KKR has been granted a patent for an airfoil design for turbomachine compressors. The invention specifies parameters including leading-edge thickness, maximum profile thickness, and a leading-edge wedge angle, defining a leading-edge ratio parameter that ranges from 5.5 to 10.0. GlobalData’s report on KKR gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.

According to GlobalData’s company profile on KKR, was a key innovation area identified from patents. KKR's grant share as of June 2024 was 56%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.

Airfoil design for turbomachine compressor efficiency

Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Credit: KKR & Co Inc

The granted patent US12018584B2 describes an innovative airfoil designed for use in compressors of turbomachines. The airfoil extends from a blade root to a blade tip, featuring a leading edge and a trailing edge. Key parameters of the airfoil include the leading-edge thickness and the maximum profile thickness, which together define a relative leading-edge thickness. Additionally, the airfoil incorporates a leading-edge wedge angle. A critical aspect of the design is the leading-edge ratio parameter, calculated as the product of the relative leading-edge thickness and the leading-edge wedge angle, which must fall within a specified range of 5.5 to 10.0 in at least one cross-section of the airfoil.

Further claims detail specific characteristics of the airfoil, including the positioning of the cross-section, which should be at least 20% of the total airfoil height, and the requirement that the leading-edge ratio parameter exceeds 7 in certain instances. The leading-edge thickness is defined to range from 0.2 mm to 5 mm, while the leading-edge wedge angle is specified to be between 2° and 45°. The patent also encompasses a compressor for a turbomachine that incorporates at least one of these airfoils, as well as a complete turbomachine configured with such a compressor, highlighting the airfoil's potential applications in enhancing turbomachine efficiency and performance.

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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.