Mide Technology Corporation

The Boeing Company

Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

Oatey Company

Satcon Technology Corporation

Abnaki Information Systems, Inc.

Marthinus Van Schoor

Brett P Masters

Attila Jozsef Lengyel

Gert Johannes Muller

Andrew M Cutler

John Patrick Rodgers

Steven A Klepper

Brooks Radighieri

Steven Fulton Griffin

Edward Andrew Whalen

Christopher C Ludlow

Andries Jacobus Du Plessis

Luke Clovis Saindon

Conor Clery

Michael Linley Fripp

Roger Lynn Schultz

David Gilbert

Noel Jared Keegan

Stephen Hanly

Jeffrey Court

Francis E Nimblett

Jacob Van Reenen Pretorius

Brian MacLachlan

Mark Spadafora

Jaco Pretorius

Chris Ludlow

Matt Schaefer

James Peter Weldon, Jr

Marcel Huigsloot

Nicholas Burnell

Matthew Pike

Jacob Van Pretorius

A dual stage pressure relief valve for relieving pressure. The pressure relief valve includes a main body, a poppet bulb, a pilot piston, and a poppet cap. The main body defines a main channel that extends from a first opening to a second opening. The poppet bulb defines a first flow channel being in fluid communication with the main channel. The pilot piston defines a reset channel in fluid communication with the first flow channel of the poppet bulb. The cap channel has a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the reset channel. The poppet cap defines a cap channel in fluid communication with the reset channel of the pilot piston and with a pressure cavity defined by the poppet cap and an end of the main body.

Dual stage pressure relief valve

A synthetic jet actuator and a method for optimizing a synthetic jet actuator to meet operating requirements and physical constraints may include estimating dimension and a resonance frequency of an air cavity of the synthetic jet actuator, and using the estimated resonance frequency to the estimate dimensions of a piezoelectric actuator of the synthetic jet actuator. Individual simulations of the air cavity and piezoelectric actuator, and a coupled simulation may be performed using the estimated dimensions, and the dimensions may be revised and simulations re-executed to match the resonance frequencies of the air chamber and the piezoelectric actuator. The method maybe yield a synthetic jet actuator having a resonance frequency of the piezoelectric actuator that is approximately equal to a quarter-wavelength resonance frequency of the air cavity.

Piezoelectric actuators optimized for synthetic jet actuators

A constant volume flexible joint system includes a flexible membrane for coupling across a joint and spaced radial support ribs fitted to the membrane. Axial support structures are coupled to the spaced radial support ribs preventing axial deformation of the joint due to a differential pressure. The axial support structure preferably include pivoting sockets and blocks enabling the joint to flex and the flexible membrane to contract on the inside of a bend and expand by an equal or near equal amount on the outside of the bend resulting in a constant volume joint that requires low or no torque throughout the bending motion.

Flexible joint

A seal system includes a face seal rotor ring including a wide sealing face preferably made of tungsten carbide. The stator ring includes a narrower sealing face confronting the rotor ring wide sealing face. The stator ring sealing face is preferably made of polyamide-imide and tapers to narrower widths rearwardly.

Stern tube seal system

An in-flight refueling hose and method. The hose includes an inner braid including pseudoelastic shape memory alloy (e.g., nitinol) wires. These wires undergo a stress induced phase change absorbing energy to dampen oscillations of the hose in use.

Aerial refueling hose

A sprinkler head including a sprinkler body with a passage for fluid and a seal mechanism sealing the passage, and a cage member. A frangible bulb extends between the cage member and the seal. A shape memory alloy element is associated with the frangible bulb and has a first configuration that fits within, about, or abutting the bulb and a second configuration at a predetermined temperature which breaks the frangible bulb releasing the fluid through the passage.

