavity. The step nozzle includes steps having elongated first sides and narrow second sides. The elongated first sides of the steps protrude into the channel such that a cross-sectional area of the channel of the step nozzle at the steps is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the channel of the step nozzle outside of the steps.

Turbine assembly

The example embodiments are directed to a heat dissipation system for an electric aircraft engine. In an example, the aircraft engine includes an electric system configured to power an engine fan to provide thrust to an aircraft, the electric system including cooling channels to receive a coolant to cool one or more components of the electric system, a power source to power the electric system, and one or more guide vanes connected to the cooling channels of the electric system and configured to receive the coolant heated by and output from the cooling channels, wherein the one or more guide vanes are further to cool the heated coolant and transfer the cooled coolant back to the cooling channels of the electric system. By dissipating heat from electric system via the guide vanes, the cooling system can provide sufficient cooling without adding additional drag to the aircraft.

Heat dissipation system for electric aircraft engine

A surface cooler includes a base component, a plurality of first fins, and a plurality of second fins. The base component has a first surface, a second surface, and a first thermally conductive material. The plurality of first fins extends substantially perpendicular from the first surface and each first fin is characterized by a first height and a first width. The plurality of second fins extends substantially perpendicular from the first surface and each second fin is characterized by a second height and a second width. One or more fins of the plurality of first fins are disposed between a pair of adjacent fins of the plurality of second fins and an average first height of the plurality of first fins is lower than an average second height of the plurality of second fins. The plurality of fins reduces air drag and augments heat transfer capacity of surface cooler.

Surface cooler and an associated method thereof

A turbine engine assembly includes a core compressor configured to discharge a first airflow at a first temperature and a first pressure. The turbine engine assembly also includes a cooling system turbine configured to receive the first airflow at the first temperature and the first pressure and discharge a second airflow at a second pressure less than the first pressure. The turbine engine assembly further includes a heat exchanger configured to receive the second airflow and discharge a third airflow at a second temperature less than the first temperature. The turbine engine assembly also includes a cooling system compressor rotatably coupled to the cooling system turbine. The cooling system compressor is configured to receive the third airflow and discharge a fourth airflow at a third pressure greater than the first pressure.

System and method for cooling a turbine engine assembly

A liquid ring turbine has a casing defining an interior chamber with a symmetry axis. A shaft, having an axis substantially parallel to the symmetry axis, is eccentrically positioned to the symmetry axis. An impeller is coupled to the shaft and is configured to rotate in a first direction. The impeller includes a plurality of vanes extending away from the shaft in a second direction at least partially opposite the first direction. The impeller rotates within a liquid ring enclosed in the casing such that a plurality of expansion chambers are defined. Each expansion chamber is defined between adjacent vanes and the liquid ring. A gas inlet port is in fluid communication with a first expansion chamber defining a first volume. A gas outlet port is in fluid communication with a second expansion chamber. The second expansion chamber defines a second volume that is greater than the first volume.

Growing community of inventors

Ismaning, Germany

Florian Stefan Hoefler