US 11,702,956 B2
In situ foam generation within a turbine engine
Ambarish Jayant Kulkarni, Glenville, NY (US); Byron Andrew Pritchard, Jr., Cincinnati, OH (US); Bernard Patrick Bewlay, Schenectady, NY (US); Michael Edward Eriksen, Cincinnati, OH (US); and Nicole Jessica Tibbetts, Delanson, NY (US)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed on Nov. 11, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/95,396.
Application 17/095,396 is a continuation of application No. 15/860,347, filed on Jan. 2, 2018, granted, now 10,871,082.
Prior Publication US 2021/0254499 A1, Aug. 19, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. F01D 25/00 (2006.01); B01F 23/235 (2022.01); B01F 25/31 (2022.01); B01F 25/314 (2022.01); B01F 25/312 (2022.01); B01F 25/313 (2022.01); B01F 101/00 (2022.01)
CPC F01D 25/002 (2013.01) [B01F 23/235 (2022.01); B01F 25/3111 (2022.01); B01F 25/3143 (2022.01); B01F 25/31243 (2022.01); B01F 25/31331 (2022.01); B01F 2101/4505 (2022.01); F05D 2220/323 (2013.01); F05D 2230/72 (2013.01); F05D 2260/00 (2013.01); F05D 2260/607 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A turbine system, comprising:
a turbine engine;
an aerating gas hose;
a water-based foaming liquid detergent hose; and
an in situ foam generating device disposed in the turbine engine, wherein the in situ foam generating device comprises a maximum width sized to pass through a minimum width of a port of the turbine engine, wherein the in situ foam generating device is coupled to the aerating gas hose passing through the port of the turbine engine and the water-based foaming liquid detergent hose passing through the port of the turbine engine, wherein the in situ foam generating device comprises a body having a first end, a second end, and an outer wall extending from the first end to the second end and having the maximum width of the in situ foam generating device, wherein the aerating gas hose and the water-based foaming liquid detergent hose are coupled to the first end inward from the maximum width of the outer wall, and wherein the in situ foam generating device comprises:
an inner fluid path and an outer fluid path at least partially surrounding the inner fluid path, wherein the inner fluid path is configured to receive one of a water-based foaming liquid detergent from the water-based foaming liquid detergent hose or an aerating gas from the aerating gas hose, and wherein the outer fluid path is configured to receive the other of the water-based foaming liquid detergent from the water-based foaming liquid detergent hose or the aerating gas from the aerating gas hose, respectively; and
an interface between the inner fluid path and the outer fluid path, wherein the interface is configured to enable mixing of the aerating gas with the water-based foaming liquid detergent to generate foam.