Williams International Co., L.l.c.

Williams International

Other

Gregg G Williams

Robert S Thompson, Jr

Ray D Lickfold

Mark E Suchezky

David W Jarrell

Curtis E Lynch

John F Jones

Tristan M Fletcher

Craig Miller

Dean S Musgrave

Guido J Defever

Guido D Defever

Richard D Stephens

Robert S Thompson Jr

A shrouded bladed-rotor for use as a rotor of an electrical generator incorporates a plurality of blades and an annular magnetically-permeable yoke concentric with an associated axis of revolution. An even-numbered plurality of permanent magnets are operatively coupled to an outer surface of the annular magnetically-permeable rotor yoke, the latter of which comprises either a shroud of the shrouded bladed-rotor or a ring of magnetically-permeable material encircling the shroud. The North-South axis of each permanent magnet is substantially radially oriented with respect to the axis of rotation, and North-South orientations of every pair of circumferentially-adjacent permanent magnets of the plurality of permanent magnets are opposite to one another. A non-magnetic magnet-retaining-ring encircling the plurality of permanent magnets has sufficient hoop strength to retain the plurality of permanent magnets on the annular magnetically-permeable rotor yoke during intended operation of the electrical generator.

Radial-flux shrouded-fan generator

A turbocharger ball-bearing assembly incorporates a cageless set of ceramic bearing balls operating within outer and inner bearing raceways, wherein the outer bearing raceway is on the inside of a fractured outer race. The fractured outer race is located in a counterbore of a center body of a turbocharger. The center body, in cooperation with the ball-bearing assembly, provides for rotationally supporting, and axially restraining, a rotor shaft of the turbocharger. The outside diameter of the fractured outer bearing race is less than a corresponding inside diameter of the counterbore, and the center body provides for supplying lubricant to an isolation annulus therebetween, so as to provide fir squeeze-film damping the ball-bearing assembly within the counterbore.

Fractured-outer-race full-complement ball-bearing system incorporated in a turbocharger assembly

Liquid fuel from a rotary fluid trap is atomized by a sharp edge on an inside surface of an aft cavity of a bladed rotor of a gas turbine engine and directed into each of a plurality of associated hollow blades through corresponding blade inlet ducts that are in fluid communication with corresponding aft hollow interior portions of each blade. A radially-extending central rib within each blade partitions the hollow interior thereof into aft and forward hollow interior portions that are in fluid communication through an associated opening in the central rib and through a radially-extending gap between the central rib and the interior surface of the blade. A blade outlet duct provides for fluid communication between the forward hollow interior portion and a forward cavity of the bladed rotor, and a rotor outlet duct provides for discharging the fuel from a radially-inboard portion of the forward cavity.

Fuel-cooled bladed rotor of a gas turbine engine

A control schedule incorporating a relationship between corrected torque and inlet pressure is selected or determined responsive to a power-level command representative of a level of power to be transmitted to a controllable load by a single-spool turboshaft engine. At least a substantial portion of the control schedule provides for a flat-rated power level by the single-spool turboshaft engine substantially independent of associated inlet air pressure and inlet air temperature, and for at least one selectable mode of operation, the control schedule provides for minimizing or nearly minimizing a measure of fuel consumption, and for at least one other selectable mode of operation, the control schedule provides for operation at a substantially fixed level of rotational speed.

System and method for controlling a single-spool turboshaft engine

One of a controllable load and a fuel flow to a single-spool turboshaft engine is controlled so that a rotational speed of a single-spool turboshaft engine is substantially regulated to a level corresponding to a corrected rotational speed command, and the other of the fuel flow and the controllable load is controlled so that a torque transmitted from the single-spool turboshaft engine to the controllable load is substantially regulated to a level corresponding to a corrected torque command. Under at least one operating condition, the corrected rotational speed command is determined so as to minimize or nearly minimize a measure of fuel consumption by the single-spool turboshaft engine when operated so that the torque transmitted to the controllable load corresponds to the corrected torque command.

Fuel () is supplied to a rotatable portion () of a gas turbine engine () comprising a rotor () and at least one blade () operatively coupled thereto, so as to provide for cooling at least one of the rotor () or the at least one blade () by transforming the fuel () to a vapor or gaseous state. The fuel () is discharged in a vapor or gaseous state from the rotatable portion () directly into a combustion chamber () of the gas turbine engine ().

