Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Daniel R Cornell

Jurek Ferleger

Ashok T Patel

James F Lydon

A steam turbine blade having an airfoil portion and root portion by which the blade is affixed to a rotor. The geometry of the blade airfoil is configured to minimize energy loss through the row of blades and reduce the weight of the airfoil. The airfoil has a leading edge and a trailing edge defining a chord therebetween. The chord is reduced linearly from the base of the airfoil to 50% of the airfoil height. However, the chord remains essentially constant from 50% of the airfoil height to the airfoil tip. The root is fir tree shaped and has four sets of tangs and grooves that are configured to minimize the stresses in the root.

Steam turbine blade

A steam turbine blade is provided in which the geometry of the blade airfoil is configured to reduce the weight of the blade while maintaining adequate thermodynamic performance. The blade has a high camber angle to increase its stiffness and an airfoil portion having pressure and suction surfaces. The curvature of the portion of the pressure surface between the base and 75% blade height has a point of inflection in an area adjacent the leading edge so that the curvature switches sign. The curvature upstream of the point of inflection is concave, while the curvature downstream of the point of inflection is convex.

Light weight steam turbine blade

A steam turbine blade is provided in which the geometry of the blade airfoil is configured to reduce the weight of the blade while maintaining adequate thermodynamic performance. The blade has a high camber angle to increase its stiffness and an airfoil portion having pressure and suction surfaces. The curvature of the portion of the pressure surface between 25% and 75% blade height has a point of inflection in an area adjacent the leading edge so that the curvature switches sign. The curvature upstream of the point of inflection is concave, while the curvature downstream of the point of inflection is convex.

Growing community of inventors

Winter Springs, FL, United States of America

Daniel R Cornell