General Electric Company

Henry Grady Ballard, Jr

Kenneth Damon Black

Ian David Wilson

Fred Thomas Willett, Jr

Bradley James Miller

John David Memmer

Stephen Christopher Chieco

Douglas Frank Beadie

Christopher Paul Cox

Martel Alexander McCallum

Scott Edmond Ellis

Brad A Miller

Radu Ioan Danescu

Brett Darrick Klingler

Andrew Ray Kneeland

Raymond Henry Goetze

Ozgur Bozkurt

Eric Scicchitano

Donald E Floyd, Ii

Kenneth David Black

A method to design a turbine including: estimating rates of thermal radial expansion for each of a stator and a rotor corresponding to a period of operation of the turbine; estimating a clearance between the rotor and the stator based on the rates of thermal radial expansion, and determining a mass or surface area of the stator or rotor based on the clearance.

Method and system for passive clearance control in a gas turbine engine

A clearance control apparatus providing compressed cooling air to a turbine casing in a gas turbine, the apparatus including: a cooling gas passage extending through an inner annular shell of the turbine casing; a cooling gas conduit connected to a compressor of the gas turbine and to the turbine casing, wherein the cooling gas conduit receives compressed air from the compressor and delivers the compressed air to the turbine casing, and wherein the cooling gas conduit is in fluid communication with the cooling gas passage, and a heat exchanger connected to the cooling gas conduit and to a fuel conduit delivering fuel to a combustor of the gas turbine, wherein the heat exchanger transfers heat from the cooling gas to the fuel.

Method and apparatus for clearance control utilizing fuel heating

A system includes a turbomachine rotor having a shaft and turbomachine blades coupled to the shaft. The system also includes a turbomachine stator having a shroud surrounding the turbomachine blades of the turbomachine rotor. Further, the system includes a cooling channel having at least a first portion of the cooling channel extending upstream of a final stage of a compressor of the system, where the cooling channel is configured to receive cooled compressed air from the compressor and direct the cooled compressed air adjacent to the turbomachine rotor to reduce thermal expansion and/or axial displacement of the turbomachine rotor.

System and method for blade tip clearance control

A gas turbine engine system having a combustion section and a turbine section is provided. The turbine section includes at least one turbine stage having a plurality of turbine blades coupled to a rotor and an inner casing circumferentially disposed about the plurality of turbine blades. The turbine section includes an outer casing circumferentially disposed about at least a portion of the inner casing. The inner casing and the outer casing define a cavity comprising a volume configured to facilitate the distribution of air within the cavity to cool an outer surface of the inner casing and an inner surface of the outer casing. The outer casing comprises at least one air inlet and the inner casing comprises at least one air outlet. At least one flange is provided within the cavity, and the at least one flange flanks the air inlet and at least one flow guide.

Method and apparatus to improve heat transfer in turbine sections of gas turbines

A gas turbomachine includes a casing assembly surrounding a portion of the gas turbomachine and a counter-flow cooling system arranged within the casing. The counter-flow cooling system is configured and disposed to guide cooling fluid through the casing assembly in a first axial direction and return cooling fluid through the casing assembly in a second axial direction that is opposite the first axial direction.

Gas turbomachine including a counter-flow cooling system and method

A turbine is provided and includes a turbine shell including shrouds at multiple stages thereof, and constraining elements, disposed at least at first through fourth substantially regularly spaced perimetrical locations around the turbine shell, which are configured to concentrically constrain the shrouds of the turbine shell.

Turbine shell with pin support

A casing includes an inner shell and an outer shell that surrounds the inner shell and comprises a plurality of inflection points. An annular flange is between the inner shell and the outer shell, and a plurality of joints attach the inner shell to the annular flange. A connector is between the annular flange and the outer shell at each of the plurality of inflection points. A method for assembling a casing includes joining a plurality of curved sections to one another to generally define an arcuate inner shell and surrounding the arcuate inner shell with an outer shell. The method further includes attaching the arcuate inner shell to an annular flange at first attachment points and connecting the annular flange to the outer shell at second attachment points spaced approximately equidistantly from the first attachment points.

Turbine casing

Apparatus and method for aligning a turbine casing

A system includes a turbine casing including a first hook configured to mate with a second hook to support a turbine shroud about a plurality of turbine blades. The turbine casing includes a coolant circuit configured to adjust clearance between the turbine shroud and the turbine blades based on coolant flow through the coolant circuit. The coolant circuit includes a first plurality of radial coolant passages extending into the first hook.

System and method for clearance control in a rotary machine

An inner shell for a rotating machine including at least one segment; and at least one complementary segment in operable communication with the at least one segment, the segments forming a support structure for a shroud ring; wherein the at least one segment and the at least one complementary segment are individually moved to change a set of dimensions defined by the at least one segment and the at least one complementary segment. A method for controlling a dimension of the shroud ring in a rotating machine is also disclosed.

Apparatus and method for clearance control of turbine blade tip

A method operates a gas turbine that includes a compressor section, a turbine section and an extraction cooling system. The method includes monitoring an operation of the gas turbine, directing a cooling air flow through the extraction cooling system from the compressor section to the turbine section in response to normal operation of the gas turbine, and directing a warming air flow through the extraction cooling system to the compressor section and the turbine section in response to shutdown of the gas turbine.

Systems and methods of reducing heat loss from a gas turbine during shutdown

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a turbine which includes an outer shell, an inner shell connected to and surrounded by the outer shell in generally concentric relation therewith, at least one turbine rotor housed within the inner shell, a plurality of nozzles and shrouds carried by the inner shell, a plurality of connecting elements engaging between the inner and outer shells aligning the inner shell about the rotor, and at least one compliant support. Embodiments of the present disclosure also relates a method of configuring the securing arrangement between the inner shell and the outer shell of a turbine.

Inner turbine shell support configuration and methods

An actuating device includes: at least one first elongated member having a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE); and at least one second elongated member having a second CTE different from the first CTE, the second elongated member being nested within the first elongated member, the device being configured to displace a portion of the device a selected distance along a major axis of the device based on a relationship between the first CTE and the second CTE in response to a change in temperature.

Growing community of inventors

Easley, SC, United States of America

Henry Grady Ballard, Jr