Gas turbine engine cooling system and method

A controller receives a power-level command representative of a level of power to be transmitted by a single-spool turboshaft engine to a controllable load. A torque command determined responsive to a measure of inlet pressure, from a control schedule responsive to the power-level command, is representative of a level of torque to be transmitted by an element to drive the controllable load. Under some operating conditions, a rotational speed command provides for at least nearly minimizing a measure of associated fuel consumption when the transmitted torque is regulated to the level corresponding to the torque command by controlling one of the controllable load and a fuel flow to the engine, and the other of the controllable load and the fuel flow to the engine is controlled so as to regulate an associated rotational speed to a level corresponding to the rotational speed command.

A load applied to a low pressure spool of a two-spool turboshaft engine is controlled responsive to inlet pressure and temperature so as to regulate a relationship between the rotational speeds of the low and high pressure spools of the two-spool turboshaft engine so as to provide for operating the low pressure compressor attached to the low pressure spool with sufficient surge margin.

Two-spool turboshaft engine control system and method

Fuel () supplied to a rotary fluid trap () is centrifugally accelerated within a first cavity () adjacent a first side () of a rotor (), and is then directed though a plurality of first passages () extending through the rotor () between and proximate to the blades (), and shaped so as to at least partially conform to the shape of the blades (). Second passages () extend within the blades () from the first passages () and terminate within associated cavities () proximate to the tips () of the blades (). Relatively cooler fuel () in the first passages () is thermosiphon exchanged for relatively hotter fuel () in the second passages () so as to cool the blades (). The heated fuel () flows into a second cavity () adjacent to a second side () of the rotor () and is discharged from the rotating frame of reference directly into the combustion chamber () through a second rotary fluid trap (). A separate fuel distribution circuit (130) is used for starting and warm-up.

Fuel supplied to a rotary fluid trap is centrifugally accelerated within a first cavity adjacent a first side of a rotor, and is then directed though a plurality of first passages extending through the rotor between and proximate to the blades, and shaped so as to at least partially conform to the shape of the blades. Second passages extend within the blades from the first passages and terminate within associated cavities proximate to the tips of the blades. Relatively cooler fuel in the first passages is thermosiphon exchanged for relatively hotter fuel in the second passages so as to cool the blades. The heated fuel flows into a second cavity adjacent to a second side of the rotor and is discharged from the rotating frame of reference directly into the combustion chamber through a second rotary fluid trap. A separate fuel distribution circuit is used for starting and warm-up.

A rotor system for a rocket engine comprises a first hollow shaft portion and a surrounding annular duct. The interior of the first hollow shaft portion is adapted to receive a first propellant component, and is in fluid communication with a first rotary orifice. The annular duct is adapted to receive a second propellant component, and is in fluid communication with a second rotary orifice located proximate to the first rotary orifice. The rotor system further comprises a third rotary orifice operatively connected to second hollow shaft portion and in fluid communication with the interior of the first hollow shaft portion for discharging a second portion of the first propellant component at second location. The rotary orifices are operatively connected to respective rotary pressure traps that isolate the pressure at the respective rotary orifices from the respective inlet pressures of the respective propellant components.

Rotor system

A rocket engine comprises first and second rotary injectors for injecting respective fuel and oxidizer propellant components into a first combustion chamber, and the effluent therefrom drives a turbine that rotates the rotary injectors. The mixture within the first combustion chamber is preferably fuel-rich so as to reduce the associated combustion temperature, and the fuel-rich effluent mixes in a second combustion chamber with additional oxidizer injected by a third rotary injector so as to generate a high temperature effluent suitable for propulsion. The rotary injectors are adapted so as to isolate the low pressure propellant supply from the relatively high pressures in the respective combustion chambers.

Rocket engine

A fuel lubricated anti-friction bearing comprises an inner race for an anti-friction bearing having a plurality of radially opening apertures communicating with a fuel supply, a rotatable outer race, and a plurality of anti-friction rollers between the inner and outer races, rotation of the outer race effecting rotation of the rollers and pumping of fuel radially outwardly through the apertures in the inner race of the rollers.

Fuel lubricated bearing

A multi-spool turbofan engine has a high pressure spool that operates at high idle RPM so as to power accessories and minimize acceleration time from idle to full rated RPM without producing high idle thrust which compromises the landing maneuver and ground operation.

Multi-spool by-pass turbofan engine

An aft fan gas turbine engine comprises a coaxially related compressor, compressor turbine, fan turbine, and aft fan. An annular fuel tank is disposed about the compressor and an annular combustion chamber is disposed between the compressor and turbine.

Growing community of inventors

Walled Lake, MI, United States of America

Gregg G Williams