Method and apparatus for thermally activated sprinklers

A bulkhead seal includes a housing configured to be attached to a bulkhead about a shaft and defining an annular recess. An annular diaphragm seal is rotatably disposed in the annular recess of the housing and about the shaft. A plurality of orifices extend through the annular diaphragm seal to prevent air pressure differentials from locking the annular diaphragm seal with respect to the housing. A lip seal is provided on each side of the annular diaphragm seal. Each lip seal includes a seal portion disposed to seal the orifices in the presences of liquid.

Bulkhead seal

A fluid activated shaft bulkhead seal system includes an annular carrier fixed with respect to a bulkhead and about a shaft extending through the bulkhead and the annular carrier. The annular carrier supports a pair of lip seals each of which defines an outwardly facing pocket and a lip portion spaced from the shaft and a portion abutting the carrier. A foam body is disposed in the pocket of each lip seal. Each foam body includes a gel material configured to expand in the presence of fluid urging the lip portions of the lip seals into contact with the shaft to seal the annular carrier with respect to the shaft. An annular retainer is mated to each side of the annular carrier for retaining the foam body in the pocket of each lip seal.

Fluid activated shaft seal

Systems and methods associated with a fluid-activated shaft seal are provided. The systems, which feature multiple components, include a support component defining an exterior surface, a carrier component including an interior surface to slideably engage the exterior surface of the support component, and a seal disposed relative to the carrier component. The seal includes a lip portion and a fluid-responsive gel material that expands when exposed to a fluid to urge the lip portion towards or into contact with a shaft. The gel material contracts in the absence of the fluid to form or increase the size of a gap between the shaft and the lip portion. Methods of assembling and installing such a system are also described.

Fluid-activated shaft seal

Systems and methods associated with a fluid-activated shaft seal are provided. The system includes a housing and a seal disposed relative to the housing. The method reduces flow of a fluid between the shaft and the housing. The method involves installing the housing in an opening relative to the shaft and locating the seal relative to the housing. The seal includes a gel material that expands when exposed to a fluid. The seal reduces flow of the fluid through a gap between the housing and the shaft. Advantages of the system and method include reduced wear to the seal due to friction because the seal does not engage the shaft in the absence of a fluid. The seal engages the shaft in the presence of a fluid. Sealing quality is improved by increasing the pressure differential acting on the gel material. In some embodiments, the seal includes a lip portion.

An enhanced electrical power generating system. In a described embodiment, an electrical power generating system for use in a subterranean well includes a flow passage formed through a tubular string in the well, a flow region in communication with, and laterally offset relative to, the flow passage, an electrical power generator operative in response to flow of fluid through the flow region and multiple flow restrictors in the flow passage. The flow restrictors are operative to influence at least a portion of the fluid to flow from the flow passage through the flow region.

Borehole discontinuities for enhanced power generation

A vibration based power generator. In a described embodiment, an electrical power generating system includes a vibrating assembly including a vortex shedding device which sheds vortices in response to fluid flow across the vibrating assembly. A generator generates electrical power in response to vibration of the vibrating assembly. The vortex shedding device sheds the vortices at a frequency which is substantially equal to a resonant frequency of the vibrating assembly.

Vibration based power generator

Laser beam machining is applied to form arbitrarily shaped electroactive ceramics for transducers (e.g., electromechanical sensors and actuators). One particularly preferred embodiment of the invention comprises machining parallel grooves in a ceramic plate to improve flexibility. The grooves provide strain relief in bending by relieving Poisson strains transverse to the direction of bending. This embodiment offers the further benefit that planar anisotropy or directionality is introduced in the transducer. The machining process of the invention further enables the production of more complex geometries than those currently known in the art. Because of the flexibility of the machining process, virtually any desired transducer shape may be produced.

Laser machining of electroactive ceramics

A method and apparatus for determining an electrical property of a structure. The method involves creating a model of an electrical property of a structure and measuring the electrical property of the structure between at least two of a plurality of locations. The method also involves determining the electrical property of at least a portion of the structure based on the model and the measurement of the electrical property between the at least two of the plurality of locations.

Growing community of inventors

Medford, MA, United States of America

Marthinus Van Schoor